Natural Science Collections Alliance
Our members are part of an international community of museums, botanical gardens, herbariums, universities and other institutions that house natural science collections and utilize them in research, exhibitions, academic and informal science education, and outreach activities.
A new article published in PLoS Pathogens argues for leveraging natural history biorepositories for the proactive detection and mitigation of emerging infectious diseases. Natural history museum biorepositories form the backbone of a critically needed, decentralized, global network for zoonotic pathogen surveillance, yet this infrastructure remains marginally developed, underutilized, underfunded, and disconnected from public health initiatives, […]
Under President Biden’s budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2022, federal support for the Smithsonian Institution would grow by $69 million or 7 percent to $1.1 billion. This increase includes the congressionally mandated pay raise, funds to continue major renovation projects at the National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Institution Building, and support […]
The President has proposed increasing the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) budget by 20 percent in fiscal year (FY) 2022 and creating a new commercialization focused directorate at the science agency. Overall, NSF would receive $10.2 billion, which is $1.7 billion above the FY 2021 level enacted by Congress. The President proposes investing $50 billion over […]
On June 8, 2021, the U.S. Senate voted 68-32 to pass the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S. 1260), formerly referred to as the Endless Frontier Act. The legislative package would authorize $100 billion over five years for research and development at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE). The bipartisan […]
On May 28, 2021, President Joe Biden released his much awaited budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2022, calling for major investments in the nation’s infrastructure and social safety net programs. The budget framework also proposes large budget increases for several federal science agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance has joined a group of scientific societies in providing recommendations to lawmakers on legislation pertaining to the National Science Foundation (NSF) that assures the federal government is making the investments necessary to strengthen America’s economic competitiveness, ensure our national security, and allow us to tackle the significant challenges that lie […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance is pleased to announce that your organization, as an Alliance member, is eligible to participate in the 2021 Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event. This national initiative, organized by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), and co-sponsored by NSC Alliance, is an opportunity for scientists from across the country […]
A study published in Ecological Applications examined a century of museum specimens to reveal increasing microplastic concentrations in freshwater fish. Researchers examined the guts of freshwater fish preserved in collections housed at the Field Museum, the Illinois Natural History Survey, and the University of Tennessee. They found that fish have been swallowing microplastics since the […]
NSC Alliance has joined a group of scientific, professional, and academic organizations in sending a letter to 24 federal science agencies and departments in support of diversifying the science advisory committees that support policy decisions across the government. The groups argue, in part: Lack of racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in the federal government is […]
NSC Alliance has provided comments to the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee, chaired by the National Science Foundation (NSF), on its Draft Arctic Research Plan. The comments highlight the critical role of biorepositories and collections in Arctic research. “We believe that the role of biorepositories should be emphasized in multiple parts of the plan, but […]