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 NSC Alliance has joined a broad coalition of scientific organizations and universities in endorsing a set of guiding principles for the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act. The law outlines policies and goals for ensuring America’s continued international leadership in science and engineering. Congress is currently considering changes to the America COMPETES Act. The […]
A coalition of 110 scientific organizations signed a letter in defense of peer review at the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSC Alliance was one of the organizations that signed the letter. The letter was prompted by recent congressional actions that called into question the merit review process used by the National Science Foundation (NSF) […]
Biological research is transforming our society and the world. Help the public and policymakers to better understand these broader impacts in biological research by entering the Faces of Biology: Broader Impacts Photo Contest. The contest is sponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences. The theme of the contest is broader impacts of biology. Photographs […]
The registration deadline for the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) meeting has been extended. Early bird rates are now available through 31 May 2013. The meeting will take place in Rapid City, South Dakota on 17-22 June 2013. Poster and paper abstracts will also be accepted through 31 May 2013. The […]
Scientists have identified a likely source of the deadly amphibian disease Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. A species of frog that was used decades ago in human pregnancy tests is a carrier of the fungus, which now threatens the survival of many species of amphibians. The African clawed frog was used in the 1930’s to 1950’s around the […]
On 9 May 2013, the White House released a policy on public accessibility to government data. The new policy directs federal agencies to change their practices so that new data is digital and therefore more accessible. Agencies are encouraged, but not required, to make existing data “machine-readable.†The policy does not necessarily call for making […]
The Department of the Interior has made changes to the regulations that implement the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The new rule makes revisions “for accuracy and consistency,” according to the notice published in the Federal Register. The new rule takes effect on 10 June 2013. Many of the revisions are minor. […]
INBio, Costa Rica’s National Biodiversity Institute, has surrendered 3.5 million biological specimens to the nation’s government as a result of financial difficulties. According to some news accounts, INBio’s current annual budget is nearly a million dollars short of what is needed to maintain the collections and facilities. INBio gained international prominence in the 1990s as […]
The Encyclopedia of Life is hosting a challenge to describe the world’s diversity of life. Contestants are asked to research and write short descriptions of some of nature’s most fascinating species. Those descriptions will be reviewed by curators for inclusion in the Encyclopedia of Life. The best descriptions will earn their writers a private behind-the-scenes […]
The NSC Alliance has submitted testimony to the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. The testimony supported $2.0 million in new funding for the Department of the Interior’s Cultural and Scientific Collections program. The FY 2014 budget request would implement a multi-year action plan to address recommendations made by the […]