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 national initiative promises to improve college biology education by engaging faculty members in an effort to change how post-secondary life sciences departments approach education. PULSE, which stands for Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education, is a collaborative effort funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Howard […]
The House of Representatives is scheduled to begin debating legislation on 8 May 2012 that would fund the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other federal agencies in fiscal year 2013. Importantly, this bill (H.R. 5326) will determine how much funding will be available for NSF’s scientific research and education programs in the coming year. The […]
On Tuesday, 5 June 2012, the Natural Science Collections Alliance will sponsor a science briefing for congressional lawmakers in Washington, DC. The briefing, which will take place in room 2325 of the Rayburn House Office Building from 2:00-3:00 p.m., will provide policymakers with information about how digitization of specimens and associated data are increasing access […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded six new grants as part of the Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections program. The program aims to increase accessibility of biological collections and associated data. The latest round of funding will support four major grants and two smaller projects. According to a press release by NSF, the new […]
After several years of negotiations, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) was formally established. The new independent body will be hosted in Bonn, Germany. IPBES aims to address the accelerating loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystem services around the globe by bridging the gap between accurate and impartial science and policymakers. […]
Cultural institutions are invited to plan for emergencies and enter for a chance to win disaster preparedness supplies. Museums, archives, and libraries are holding fire safety drills, updating disaster plans, and mapping emergency routes as part of the annual MayDay event. Organizations are encouraged to submit their plans to Heritage Preservation by 31 May 2012 […]
Representatives Chaka Fattah (D-PA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA) are the recipients of the 2012 Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition (BESC) Award. The honor is given to congressional leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing science policy and research. “Our community of biological scientists greatly appreciates the years of leadership by Representatives Wolf and Fattah […]
The Department of the Interior is proposing several minor changes to the regulations that implement the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAPGRA). The proposed changes would correct minor inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the regulation. One example of a proposed revision is adding known lineal descendents to the list of parties who are to […]
Today, the NSC Alliance submitted testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. The testimony supported $3.5 million in new funding for the Department of the Interior’s Cultural and Scientific Collections program. The FY 2013 budget request would implement a multi-year action plan to address recommendations made by the Department’s Inspector […]
Periodically, Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSC Alliance) member institutions request information about what the NSC Alliance has recently accomplished. The following provides a summary of some of the key activities and accomplishments of the NSC Alliance for the period of January 2011 to April 2012. Worked with other scientific organizations to demonstrate grassroots support for […]