NSF Award
1744392
Many universities across the United States house collections of natural history specimens. These collections were built over time by researchers, professors, and students, and they often are the best representation of the biodiversity in the areas immediately surrounding the collections' geographic location. The first Natural History Collections Club (NHCC) was formed in 2013 by students who sought to revitalize dilapidated natural history specimens at their institution. They raised funding and awareness of the research and education value of the collections on their campus, which in turn led to administrative support and federal funding for those collections. Since 2013, several other groups of students have taken up the NHCC model to train students in collections techniques and raise funding, awareness, and assistance for their local natural history collections. These clubs collectively form the Natural History Collections Club Network (NHCCN). The Network will host its first workshop at the 2017 annual meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) in Denver, Colorado on June 18, 2017. The workshop will encourage other groups to take up the NHCC model on their campus and start a student club that will join the NHCCN. This workshop will be open to SPNHC attendees and fourteen outside participants will be invited. Seven pairs of individuals from seven institutions will be invited to attend the workshop. These pairs will consist of a faculty member and a student who will then be able to return to their institution and start a NHCC. This workshop will address participant diversity by targeting minority-serving institutions to broaden participation in the fields of biodiversity and collections science. <br/><br/>Invitations will target institutions that may benefit most from joining the NHCCN, such as those that have expressed interest in improving student involvement in collections, particularly institutions with small collections and institutions with minority-serving emphases such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Emphasis will also be given to small collections that represent some of the most numerous and widespread collections in the United States. These collections often contain many records of their surrounding ecosystems not duplicated in larger facilities, and therefore contribute significantly to known global biodiversity data. This award utilizes a cost-efficient way to ensure the maintenance, expansion, and data sharing of these collections by involving students and recruiting participants from small collections that are committed to the success and sustainability of those collections.
