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.

Membership

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Benefits

Representation in Washington, DC and Beyond

Your membership supports advocacy for increased funding and other natural science collections policy interests before Congress, the White House and federal agencies. Your membership provides your institution with access to meetings with federal policymakers in Washington, DC. Your membership entitles your organization to participate in the Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits every summer. Your membership connects your organization to other national organizations promoting scientific research and education. Your membership provides your faculty and staff with access to the NSC Alliance Washington Report.

National and Scientific Leadership

  • NSC Alliance members are recognized leaders of our community who promote our interests to university leadership, boards of trustees, and other organizational leaders who can advance our endeavors.
  • NSC Alliance members serve on committees and task forces that address our collective needs, such as the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act advisory committee, the Biodiversity Collections Network Advisory Committee, and the iDigBio External Affairs Committee, among others.
  • NSC Alliance members benefit from strategic partnerships. For example, the NSC Alliance has just entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Florida to cosponsor the annual Digital Data Conference and to assume a leadership role in planning future conferences which can be hosted at member institutions.

Washington Report

NSC Alliance members receive the electronic Washington Report. This valuable resource published monthly provides current news about policy developments that impact the natural science collections community. These reports alert NSC Alliance members to opportunities to influence policymakers.

Information and Resource Sharing

NSC Alliance members are connected to other institutional leaders and can share resources and strategies for tackling issues ranging from negotiating permits and creating strategies for engaging institutional leadership to developing impactful outreach and public engagement programs.

Professional Development Opportunities

  • The NSC Alliance is the place for curators, scientific staff, and institutional administrators to expand their professional networks.
  • Individuals affiliated with NSC Alliance members receive significant discounts on professional development programs (for example, communications and team & interdisciplinary science) offered by our strategic partner, the American Institute of Biological Sciences.
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