From abentley at ku.edu Mon Aug 3 11:35:03 2020 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 15:35:03 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] FW: Science Policy News from AIBS In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <38E7EFD4-C643-4DE2-AF4E-8445E9BD2FAD@ku.edu> Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. AIBS Public Policy Report AIBS Public Policy Report, Volume 21, Issue 16, August 3, 2020 * Science, Medical Groups Express Support for Fetal Tissue Research * RISE Act Introduced in Senate * Senate Lawmakers Unveil Coronavirus Relief Measure * USDA Warns About Mystery Seeds in the Mail * EU Leaders Shrink Science Funding in Budget Deal * Webinar Series: Resources for Natural History Collections in a New Virtual World * New Members Appointed to NSB * Register Now: AIBS Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists * Enter the 2020 Faces of Biology Photo Contest * Short Takes * House Passes Two FY 2021 Appropriations Packages * Input Requested: Decadal Survey on Physical and Biological Science in Space * NASEM Webinar: Restoration Efforts in the Gulf of Mexico * Nominations Solicited for Experts on Environmental Research * From the Federal Register ________________________________ The AIBS Public Policy Report is distributed broadly by email every two weeks to the AIBS membership. Any interested party may self-subscribe to receive these free reports by email or RSS news feed, by going to www.aibs.org/public-policy-reports. With proper attribution to AIBS, all material from these reports may be reproduced or forwarded. AIBS staff appreciates receiving copies of materials used. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact the AIBS Director of Public Policy, Robert Gropp, at 202-628-1500 x 250. ________________________________ Science, Medical Groups Express Support for Fetal Tissue Research The American Institute of Biological Sciences joined a coalition of 90 scientific, academic, and medical groups to express support for the continued use of human fetal tissue in biomedical research. In a July 28, 2020, letter to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Human Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board, the groups argued, in part: ?The long-standing existing review process for fetal tissue research ensures that research using fetal tissue is scientifically meritorious, legal, and ethically sound. The legal framework for this research prohibits people from profiting from acquiring, receiving, or transferring fetal tissue for research. Each research proposal has already been favorably evaluated by subject matter experts on NIH study sections for scientific and technical merit, including significance, innovation, and approach. As the nation continues to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, we urge you to consider the potential of fetal tissue research to accelerate the development of new vaccines and viral therapies, not only for coronavirus but also for other incurable viral pathogens such as Zika and HIV. Fetal tissue research has the potential to accelerate the end to the pandemic, reduce human suffering, and enable the U.S. to better respond to future public health threats.? The coalition urged the board to consider the potential for fetal tissue research ?to advance our understanding of human biology and the development of new treatments that will reduce suffering from human diseases.? RISE Act Introduced in Senate On July 23, 2020, a companion measure to the House?s Research Investment to Spark the Economy (RISE) Act (H.R. 7308) was introduced in the Senate by Senators Edward Markey (D-MA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Cory Gardner (R-CO). The bipartisan legislation would provide emergency relief funding for federal science agencies to support the research community during the ongoing pandemic. The measure, which was introduced in the House last month by Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO), Fred Upton (R-MI), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Frank Lucas (R-OK), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), would authorize approximately $26 billion in supplemental funding for federal research agencies to be awarded to research universities, independent institutions, and national laboratories to address the COVID-19 related disruption to federally funded research. ?The research enterprise and the researchers who contribute to it every day are vital to every states economy,? said Senator Markey. ?We must act now to preserve our current scientific workforce and ensure that the U.S. is prepared to continue our global scientific leadership once this crisis ends.? The legislation has been endorsed by 181 Representatives, 33 Senators, as well as more than 300 higher education, research, industry groups, and associations, including AIBS. Senate Lawmakers Unveil Coronavirus Relief Measure On July 27, 2020, Republican lawmakers in the Senate unveiled a $1 trillion stimulus package to address the impacts of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Health, Economic Assistance, Liability, and Schools Act or HEALS Act includes $105 billion in education funding; a ?liability shield? to protect businesses, universities, schools, and hospitals from coronavirus-related lawsuits; another round of direct stimulus payments to American households; additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program and emergency business loans; and a two-thirds reduction in emergency federal supplemental unemployment payments. The bill does not include any aid for state and local governments, but it allows for more flexibility in how states allocate funds. Of the $105 billion proposed for education funding, $70 billion would be targeted to K-12 schools. Two-thirds of that funding is intended to help schools reopen for in-person teaching. Schools would need to meet certain ?minimum opening requirements? established by their states to receive those funds. President Trump previously threatened to withdraw federal funding from schools that don?t reopen. Additionally, $29 billion would be directed to higher education institutions and $5 billion to governors to allocate to either higher education or K-12 schools. The Heroes Act ? the $3 trillion relief package passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in May ? included $8.4 billion for higher education institutions. According to the New York Times, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has expressed support for providing more than $100 billion in relief funding for education. The HEALS Act includes an additional $16 billion in funding for testing, contact tracing, and surveillance in states; $15.