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.
Two years ago as the economy was entering recession, the Natural Science Collections Alliance launched a survey to gather data on the effects of the economic downturn on natural science collections. To further increase our understanding of how natural science collections are being impacted by and responding to current economic conditions, the NSC Alliance is […]
The Documentation Committee of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) requests your participation in a survey involving best practice topics pertinent to natural history museums. The survey seeks to better understand the information and resource needs of the natural history collections community, including museums, parks, university collections, and other organizations caring […]
Botanic Gardens Conservation International — US, United States Botanic Garden, and Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum are conducting an important survey to document all living plant collections in North America as part of a regional and global assessment. Survey organizers thank those who have already contributed their collection’s taxa list to the PlantSearch database, and encourage […]
How much of North America’s plant diversity is safeguarded in ex situ collections? The short answer is we don’t know, but BGCI-US (Botanic Garden Conservation International-US), in partnership with the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and the United States Botanic Garden, is using the North American Collections Assessment to answer this question. Results will be […]
On April 28, 2010, Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSC Alliance) President William Brown wrote to House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) about the preservation and use of science collections. The letter calls for the consideration of non-federal scientific collections in government efforts regarding the management of collections. Representative Gordon is the sponsor […]
On April 21, 2010, NSF Acting Assistant Director for Biological Sciences (BIO) Dr. Joann Roskoski gave a presentation to participants of the annual Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition (BESC) Congressional Visits Day. Her talk included a presentation of FY 2011 BIO priorities, including some initiatives related to natural science collections. Click here to view the […]
The National Park Service (NPS) has finalized a policy that requires researchers using specimens collected from national parks to enter into a benefits-sharing agreement with NPS if their research produces discoveries or inventions with a commercial application. Under the new rule, researchers with commercially successful discoveries would provide monetary or non-monetary compensation, such as scientific […]
Several NSC Alliance members have written to House Research and Science Education Subcommittee Chairman Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) asking that his Subcommittee include natural science collections in the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act. The letters support a request sent by NSC Alliance President William Y. Brown to Rep. Lipinski that the House adapt the language […]
On 15 March 2010, the NSC Alliance sent a letter to House Research and Science Education Subcommittee Chairman Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) asking that his Subcommittee include natural science collections in the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act. Specifically, the letter asked that the House adapt the language and policy objectives of the NSC Alliance proposed […]
Congress is now considering appropriations for federal agencies for fiscal year 2011. It is important that members of Congress understand why federal investments in the National Science Foundation (NSF) are important to the nation and their district. NSF provides roughly 68 percent of federal funding for competitive, peer-reviewed grants in fundamental and environmental biological research […]