The Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSC Alliance) provided testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee, highlighting the importance and role of natural history collections.
Natural science collections advance scientific research and education, and that informs actions to improve public health, agricultural productivity, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, and American economic innovation. Current research involving natural science collections also contributes to the development of new cyberinfrastructure, data visualization tools, and improved data management practices.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is a key federal supporter of scientific collections. NSF supports research that uses existing collections as well as studies that gather new natural history specimens. NSF’s Directorates for Biological Sciences (BIO), Geosciences (GEO), and Social and Behavioral and Economic sciences support research and student training opportunities in natural history collections. NSF also supports national biological research infrastructure that houses natural history collections, such as living stock collections and field stations.
The testimony called for $9 billion for NSF in fiscal year (FY) 2020.