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health to reopen laboratories and conduct COVID-19 research; and $26 billion for COVID-19 vaccine, therapeutic, and diagnostic development, manufacturing, and distribution. The Senate package does not include funds for other federal science agencies. The House relief package proposed $125 million for the National Science Foundation for grants to ?prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus? and $40 million for the U.S. Geological Survey for biosurveillance and research related to wildlife-borne disease, among other provisions. The Senate bill includes the Safeguarding American Innovation Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Tom Carper (D-DE). The bill intends to ?help stop foreign governments, particularly China, from stealing American taxpayer-funded research and intellectual property developed at U.S. colleges and universities.? The bill was approved by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs on July 22, 2020, despite concerns expressed by higher education and research groups that the legislation could restrict collaborative science. It remains to be seen how Democratic and Republican lawmakers will reconcile the differences between the two relief packages. Speaker Pelosi plans to push for more funding, particularly for schools, while Senator Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) has warned against raising the price tag for the next relief bill above $1 trillion. Several Republican lawmakers have expressed concerns about spending more money in addition to the trillions already enacted. ?[A]s it stands now, I think it?s likely that you?ll see a number of Republicans in opposition to this bill and expressing serious concerns,? said Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). USDA Warns About Mystery Seeds in the Mail Residents across the United States have reported receiving suspicious packages of seeds in the mail, seemingly originating in China. The U.S. Department of Agriculture?s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is working with the Department of Homeland Security?s Customs and Border Protection, other federal agencies, and State departments of agriculture to investigate. Mysterious packages of seeds have turned up in at least two dozen states across the US, as well as in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Researchers at APHIS have identified at least 14 varieties of plants ? including cabbage, mustard, herbs, and flowers, such as morning glory and hibiscus. At present, the USDA has no evidence suggesting this is something other than a ?brushing scam? ? a marketing tactic used by sellers to send people unsolicited items and then post false customer reviews to boost sales. The USDA is concerned that the seeds might contain pests or diseases or harmful invasive species. According to Lee Van Wychen, Executive Director of Science Policy for the Weed Science Society of America, an AIBS member organization, the U.S. does not have much history of invasive plants coming in through uninvited mail. ?But there are many instances of people ordering or bringing seeds/plant propagules with them from another country and they become invasive or noxious weeds,? said Van Wychen, according to E&E News. The USDA advises everyone who receives unsolicited seeds in the mail to seal them in a bag, hold on to the packaging and mailing label, and immediately inform their state agriculture department. Officials have warned against planting or consuming any seeds from unknown origins. USDA is collecting these suspicious packages from their recipients to test their contents and determine if they contain anything that could be of concern. EU Leaders Shrink Science Funding in Budget Deal At a five-day summit held in Brussels in July, European Union (EU) leaders agreed to a 7-year, ?1.8 trillion budget and pandemic recovery fund, which includes ?81 billion for Horizon Europe -- EU?s flagship research program -- and ?750 billion for pandemic recovery. For the next seven years, starting January 2021, Horizon Europe will receive a slightly higher funding level compared to its ?80 billion predecessor program Horizon 2020 and nearly ?13.5 billion less than the amount proposed by the European Commission in June. In fact, the core Horizon Europe budget for the 2021-2027 period, excluding the ?5 billion in pandemic recovery funds, is now ?76 billion. The European Parliament had initially requested ?120 billion for the program. Kurt Deketelaere, Secretary-General of the League of European Research Universities called the spending cuts ?a major disappointment and a breach of trust,? given European politicians? rhetoric on the importance of research, according to Science Insider. ?In the end, the compromise was to spend less money on the recovery and lose all ambitions on innovation. This is bad news for European growth and competitiveness,? said Christian Ehler, the European Parliament?s spokesperson on research and development, innovation, industry and energy. The European Research