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.
In 2016, the NSC Alliance engaged in a number of notable activities to raise the profile of natural history collections with policymakers, researchers, and the general public. A few highlights are presented below: NSC Alliance led the effort to reverse the suspension of the Collections in Support of Biological Research program by the National Science […]
Registration and abstract submission for the Digital Data in Biodiversity Research Conference will open on January 15, 2017. The conference is presented by iDigBio, the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, and the University of Michigan Herbarium and will be held in Ann Arbor, Michigan on June 5-6, 2017. The rapid mobilization of digitized biodiversity […]
Graduate students looking to make a difference in science policy and funding are encouraged to apply for the 2017 AIBS Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award. This award recognizes graduate students in the biological sciences who have demonstrated initiative and leadership in science policy. Recipients receive first-hand experience at the interface of science and public policy.This […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance signed a letter in support of S. 3391, “The Museum and Library Services Act of 2016.” The thank you letter was sent to the bill’s sponsor, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), and primary cosponsors, Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). The legislation would reauthorize funding levels […]
Science took center stage in recent interactions between researchers and policymakers. Across the nation, dozens of researchers and educators met with their lawmakers as part of the Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event, an initiative organized by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) and sponsored by the Natural Science Collections Alliance. This nationwide event […]
A new video from iDigBio highlights the need to and benefits of digitizing natural history collections. The short video includes interviews with researchers and students who work with biological specimens. Dr. Larry Page, former president of NSC Alliance and director of iDigBio, said “There is more information about biodiversity…in natural history collections than in all […]
The Worldwide Engagement for Digitizing Biocollections (WeDigBio) Event kicks off this week from 20-23 October. Citizen scientists are teaming up with researchers and other participants around the world to capture biodiversity specimen data digitizing the information for scientific research, education, and policy. Participants can pick a project in which to participate online (https://www.wedigbio.org/find-a-project) or find […]
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Program will be holding several meetings and training programs in the near future. On 25 October at 2 pm (Eastern), a webinar will be held for NAGPRA grants administrators. This webinar is for new recipients of a Consultation/Documentation Grant or a Repatriation Grant, and for NAGPRA […]
The Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid will be hosting the 20th anniversary of the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF) on 20 October. The event will engage a diverse audience of researchers, science communicators, international policymakers and industry representatives about the importance of natural history collections in today’s global economy and the challenges of the […]
Representatives David Joyce (R-OH) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) are the recipients of the 2016 USGS Coalition Leadership Award. The pair was honored at a Capitol Hill ceremony and public reception on September 13th in Washington, DC. The Natural Science Collections Alliance is a member of the USGS Coalition. “The USGS Coalition is pleased to recognize […]