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 new paper in ZooKeys looks at the future of Italian natural history collections. According to the paper’s authors, “Italian natural history museums are facing a critical situation, due to the progressive loss of scientific relevance, decreasing economic investments, and scarcity of personnel.” The proposed solution is to create a network of museums that function […]
An article in the New York Times highlights the role of entomological collections in understanding the decline of bee species. Although the plight of honeybee species has garnered much attention in recent years, many species of wild bees are also in trouble. To understand why, a group of researchers looked at bee specimens from the […]
Applications are being accepted for the 2015 AIBS Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award. This award recognizes graduate students in the biological sciences who have demonstrated initiative and leadership in science policy. Recipients receive first-hand experience at the interface of science and public policy. Winners receive: A trip to Washington, DC, to participate in the Biological […]
The National Research Council of the National Academies is currently developing a framework to guide future National Science Foundation (NSF) investments in advanced computing for scientific and engineering research. The study committee is seeking input from the scientific community on their vision for the future of NSF advanced computing in order to inform their recommendations […]
A national survey has launched to assess the state of the nation’s collections held by museums, scientific research collections, archaeological repositories, archives, and libraries. The results of the survey will be used to recommend next steps in collections preservation The Natural Science Collections Alliance is serving as an allied partner in the effort. If your […]
The Small Collections Network and iDigBio have announced the dates for future webinars in their series focused on small natural history collections. The webinars are free to attend and registration is not required. Small Fish in a Big Pond: Lessons Learned in Digitizing a Small Paleontology Collection 13 November 2014, 3-4 p.m. EST http://scnet.acis.ufl.edu/content/small-fish-big-pond-lessons-learned-digitizing-small-paleontology-collection The […]
Dozens of biological researchers and educators met with their lawmakers as part of the 6th Annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event. This national initiative, organized by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), encourages scientists across the nation to showcase for federal and state lawmakers the people, facilities, and equipment required to conduct scientific […]
The second webinar in a new series on managing small collections will be held on 13 November 2014 from 3:00-4:00 pm Eastern. This webinar will focus on small paleontology collections. Julie Rousseau, collection manager for the University of Alaska Museum, will discuss challenges specific to the digitization of small paleontology collections, and present data mobilization […]
Applications are now being accepted for the Global Genome Initiative Buck Fellowship. The two-year fellowship includes a 55 percent time commitment to biodiversity genomic research and 45 percent commitment to other Global Genome Initiative related activities. Fellows must propose to conduct research in-residence at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC for 12 […]
SCNet, iDigBio, and SPNHC announce a second webinar series focused on curation, digitization, and management of small natural history collections. The webinars in this series will feature several collections domains and preparation types, including but not limited to paleontology, entomology, vertebrate zoology, and botany, as well as museums that manage several small collections. Each webinar […]