Council (ERC), EU?s basic research funding organization, will not receive any recovery funding under the agreement. This means that ERC could see its budget decrease next year. Jan Palmowski, Secretary-General of the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, argued that Horizon Europe?s emphasis on innovation over basic science is a ?massive problem? for universities, and the cuts amplify the disparity. ?It will change the way our members engage within the program,? he added. Parliamentary committees, the European Commission, and national governments will negotiate how the funding is divided up later this year using the European Council?s agreement as a basis. Rules of participation for non-EU countries in Horizon Europe will also be negotiated during those discussions. Lawmakers might still be able to increase ERC?s share of Horizon Europe?s allocation, but this would likely result in deeper cuts to other parts of the program. Webinar Series: Resources for Natural History Collections in a New Virtual World Recognizing the rapid changes happening within museum communities and the efforts being made throughout the community to adapt to these changes, iDigBio is organizing a new webinar series, entitled, Adapting to COVID-19: Resources for Natural History Collections in a New Virtual World. The webinar series aims to help provide insight into how different groups and institutions are adapting to life in a quickly evolving world. The American Institute of Biological Sciences, the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), and the Natural Science Collections Alliance contributed to the planning of these programs. The next webinar addresses lessons learned from planning the Digital Data and SPNHC conferences: August 25: Executing Virtual Events: Lessons learned from Digital Data & SPNHC Conference Planners Topics to include: Zoom, Social Media, Audience Engagement/Managing Expectations, Surveys, Day of Roles and Responsibilities, Future Considerations Webinars will be held from 2:00 - 3:30 ET. All webinars will be recorded and held in Zoom. Follow this Zoom link to join the webinars: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/99571640979?pwd=V0VwbDBySEtBYUptNUZ2L0RQNGh0UT09 Visit the webinar series page for information on the additional webinars that will be featured in this series: https://www.idigbio.org/content/webinar-series-adapting-covid-resources-natural-history-collections-new-virtual-world New Members Appointed to NSB On July 20, 2020, President Donald Trump appointed new members to the National Science Board (NSB) -- the governing body of the National Science Foundation (NSF). NSB advises Congress and the Administration on issues in science and engineering. The four new appointees to the 24-member Board will serve six-year terms: * Sudarsanam Suresh Babu: Governor?s Chair of Advanced Manufacturing at the University of Tennessee/Oak Ridge National Laboratory. * Aaron Dominguez: Provost and Professor of Physics at the Catholic University of America * Dar?o Gil: Director of IBM Research * Melvyn Huff: Lecturer at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. Roger Beachy, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis, has been reappointed to serve a second six-year term on the NSB. Earlier this year, University of Texas at El Paso President Heather Wilson was appointed to serve on the Board as part of the class of 2026. The remaining two NSB members are expected to be appointed in the coming months. Register Now: AIBS Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists Registration is now open for the Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists, an online professional development program from the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate programs in the United States do an excellent job of preparing students for careers in academia. As early career professionals and a growing number of reports note, however, many recent STEM graduates (including those with advanced degrees) are interested in employment in sectors beyond the professoriate by the time they complete their degree. Scientists continue to report that they feel ill-prepared and ill-equipped to pursue employment in these settings. To help scientists identify and successfully transition into the careers they desire, the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) developed a program to help scientists hone and practice the skills needed to secure employment. AIBS' Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists is an intensive multi-day program that blends lecture and hands-on exercises. Designed by scientists with years of work experience in diverse settings and a career coach, this program provides graduate students to senior scientists with the information, tools, and resources required to successfully identify and secure employment in a diversity of careers, including science policy, communications, researchers or program managers in the private sector, research funding organizations, non-profit management, international development, government agencies, and others. Course participants will: * Identify and clarify career interests and opportunities by reviewing currently available jobs; * Learn to communicate their knowledge and skills to employers by providing tools and activities; * Develop strategies for finding employment; * Develop application materials with feedback from instructors; * Prepare for and practice different interview styles and scenarios. Current graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, and scientists interested in transitioning to a new employment sector should consider signing up. This course will be offered online in three half-day sessions conducted on September 25, October 2, and October 9, 2020. The program will be offered live from 12:00 - 3:30 PM Eastern Time. For more information, including a general program