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.
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 […]
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 […]
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; […]
An upcoming NSF-funded workshop will assess the current state of biological collections from Antarctica held in the USA, and identifying the value of and need for a repository for Antarctic organisms. In addition, workshop participants will explore potential benefits and challenges of such a biological repository, including discussions related to collection organization, accessibility, infrastructure, and […]
The Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) an alliance of more than 130 professional organizations, universities and businesses that advocates for the National Science Foundation (NSF) has urged House and Senate appropriators to provide robust funding for NSF in fiscal year (FY) 2022. Appropriators are currently in conference to reconcile differences between the two chambers […]
National Fossil Day, an annual celebration organized by the National Park Service (NPS), will take place on October 13, 2021. The event highlights the scientific and educational value of paleontology and the importance of preserving fossils for future generations. The annual celebration will include paleontology activities planned by partner organizations across the United States. NSC […]
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. Registration is now open for the session on Applied Ecology and Infectious […]
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued their annual science and technology (S&T) priorities memorandum on August 27. The document guides federal agency priority-setting in the coming budget cycle. The directive identifies pandemic readiness and prevention, climate change action, national security […]
On September 9, 2021, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology approved $45 billion in research funding as part of a larger $3.5 trillion budget plan that Democratic lawmakers are looking to pass through the budget reconciliation process. The bill would make significant investments in the National Science Foundation (NSF) and labs at the […]
According to a recent news report, data gathered from museum collections played a critical role in informing a new ruling from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that designates 190 miles of streams and rivers in Florida and Georgia as critical habitat for a rare species of freshwater mussel once thought to be extinct. The […]