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.
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 […]
Cultural institutions are invited to plan for emergencies and enter for a chance to win disaster preparedness supplies. Museums, archives, and libraries are holding fire safety drills, updating disaster plans, and mapping emergency routes as part of the annual MayDay event. Organizations are encouraged to submit their plans to Heritage Preservation by 31 May 2012 […]
Representatives Chaka Fattah (D-PA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA) are the recipients of the 2012 Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition (BESC) Award. The honor is given to congressional leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing science policy and research. “Our community of biological scientists greatly appreciates the years of leadership by Representatives Wolf and Fattah […]
Periodically, Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSC Alliance) member institutions request information about what the NSC Alliance has recently accomplished. The following provides a summary of some of the key activities and accomplishments of the NSC Alliance for the period of January 2011 to April 2012. Worked with other scientific organizations to demonstrate grassroots support for […]
The National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. (NEON) is hiring an assistant director for scientific research collections. This position will be responsible for planning, implementing, and overseeing the archiving and analysis of samples (biological, physical and chemical), tissues, and specimens collected as part of the field-based research of the NEON Observatory. This person will actively collaborate […]
Today, NSC Alliance submitted testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. The testimony was in support of $3.5 million in new funding for the Department of the Interior’s Cultural and Scientific Collections program. The FY 2013 budget request would implement a multi-year action plan to address recommendations made by the […]
A recording of a Congressional briefing on the economic returns associated with federal government funding for scientific research is now available online. The briefing, “Research That Pays Off: The Economic Benefits of Federally Funded R&D” was held on Friday, 16 March 2012. A video of the briefing is available online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m6y_P2vUfg&feature=youtu.be.
This week, NSC Alliance submitted testimony to the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. The testimony was in support of funding the National Science Foundation (NSF) at $7.373 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2013. This funding level would represent a 4.8 percent increase for the agency over the FY […]
On 5 June 2012, the NSC Alliance will host a science briefing for policymakers on “Digitizing Science Collections: Unlocking Data for Research and Innovation.” The event will provide congressional, federal, and nongovernmental decision makers with information about the value of scientific collections and efforts to make collections more accessible through digitization. Draft Program Natural science […]