agenda, and to register, please visit: https://www.aibs.org/events/employmentbootcamp.html Enter the 2020 Faces of Biology Photo Contest Enter the Faces of Biology Photo Contest for your chance to win $250 and to have your photo appear on the cover of the journal BioScience. The competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), recognizes scientists who use imagery to communicate aspects of biological research to the public and policymakers. The theme of the contest is ?Faces of Biology.? Photographs entered into the contest must depict a person, such as a scientist, researcher, collections curator, technician, or student, engaging in biological research. The depicted research may occur outside, in a lab, with a natural history collection, on a computer, in a classroom, or elsewhere. The First Place Winner will have his/her winning photo featured on the cover of BioScience, and will receive $250 and a one year subscription to BioScience. The Second and Third Place Winners will have his/her winning photo printed inside BioScience, and will receive a one year subscription to BioScience. The winning photo from the 2019 contest was featured on the cover of the April 2020 issue of BioScience. Submissions must be received by 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30, 2020. For more information or to enter the contest, visit https://www.aibs.org/public-programs/photocontest.html. Short Takes * The U.S. House of Representatives has passed two spending packages or ?minibuses,? which include ten of the twelve appropriations bills that need to be passed by both chambers of Congress to fund the federal government in fiscal year (FY) 2021. On July 24, 2020, the House voted 224-189 to pass a four-bill package including the Agriculture, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and State-Foreign Operations spending bills. Then, on July 31, the chamber voted 217-197 to approve a six-bill package including the Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water, Financial Services, Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development spending bills. Information about the provisions included in these bills can be found here. * The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space is requesting community input on the next Decadal Survey on Physical and Biological Science in Space. The committee provides an independent, authoritative forum for identifying and discussing issues in space life and physical sciences with the research community, the federal government, and the interested public. Sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the survey, expected to begin in 2020, will establish priorities and provide recommendations for research in microgravity and partial gravity for the coming decade. Preliminary ideas regarding key issues, challenges and emerging topics in the field can be submitted at https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5321308/Microgravity-Decadal. There will be a formal call for nominations and white papers at a later date, but initial thoughts on potential study chairs and committee members may be sent to microgravity at nas.edu. * The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine?s (NASEM) Gulf Research Program is holding a webinar, Restoring the Gulf after Deepwater Horizon: Perspective from the Front Lines, on August 4, 2020 at 3:00 PM Eastern time. Gulf Oil Spill settlements entrusted approximately $16 billion to federal and state authorities to restore ecosystems affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and to enhance the Gulf region?s resilience against future disasters. During the webinar, leaders engaged in implementing this effort will provide their perspectives on how restoration and resilience projects are being designed and implemented, and what lies ahead. Panelists will discuss how needs are being identified, projects funded, their progress evaluated, and relevant data shared. Register for the webinar at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/restoring-the-gulf-after-dwh-perspective-from-the-front-lines-tickets-114480159238. * NASEM is soliciting experts to serve on a committee charged with identifying emerging scientific and technological advances from across a broad range of disciplines that the Environmental Protection Agency?s (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) should consider in its research planning to support EPA's mission for protecting human health and the environment. The Committee on Anticipatory Research for EPA?s Research and Development Enterprise to Inform Future Environmental Protection will recommend how ORD could best take advantage of those advances to meet current and future challenges during the next 10-20 years. Nominations will be accepted until August 10, 2020. More information is available at https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5738324/Anticipatory-Research-for-EPA-s-Research-and-Development-Enterprise-to-Inform-Future-Environmental-Protection-The-Road-Ahead?mc_cid=7a49bde6d5&mc_eid=cfc3938e72. From the Federal Register The following items appeared in the Federal Register from July 20 to 31, 2020. For more information on these or other recent items, please visit the AIBS Federal Register Resource at www.aibs.org/federal-register-resource/index.html. Week Ending 31 July 2020 Commerce * Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting Environmental Protection Agency * Long-Chain Perfluoroalkyl Carboxylate and Perfluoroalkyl Sulfonate Chemical Substances; Significant New Use Rule Health and Human Services * Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Health Statistics (BSC, NCHS) * Meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Week Ending 24 July 2020 Commerce * Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Management and Oversight of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System * Evaluation of National Estuarine Research Reserve Environmental Protection Agency * Notification of Two Public Teleconferences of the Chartered Science Advisory Board National Science Foundation * Sunshine Act Meetings; National Science Board ________________________________ * Give your society or organization a voice in public policy. See http://www.aibs.org/public-policy/funding_contributors.html. * Become an advocate for science, visit the AIBS Legislative Action Center at http://policy.aibs.org. * Know the news as it happens, sign-up to receive AIBS press releases and policy statements (https://www.aibs.org/mailing-lists/). The American Institute of Biological Sciences is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) scientific association dedicated to advancing biological research and education for the welfare of society. AIBS works to ensure that the public, legislators, funders, and the community of biologists have access to and use information that will guide them in making informed decisions about matters that require biological knowledge. The organization does this through informing decisions by providing peer-reviewed or vetted information about the biology field and profession and by catalyzing action through building the capacity and the leadership of the community to address matters of common concern. Founded in 1947 as a part of the National Academy of Sciences, AIBS became an independent, member-governed organization in the 1950s. Today, Today, AIBS has over 140 member organizations and has a Public Policy Office in Washington, DC. Its staff members work to achieve its mission by publishing the peer-reviewed journal BioScience, by providing scientific peer-review and advisory services to government agencies and other clients, and by collaborating with scientific organizations to advance public policy, education, and the public understanding of science. Website: www.aibs.org. You received this message because you or your organization have interacted with one of our programs or initiatives. Our mailing address is: American Institute of Biological Science 1201 New York Ave., NW, Ste. 420 Washington, DC 20005 Copyright (C) 2020 American Institute of Biological Sciences All rights reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From PALMERL at si.edu Mon Aug 3 15:26:53 2020 From: PALMERL at si.edu (Palmer, Lisa) Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 19:26:53 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] FW: HENTF: States along the Eastern Seaboard should prepare In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: FYI From: Foley, Lori > Sent: Monday, August 3, 2020 2:17 PM Subject: HENTF: States along the Eastern Seaboard should prepare External Email - Exercise Caution HENTF members: NOAA predicts Tropical Storm Isaias will bring heavy rainfall to Florida and the immediate Georgia coast tonight and parts of the Carolinas, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast this week. Please encourage your members and constituents to monitor Isaias's progress and ensure that their flood plans are in place. Flash and urban flooding - not just along the coast - are possible. I am posting key messages from the National Hurricane Center to the Chat box in the freely accessible HENTF dashboard. For the most up-to-date information, links to the National Hurricane Center, local National Weather Service offices, and state emergency management agencies are also provided. Thank you for sharing important storm information with your stakeholders. Stay safe, Lori Lori Foley Coordinator | Heritage Emergency National Task Force Office of Environmental Planning & Historic Preservation Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration Mobile: (202) 826-6303 lori.foley at fema.dhs.gov culturalrescue.si.edu/hentf Federal Emergency Management Agency fema.gov [cid:image003.jpg at 01D669AA.838B0050] [cid:image004.jpg at 01D669AA.838B0050] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4067 bytes Desc: image003.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2394 bytes Desc: image004.jpg URL: From lmonahan2 at wisc.edu Tue Aug 4 08:17:55 2020 From: lmonahan2 at wisc.edu (LAURA A MONAHAN) Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2020 12:17:55 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Job Posting - Curator of Mammals and Birds Message-ID: Curator of Mammals and Birds Job No: 225149-AS Work type: Staff-Full Time To learn more and apply, visit: https://jobs.hr.wisc.edu/en-us/job/505255/curator-of-mammals-and-birds Position Summary: The University of Wisconsin Zoological Museum houses extensive collections of over 500,000 vertebrates (skins, skeletons, histological and fluid-preserved specimens). Located on the UW-Madison campus, the Museum provides support for university teaching and research activities both in and outside of Wisconsin, state and federal agencies, and qualified individuals. This position is responsible for the maintenance and growth primarily of the mammal skin and skull collections, and secondarily of the bird collections; supervision of and participation in all preparative activities; decision on loans, exchanges and screening destructive sampling requests of mammal and bird specimens. The position will develop and conduct collections-based research and produce, publish and present their findings, as well as participate in grant-writing; and in cooperation with the Museum Registrar, provision of information for the entry into and maintenance of museum database files pertaining to the collections of mammals and birds. To learn more about the Museum, visit: https://uwzm.integrativebiology.wisc.edu/ The Museum is part of the Department of Integrative Biology which consists of 65 faculty and staff members, as well as a large number of employees in training, graduate, and undergraduate employees. The department has 1,300+ undergraduate majors in Biology (L&S), Molecular and Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Zoology, teaches thousands of students in our introductory biology courses, and has top ranked graduate programs in the areas of Zoology and Freshwater Marine Science. Principal duties: -Curation: Curate collections of mammal and bird skin, skull, and fluid collections (skeletons are housed separately and maintained by another Curator), and other special holdings, including facilitation of associated correspondence on and assembly of loans, exchanges, gifts and permits concerned with these collections. -Preparation: Coordinate, implement and participate in preparation of vertebrate skin, skull, fluid and skeletal specimens. These activities include maintenance of the dermestid colony and preparation rooms and organization of catalog information, in part through supervision of volunteers and hourly helpers. -Research: Conduct a collections based research program, associated with academic interests and area of expertise. Produce findings and publish in scientific and popular journals; present at academic meetings and outreach events. -Collection Development: Develop and maintain a program to facilitate specimen deposition. This includes collaborations with university researchers and cooperative agreements with local, state and federal agencies. -Education and Access: Assist in fielding enquiries and in providing teaching materials, exhibitions, laboratory displays and verbal presentations in mammalogy, ornithology, wildlife ecology and other courses involving natural history specimens. Facilitate access to collections. -Grant Writing: Participate in grant-writing and other development activities designed to enhance infrastructure and provide funding for collection management and growth. -Data Management: In concert with the Museum Registrar, provide information for the design, entry into and maintenance of databases pertinent to the mammal and bird collections. Degree and Area of Specialization: Master's Degree in Zoology, Biology, or related discipline required. Minimum Years and Type of Relevant Work Experience: 2 years of previous work in natural history or vertebrate museum collections required; preference to candidates with 4+ years of experience. Required Knowledge and Skills: Demonstrated expertise in mammalian taxonomy. Proficiency in preparation of study skins of mammals and birds. Experience with care and maintenance of a dermestarium. Familiarity and experience with zoological collections and their use in research and teaching. Strong oral communication skills, including the ability to collaborate and network within the University and beyond. Demonstrated problem solving abilities, flexibility, and proven ability to work as part of a team. Ability to lift 40 pounds and use a ladder. Preferred Knowledge and Skills: Demonstrated familiarity in avian taxonomy. Familiarity with natural history collection databases and GIS programs. Salary: Minimum: $45,000 ANNUAL (12 months); Depending on Qualifications Institutional Statement on Diversity: Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world. For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: https://diversity.wisc.edu/ Instructions to Applicants: An applicant may be hired into an Associate Academic Curator, Academic Curator, or Senior Academic Curator, title dependent upon experience. Title will be determined upon hire. For questions on the position contact: Laura Monahan at lmonahan2 at wisc.edu To apply for this position you will need to upload a cover letter, resume and contact information for at least three professional references, including your current supervisor. References will not be contacted without advance notice. Your cover letter should address your qualifications as they pertain to the minimum number of years and type of relevant work experience listed above. Applications Close: Aug 21 2020 11:55 PM __ __ Laura A. Monahan Curator of Collections University of Wisconsin Zoological Museum L.E. Noland Zoology Building 250 North Mills Street Madison, WI 53706 Website: https://uwzm.integrativebiology.wisc.edu/ E-mail: lmonahan2 at wisc.edu Phone: (608) 890-1790 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rinconrodriguezl at ufl.edu Wed Aug 5 12:44:46 2020 From: rinconrodriguezl at ufl.edu (Rincon Rodriguez,Laura) Date: Wed, 5 Aug 2020 16:44:46 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Collections Lit Club - Launch Day In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello everybody! Hola a todos! My name is Laura Rinc?n, a 2nd-year Museum Studies Master?s student at the University of Florida with a major in collections management, particularly interested in either Natural History or Design collections. During this outbreak time, I've decided to create a blog called Collections Lit Club where colleagues with experience in the field and emerging museum professionals like me will be discussing powerful literature about collections in an enjoyable and relaxing atmosphere. I would love to talk about those topics that are hardly discussed, also I would like to get a better understanding of my field from the cutting-edge literature, museum professionals in our field, and hear about your experiences, your frustrations and how you would like to see a change! The blog will be a space built within us, where we will be able to learn from each other, look into some solutions, improvements, and bring a breath of fresh air to collections. Let's build up our knowledge together to better understand our role as professionals in collections! You're welcome to join me and be part of this club! Launch Day: Please confirm your assistance and reserve your spot in this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/collections-lit-club-launch-day-tickets-115891824567 *The Zoom link will be available when you've registered by