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 U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking nominations to serve on the newly reestablished National Genetic Resources Advisory Council. Â The purpose of the Council is to formulate recommendations on actions and policies for the collection, maintenance, and utilization of genetic resources; to make recommendations for coordination of genetic resources plans of domestic and international organizations; […]
Dr. Roger Beachy, the director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), plans to leave his position on 20 May 2011. In his two years as director, Beachy led the reorganization of the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service into NIFA. He was also responsible […]
Would you like to help inform the nation’s science policy without trekking to Washington, DC? Do you want to meet with your members of Congress to discuss the importance of federal investments in science? Register now to participate in the 3rd Annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event. This national initiative is an opportunity for […]
On 15 April, NSC Alliance submitted testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. The testimony was in support of funding the National Science Foundation (NSF) at $7.767 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2012. This funding level would represent a 13 percent increase for the agency over the FY 2010 […]
Policymakers negotiated and postured until the last possible minute last week before striking a deal on 8 April 2011 to fund the federal government through the balance of the current fiscal year, which ends on 30 September 2011. After weeks of contentious negotiations, congressional leadership agreed to a plan that will cut nearly $40 billion […]
Wales is set to become the first country to produce a DNA barcode for every species of native flowering plant, according to a BBC News report. The Barcode Wales project plans on cataloging all 1,143 species of flowering plants that occur in the country based on unique gene sequences. The DNA sequences will be identified […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released its plan for agency operations in the case of a government shutdown. Of the approximately 2,000 NSF employees, 30 or less are expected to be retained to “protect life and property and for excepted activities,” according to the plan. If the government shuts down, NSF awardees “may continue […]
In recent months, it has become clear that the nation is divided about how to allocate a limited federal discretionary budget. Part of this debate has been spurred by growing concern over the long-term fiscal health of the nation. However, controlling discretionary spending will not fix the economic and budget problems facing the nation.  Earlier […]
The fiscal year (FY) 2012 budget request for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) was released on February 14, 2011. The President’s budget would fund IMLS at $242.6 million in FY 2012, $39.6 million less than the FY 2010 enacted level. Museum services would receive $30.8 million, a $2.9 million decrease. Funding for […]
On 16 March, eight international research funders jointly announced their participation in round two of the Digging into Data Challenge, a grant competition designed to spur cutting edge research in the humanities and social sciences. The first round of the Digging into Data Challenge sparked enormous interest from the international research community and led to […]