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 Natural Science Collections Alliance has prepared two short reports on how natural history collections contribute to climate change research. “How Thoreau, Walden, and Herbarium Specimens Informed Research” shows how plant collections at the Arnold Arboretum have been used to document changes in the timing of flowering. Since the late 1800’s, plants are blooming eight […]
The National Museum of Natural History is offering a fellowship opportunity for graduate students, post-doctoral and professional researchers. The program offers an opportunity to conduct independent research and to collaborate with Smithsonian scientists. Fellows have access to the world’s largest natural and cultural history collections. The fellowship is open to both U.S. and non-U.S. citizens. […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance is pleased to announce that it is joining with the American Institute of Biological Sciences to sponsor the 8th Annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event. This national initiative is an opportunity for scientists across the country to meet with their federal or state elected officials to showcase the people, […]
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Review Committee will hold a public forum in conjunction with their committee meeting. The forum will include panel discussions and an open networking session for NAGPRA practitioners. The forum will be held at the Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown on July 12 from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. […]
NSC Alliance member Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History was presented with a proclamation by Governor Mary Fallin declaring May 2016 as “Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Month” in the state of Oklahoma. The proclamation recognizes the important work of the museum “to serve the people of Oklahoma through natural science expertise, […]
As reported by the BBC on April 26, 2016, the National Museum of Natural History in Delhi, India was destroyed in a fire of unknown origins. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said: “This is a real loss. This loss cannot be counted in rupees. Some very old species of flora and fauna were there.” Preliminary reports […]
The Albuquerque Journal published an in depth article about the impacts of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) funding hiatus for collections. The article focuses on the Museum of Southwestern Biology, which is part of the University of New Mexico and is the recipient of several grants from the Collections in Support of Biological Research (CSBR) […]
This position is located in the National NAGPRA Program, National Park Service, Washington, D.C. The National NAGPRA Program fulfills some of the Secretary of the Interior’s responsibilities regarding implementation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), NAGPRA potentially impacts the activities of all Federal agencies, States, and institutions that receive Federal funds […]
Biological diversity makes human life on Earth possible. Unfortunately, we are at a time in Earth’s history when an increasing number of species are at risk of extinction. Despite the significance of this issue, the scientists and institutions at the forefront of efforts to understand biodiversity are ringing alarm bells about inadequate investments in this […]
An op-ed published in the New York Times on April 1 extolls the unsung virtues of natural history collections. “Natural history museums are so focused on the future that they have for centuries routinely preserved such specimens to answer questions they didn’t yet know how to ask, requiring methodologies that had not yet been invented, […]