NSF Award
2001683
Biological collections document changes in biodiversity across space and over time and thus are important sources of information in a rapidly changing world. This project will support biodiversity research and education at Western Carolina University (WCU), a regional, comprehensive university in one of the world?s biodiversity hotspots, the Southern Appalachians, but also in a rural and economically underserved area. The departments of Biology and Natural Resource Conservation and Management at WCU maintain noteworthy collections of plants, arthropods, birds and mammals, but inadequate storage and curation of specimens have left them in disarray and in danger of degradation. Making needed upgrades to the collections and bringing them into close proximity in a new science building opening in 2021 will maximize their impact on research, teaching and outreach by increasing their accessibility to scientists and the public and training students in the care and maintenance of museum collections as well as in collections-based research. Enhancing the biological collections at WCU will not only serve students and faculty but also provide educational opportunities for the local community and foster collaboration with regional conservation agencies. By creating a state-of-the art collection facility in a biologically rich and historically underserved area, this project supports the primary mission of WCU in teaching, research and service to the community. <br/><br/>This project will create infrastructure for expanded biological specimen storage capacity, centralizing and digitizing the collections, developing students? skills for future careers in the sciences, and fostering a culture of recognizing the value of biological collections for research and education. The project goals are to 1) curate each collection by performing specimen organization, preparation and maintenance to reverse or prevent degradation, 2) train students in these techniques at WCU and in collaboration with the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, 3) protect the specimens from future damage and allow for expansion through proper storage, and 4) maximize the accessibility and outreach potential of the collections through specimen digitization, educational displays, and an integrated web presence that allows users to easily browse, search and utilize our holdings. New, metal cabinetry will provide protection for each collection and a space-saving mobile carriage system for herbarium cabinets will allow for expansion through addition of new specimens. New imaging equipment will allow for the digitization and databasing of valuable historical and new arthropod collections, and new storage materials will protect the arthropods from degradation. Students will be trained to prepare bird and mammal skins from new and frozen specimens for long-term maintenance and use in research and teaching. A collections website will be designed and created to allow specimen accessibility and use by researchers and others worldwide. Digitized collections data will be shared with iDigBio.org. Finally, educational displays and teaching materials will be created to enable school and community outreach in support of biodiversity appreciation and conservation in the Southern Appalachians.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
