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 National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced the availability of funding to enhance and expand digitization of and access to existing biological and paleontological collections in the United States. The Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections is seeking full proposals for its third round of funding. Proposals will be accepted for new research themes (Thematic Collections […]
Today, scientists briefed Congress, federal agency personnel, and nongovernmental organization representatives about the importance of the nation’s natural science collections. The briefing explored how scientists and natural science collections managers are using new technology to digitize the nation’s natural science collections in an effort to increase access to these irreplaceable resources for research, education, and […]
An important biological collection and associated data may be gone soon, unless action is taken to preserve it. Fifteen specimen jars containing the stomach contents of birds and 230,000 notecards containing information about the specimens are all that remain of the federal government’s first major study of birds. For more than 50 years, starting in […]
This August, the NSC Alliance is sponsoring the 4th Annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event.  This national initiative encourages members of the science community to meet with their elected officials.  Unlike other efforts to educate members of Congress about the importance of scientific research and education programs, this event occurs across the country – […]
The NSF-funded iDigBio project is seeking applications for its 2013 Visiting Scholars Program. This program is directed towards early-career collections and informatics-based professionals with demonstrated interest in digitization, particularly those who broaden representation within this academic and professional community.
On 5 June 2012, the Natural Science Collections Alliance will host a science briefing for policymakers in Washington, DC. Natural science collections are research facilities and infrastructure that house irreplaceable specimens and data. This program, “Digitizing Science Collections: Unlocking Data for Research and Innovation,†will explore how new technologies and techniques make it possible to […]
A new national initiative promises to improve college biology education by engaging faculty members in an effort to change how post-secondary life sciences departments approach education. PULSE, which stands for Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education, is a collaborative effort funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Howard […]
The House of Representatives is scheduled to begin debating legislation on 8 May 2012 that would fund the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other federal agencies in fiscal year 2013. Importantly, this bill (H.R. 5326) will determine how much funding will be available for NSF’s scientific research and education programs in the coming year. The […]
On Tuesday, 5 June 2012, the Natural Science Collections Alliance will sponsor a science briefing for congressional lawmakers in Washington, DC. The briefing, which will take place in room 2325 of the Rayburn House Office Building from 2:00-3:00 p.m., will provide policymakers with information about how digitization of specimens and associated data are increasing access […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded six new grants as part of the Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections program. The program aims to increase accessibility of biological collections and associated data. The latest round of funding will support four major grants and two smaller projects. According to a press release by NSF, the new […]