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 2014, 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: Partnered with the American Institute of Biological Sciences and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections to launch a national […]
Daniel Le, the Botany Collection’s Digital Media Specialist at The Field Museum, won Second Place in the Faces of Biology Photo Contest. His photo depicts Allie Stone working with tropical butterflies from the museum’s vast collections. Stone and Le collaborated on a project to digitally image natural history specimens. The Faces of Biology Photo Contest […]
Three new board members and two incumbent board members have been elected to the NSC Alliance Board of Directors. Dr. Robert J. Baker was re-elected to the Board of Directors. Dr. Baker is Director and Curator of Mammals and Genetic Resources in the Natural Sciences Research Laboratory at the Museum of Texas Tech University. His […]
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) have launched the Beyond the Box National Digitization Innovation Competition. The initiative will award $1 million to the individual or team who develops a novel way to accurately and efficiently capture digital images of insect specimens and their associated data from […]
A new paper in ZooKeys looks at the future of Italian natural history collections. According to the paper’s authors, “Italian natural history museums are facing a critical situation, due to the progressive loss of scientific relevance, decreasing economic investments, and scarcity of personnel.” The proposed solution is to create a network of museums that function […]
Applications are being accepted for the 2015 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. Winners receive: A trip to Washington, DC, to participate in the Biological […]
A national survey has launched to assess the state of the nation’s collections held by museums, scientific research collections, archaeological repositories, archives, and libraries. The results of the survey will be used to recommend next steps in collections preservation The Natural Science Collections Alliance is serving as an allied partner in the effort. If your […]
The Small Collections Network and iDigBio have announced the dates for future webinars in their series focused on small natural history collections. The webinars are free to attend and registration is not required. Small Fish in a Big Pond: Lessons Learned in Digitizing a Small Paleontology Collection 13 November 2014, 3-4 p.m. EST http://scnet.acis.ufl.edu/content/small-fish-big-pond-lessons-learned-digitizing-small-paleontology-collection The […]
Dozens of biological researchers and educators met with their lawmakers as part of the 6th Annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event. This national initiative, organized by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), encourages scientists across the nation to showcase for federal and state lawmakers the people, facilities, and equipment required to conduct scientific […]
The second webinar in a new series on managing small collections will be held on 13 November 2014 from 3:00-4:00 pm Eastern. This webinar will focus on small paleontology collections. Julie Rousseau, collection manager for the University of Alaska Museum, will discuss challenges specific to the digitization of small paleontology collections, and present data mobilization […]