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.
A hackathon will be held later this year to improve digitization of biological collections. The event is organized by iDigBio and Zooniverse’s Notes from Nature Project. The goal of the hackathon is to build interoperability among projects thus further enabling public participation in biocollections digitization in useful and exciting ways. The event will occur from […]
The White House released a memorandum on July 18, 2014 detailing budget priorities for science and technology in the fiscal year (FY) 2016 federal budget, which agencies are now developing. The annual memo from the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) directs departments and agencies to prioritize certain […]
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) has launched a new website to help researchers participate in the development of the nation’s science policy. This free online resource is available at policy.aibs.org. “AIBS has been a leader in its efforts to engage scientists in public policy,†said AIBS President Dr. Joseph Travis. “This new website […]
The NSC Alliance is pleased to announce that it is joining with the American Institute of Biological Sciences to sponsor the 6th Annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event. This national initiative is an opportunity for biologists across the country to meet with their federal or state elected officials to showcase the people, facilities, and […]
The National Science Foundation has announced that the Collections in Support of Biological Research program is back to an annual funding cycle. A new call for proposals (NSF 14-564) was recently released with a deadline of 11 August 2014. The Collections in Support of Biological Research Program provides funds: 1) for improvements to secure, improve, […]
Many publications have extolled the value of natural history collections, however few have calculated the cost of caring for scientific specimens. A recent paper estimates the cost of incorporating specimens into a natural history collection and making them accessible to researchers and the public. On average, it cost $17.51 per specimen for curation, installation, documentation, […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has launched a Wiki to seek community input on the grand challenge of understanding the complex relationship between genomes and phenomes. The Wiki is intended to facilitate discussion among researchers in diverse disciplines that intersect with biology, such as computation, mathematics, engineering, physics, and chemistry. The Wiki format encourages open […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance has prepared a short report on how natural history collections contribute to wildlife management. “Informing Wildlife Management: Genetics Research Uses Natural History Collections†shows how researchers use genetic information preserved in scientific collections in cutting-edge wildlife research. Natural history collections are being used to prevent bird strikes with aircraft, better […]
Biological research is transforming our society and the world.  Help the public and policymakers better understand the breadth of biology by entering the Faces of Biology Photo Contest.  The competition is sponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). The theme of the contest is “Faces of Biology.† Photographs entered into the contest must […]
Researchers at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have developed a new DNA protocol to distinguish between native and invasive aquatic plant species that have almost identical appearances. The tool was created using voucher plant specimens. “When invasive plants appear in a body of water, local people naturally are alarmed†said Nancy Rybicki, a USGS […]