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 group of scientists recently published in the Journal of Heredity a proposal to sequence the genome of over 10,000 vertebrate species. The project, Genome 10K, supporters argue, should be possible to complete in five years at a cost of $50 million. The Genome 10K project would provide comparative information on molecular, developmental, and evolutionary […]
The National Park Service (NPS) plans to require researchers using specimens collected from national parks to enter into a benefits-sharing agreement with NPS if their research produces discoveries or inventions with some valuable commercial application. Discoveries would not be permitted to be used for commercial applications without the benefits-sharing agreement. Under the new rules, researchers […]
An international group of researchers have extracted DNA from two birds collected by Charles Darwin during his voyage on the HMS Beagle in the hopes of reintroducing the now extinct sub-population to the Galapagos Islands. A study published by the Royal Society journal Biology Letters documents the scientists’ efforts to determine genetic differences among three […]
The Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) is requesting nominations and proposals for several awards and grants. Nominations are currently being accepted for the SPNHC President’s Award and the Carolyn B. Rose Award. The President’s Award is presented to a current or former SPNHC member whose activities have furthered the objectives of […]
A new survey of U.S. natural history collections is being launched by CollectionsWeb. This comprehensive survey aims to inventory all U.S. natural history collections, produce a comprehensive database of this information, and establish a baseline for periodically assessing status and trends. The collected data will be shared with the natural science collections community for use […]
The Natural History Collections Research Coordination Network (CollectionsWeb, http://www.collectionsweb.org) is seeking participants for a workshop entitled “New Research Opportunities Emerging from Integrating Data Across Different Taxonomic Collections.” The workshop will be held March 26-28, 2010 at the Iberville Suites Hotel in downtown, New Orleans. The workshop will explore new research opportunities and synergism that can […]
Several Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSC Alliance) members and other organizations have sent letters of support for a Presidential Executive Order to promote the preservation and use of scientific collections. The American Institute of Biological Sciences, the American Museum of Natural History, the American Public Gardens Association, the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, the […]
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is holding a special competition for institutions with living collections of plants and animals to receive the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf. The Bookshelf consists of a core set of 12 resources on the preservation and care of collections, as well as six texts specifically designed to […]
A new exhibit in the gallery at the National Academies of Science in Washington, DC, explores the stories and collections filling the back rooms of the Harvard Natural History Museum. The exhibit, “The Rarest of the Rare,” is a collection of photographs from renowned photographer and art curator Mark Sloan. The exhibit features photos of […]
Do not miss the chance to meet with your members of Congress this August. The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is offering scientists and research facilities around the nation the opportunity to convey the importance of biological research to their elected officials in their home state. With Event Sponsors NSC Alliance, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, […]