NSF Award
2051428
This award will support a series of three workshops to be held in conjunction with the annual meetings of the Society for the Study of Evolution (19 June 2020, Cleveland, OH), the Botanical Society of American (18 July 2020, Anchorage, AK) and the Ecological Society of America (9 August 2020, Salt Lake City, UT). The purpose of the workshops is to educate the research community about the Project Baseline seed bank resource which was designed specifically to facilitate investigations into the evolutionary and ecological consequences of climate and other ecosystem changes by collecting from multiple geographically diverse locations per species and maintaining seeds by maternal line. Without an active effort to disseminate information about Project Baseline, it may not be used to its full potential.<br/> <br/>These three workshops will include a description of the available resources; examples of recent resurrection studies; the development of guidelines for using seeds; and opportunities for collaborative small-group discussion. The workshops will emphasize participation by early-career scientists, who are well situated to use and add to the seed bank over the coming decades, and to eventually oversee its stewardship. Products from the proposed workshops will include: best practices for using and maintaining Project Baseline; literature demonstrating the uses of Project Baseline seeds; a database of potential funding sources for research and future collections; a Project Baseline presentation; and an opportunity to develop a network of research collaborators.<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.