Eventbrite as well Join Zoom Meeting: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/98913526432 Meeting ID: 989 1352 6432 Reading for our first meetup: A manifesto for active history museum collections written by Trevor Jones and Rainey Tisdale, check out the manifesto in the following link: http://www.activecollections.org/manifesto Stay tuned in our blog and check out more info about this initiative: https://medium.com/@collectionslitclub [https://miro.medium.com/max/2400/1*uXFqT9IwJx01ZOSjnlbO9Q.jpeg] Collections Lit Club ? Medium Read writing from Collections Lit Club on Medium. I?m an enthusiastic emerging professional in museum collections. Let?s share thoughts, create and learn together! Check out the Series tab and see how it works. medium.com Manifesto ? Active Collections 123 Street Avenue, City Town, 99999 (123) 555-6789. email at address.com . You can set your address, phone number, email and site description in the settings tab. www.activecollections.org Thanks a lot for your support, and a big hug! Laura Rinc?n -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Collections lit club- first meetup.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 387447 bytes Desc: Collections lit club- first meetup.jpg URL: From Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Thu Aug 6 02:25:16 2020 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2020 06:25:16 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Freezing specimens in spirit Message-ID: Hi all, I have a question for you about freezing whole jars of specimens - what do you think the effect would be, and would you recommend it? My gut says NOOOOOOOO this is a terrible idea, but it has been suggested as a shortcut to kill potential pests before we move the collection into a new building. I personally think that the main thing we don't want to move into a new EtOH vault is mould, whose spores won't be killed by freezing anyway. But, I am open to ideas and I wanted to check with other people before loudly stamping down my foot... Thanks! Tonya --------------------------------------------------------- Dr Tonya Haff Collections Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO Canberra, Australia Phone: (+61) 02 6242 1566 (office) (+61) 0419 569 109 (mobile) I am in Thursdays and Fridays Please call or text my mobile for a fast reponse Monday - Wednesday -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From neumann at snsb.de Thu Aug 6 02:58:22 2020 From: neumann at snsb.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2020 08:58:22 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Freezing specimens in spirit In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1315475c-9676-6995-332a-b93f2e92427c@snsb.de> Hi Tonya, there are surely a couple of things here: 1. Depending which jars and closures you use in your collection, you will have different expansion coefficients. Containers for cryo-storage usually consider this (and some even will get properly tight when frozen and the lid shrinks under cold temperatures to give a proper fit), but jars we normally use in our collections are not designed for such cold temperatures. Freezing them, could cause considerable damage to jars and/or lids and may lead to high replacement costs in the long run. 2. Lipids, oils, fats and other dissolved components might coagulate. For example in insect collections, waxy deposits are commonly observed when specimens are frozen (e.g. -25?C). These deposits will not disappear when the specimens are thawed again but remain, covering all the filigree appendices, antennae, etc. In larger specimens, e.g. fish, it could lead to e.g to cholesterol deposits on specimens. So again, you surely would introduce more damage when freezing the jars. 3. Changing the temperature regime also influences the chemical equilibrium that formed inside specimen jars. Besides lipids and oils, lower temperatures usually decrease the capacity of the preservation fluid to keep organic compounds in solution. This often triggers crystallisation processes, e.g. residual dissolved formaldehyde may form paraformaldehyde needles. Carrying potential pests into your new storage with the jars would only be possible if you would move a lot of organic material into your new storage area. Some organic material, such as historic big bladder seals, are also very vulnerable to low temperatures (shrinkage). So if there are no organic deposits on your jars, there wouldn't be much nutrients that could be carried. Vice versa, if there would be dust on the jar (as we have currently because of major renovation works going on in our collection), cleaning jars with a damp cloth should do the job. You should be careful with external labels in this case, but usually any 'dirt' would be on the top. In case of stoppered jars or jars with historic seals, you probably would need to be careful with damp cleaning. Hope this helps, and good progress with your moving! With best wishes Dirk Am 06.08.2020 um 08:25 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): > > Hi all, > > I have a question for you about freezing whole jars of specimens ? > what do you think the effect would be, and would you recommend it? My > gut says NOOOOOOOO this is a terrible idea, but it has been suggested > as a shortcut to kill potential pests before we move the collection > into a new building. I personally think that the main thing we don?t > want to move into a new EtOH vault is mould, whose spores won?t be > killed by freezing anyway. But, I am open to ideas and I wanted to > check with other people before loudly stamping down my foot? > > Thanks! > > Tonya > > --------------------------------------------------------- > > Dr Tonya Haff > > Collections Manager > > Australian National Wildlife Collection > > National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO > > Canberra, Australia > > Phone: (+61) 02 6242 1566 (office) > > (+61) 0419 569 109 (mobile) > > I am in Thursdays and Fridays > > Please call or text my mobile for a fast reponse Monday ? Wednesday > > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- Dirk Neumann Tel: 089 / 8107-111 Fax: 089 / 8107-300 neumann(a)snsb.de Postanschrift: Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns Zoologische Staatssammlung M?nchen Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Storage M?nchhausenstr. 