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.
The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is seeking input regarding plans for its bioarchive of natural history collections. The bioarchive will include specimens, tissues, and soil and water samples. The overarching goal of the NEON Bioarchive is to make reference material and replicate samples available to the science and education communities for future research and […]
It is anticipated that Congress will soon finalize spending for fiscal year 2017, more than seven months after the start of the fiscal year. Lawmakers have passed three continuing resolutions to keep the government open, including most recently on Friday. Notably, the spending deal does not include most of President Trump’s recent budget requests. There […]
Enter the Faces of Biology Photo Contest for your chance to win $250 and to have your photo appear on the cover of the journal BioScience. The competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), recognizes scientists who use imagery to communicate aspects of biological research to the public and policymakers. The theme […]
In testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, the NSC Alliance highlighted the important role that natural history collections play. “Natural science collections play an integral role in advancing research that improves public health, agriculture, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, and American innovation,” states the testimony. “Current research involving natural science collections is also […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance wrote to the president of the University of Louisiana Monroe about the university’s plans to rapidly dismantle its natural history collections. “Natural history museums nationwide are experiencing renewed interest and vitality, so it is disturbing to learn that an emerging university is electing to jettison important research infrastructure and the […]
On March 28, the Committee on House Administration held an oversight hearing on the Smithsonian Institution. The brief, 40 minute long hearing focused mainly on Smithsonian’s strategic planning and the institution’s maintenance backlog. Committee Chairman Gregg Harper (R-MS) spoke to the value of the museums. “The Smithsonian Institution plays a critical role in collecting and […]
A new opinion piece published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences urges the creation of an IsoBank, a central repository for isotopic data. The article is an outcome a workshop sponsored by the Biodiversity Collections Network, which NSC Alliance co-founded. An excerpt of the article follows: Stable isotopes encode and integrate the […]
The Missouri Botanical Garden has announced a call for applications for the 2017 Al Gentry and Shirley Graham Fellowships. The Gentry Fellowship supports Latin American botanists. The Graham Fellowship supports scientists from Latin America, Madagascar, Vietnam, and Tanzania who work in the field of botany/plant sciences. The deadline to apply is July 31, 2017. Learn […]
Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives to support the botanical research capacity of the federal government. H.R. 1054 is sponsored by Representatives Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). The bill emphasizes the importance of protecting native plants and addresses botanical workforce issues. It would create a new program of botanical […]
A recent article published by the Washington Post on “This is how you photograph a million dead plants without losing your mind” explores the mechanics of herbaria specimen digitization. Three Smithsonian employees use a conveyor belt to photograph the museum’s botany collection, which encompasses 5 million specimens. Read the article at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/02/08/this-is-how-you-photograph-a-million-dead-plants-without-losing-your-mind/?utm_term=.14ddf80d18d3.