2021 Year in Review
In 2021, the NSC Alliance engaged in a number of efforts to elevate the profile of natural history collections with policymakers, researchers, and the general public. Read our annual summary.
Student Opportunity: TORCH 2022 Summer Internship
The National Science Foundation-supported Texas and Oklahoma Regional Consortium of Herbaria (TORCH) makes the information contained in natural history collections readily available to researchers, educators, land managers, and the general public. The TORCH project is digitizing and serving online the data from ca. 2 million herbarium specimens from the South-Central United States, unlocking the information […]
Collections in the News
According to a recent economic report published in the journal Research Ideas and Outcomes, digitizing London’s Natural History Museum’s entire collection could contribute over 2 billion over 30 years to the global economy. The Natural History Museum, London, has been creating digital data about collections through its Digital Collections Programme since 2014. The Museum has […]
Upcoming NAGPRA Review Committee Meetings
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Review Committee is scheduled to hold six virtual public meetings on January 31, 2022; February 14, 2022; February 28, 2022; March 10, 2022; March 15, 2022; and March 21, 2022. All meetings will be held from 3:00 PM until approximately 6:00 PM Eastern Time. The agenda […]
House Hearing on Climate Readiness for Smithsonian’s Collections
The Committee on House Administration held a hearing on December 16th on the threats posed by climate change on the collections and facilities of the Smithsonian Institution. In Washington, and in particular on the National Mall, the effects of climate change most significantly would be in the form of sea level rise and flooding, said […]
NSC Alliance Joins Science Coalition in Urging Congress to Finalize NSF Bill
The Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) an alliance of more than 130 professional organizations, scientific societies, universities, and businesses has sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to complete conference negotiations on the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act or USICA (S. 1260) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the Future Act (H.R. 2225), […]
International Workshop Series on Digital Sequence Information: Recordings Now Available
With support from the National Science Foundation, the American Institute of Biological Sciences and the USA Nagoya Protocol Action Group are organizing an online workshop series to explore how the international scientific community can study biodiversity in the changing landscape of international policy. Recordings from the first five sessions in this series are now available […]
House Passes Revised Build Back Better Bill with Reduced Research Funding
After prolonged negotiations, a scaled down version of President Biden’s Build Back Better spending plan passed the U.S. House of Representatives earlier today. The $1.75 trillion measure is primarily focused on social welfare and climate change programs and includes some funds for research. The framework passed by the House is a trimmed down version of […]
Discussions Resume on NSF Innovation Legislation
A move to include a high profile innovation initiative in the annual defense authorization bill created high stakes tensions on Capitol Hill earlier this week. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) moved to include the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, formerly referred to as the Endless Frontier Act, as an amendment to the National Defense […]
Upcoming NAGPRA Review Committee Meeting
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Review Committee is scheduled to hold a virtual public meeting on November 23, 2021 from 2:00 PM until approximately 6:00 PM Eastern Time. The agenda for the meeting may include a report from the National NAGPRA Program; the discussion of the Review Committee Report to Congress; […]