21 81247 M?nchen Besuchen Sie unsere Sammlung: http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ --------- Dirk Neumann Tel: +49-89-8107-111 Fax: +49-89-8107-300 neumann(a)snsb.de postal address: Bavarian Natural History Collections The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Storage Muenchhausenstr. 21 81247 Munich (Germany) Visit our section at: http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ihlhajmlandjfcak.png Type: image/png Size: 23308 bytes Desc: not available URL: From couteaufin at btinternet.com Thu Aug 6 04:41:37 2020 From: couteaufin at btinternet.com (Simon Moore) Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2020 09:41:37 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Freezing specimens in spirit In-Reply-To: <1315475c-9676-6995-332a-b93f2e92427c@snsb.de> References: <1315475c-9676-6995-332a-b93f2e92427c@snsb.de> Message-ID: Hi Tonya, Just to say that Dirk?s suggestions are all good and that alcohol neutralises fungus anyway, unless the concentration falls below c. 30%. Freezing jars is not a good idea (def a non-no for me too) and that fungal spores are ubiquitous; you just have to rely on prevention. With all good wishes, Simon. Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 6 Aug 2020, at 07:58, Dirk Neumann wrote: > > Hi Tonya, > > there are surely a couple of things here: > > 1. Depending which jars and closures you use in your collection, you will have different expansion coefficients. Containers for cryo-storage usually consider this (and some even will get properly tight when frozen and the lid shrinks under cold temperatures to give a proper fit), but jars we normally use in our collections are not designed for such cold temperatures. Freezing them, could cause considerable damage to jars and/or lids and may lead to high replacement costs in the long run. > > 2. Lipids, oils, fats and other dissolved components might coagulate. For example in insect collections, waxy deposits are commonly observed when specimens are frozen (e.g. -25?C). These deposits will not disappear when the specimens are thawed again but remain, covering all the filigree appendices, antennae, etc. In larger specimens, e.g. fish, it could lead to e.g to cholesterol deposits on specimens. So again, you surely would introduce more damage when freezing the jars. > > 3. Changing the temperature regime also influences the chemical equilibrium that formed inside specimen jars. Besides lipids and oils, lower temperatures usually decrease the capacity of the preservation fluid to keep organic compounds in solution. This often triggers crystallisation processes, e.g. residual dissolved formaldehyde may form paraformaldehyde needles. > > Carrying potential pests into your new storage with the jars would only be possible if you would move a lot of organic material into your new storage area. Some organic material, such as historic big bladder seals, are also very vulnerable to low temperatures (shrinkage). So if there are no organic deposits on your jars, there wouldn't be much nutrients that could be carried. Vice versa, if there would be dust on the jar (as we have currently because of major renovation works going on in our collection), cleaning jars with a damp cloth should do the job. You should be careful with external labels in this case, but usually any 'dirt' would be on the top. In case of stoppered jars or jars with historic seals, you probably would need to be careful with damp cleaning. > > Hope this helps, > > and good progress with your moving! > > With best wishes > Dirk > > > Am 06.08.2020 um 08:25 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): >> Hi all, >> >> I have a question for you about freezing whole jars of specimens ? what do you think the effect would be, and would you recommend it? My gut says NOOOOOOOO this is a terrible idea, but it has been suggested as a shortcut to kill potential pests before we move the collection into a new building. I personally think that the main thing we don?t want to move into a new EtOH vault is mould, whose spores won?t be killed by freezing anyway. But, I am open to ideas and I wanted to check with other people before loudly stamping down my foot? >> >> Thanks! >> >> Tonya >> >> --------------------------------------------------------- >> Dr Tonya Haff >> Collections Manager >> Australian National Wildlife Collection >> National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO >> Canberra, Australia >> Phone: (+61) 02 6242 1566 (office) >> (+61) 0419 569 109 (mobile) >> >> I am in Thursdays and Fridays >> Please call or text my mobile for a fast reponse Monday ? Wednesday >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Nhcoll-l mailing list >> >> Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu >> https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of >> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose >> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of >> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to >> society. See >> http://www.spnhc.org >> for membership information. >> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. >> > > > -- > > > > Dirk Neumann > > Tel: 089 / 8107-111 > Fax: 089 / 8107-300 > neumann(a)snsb.de > > Postanschrift: > > Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns > Zoologische Staatssammlung M?nchen > Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Storage > M?nchhausenstr. 21 > 81247 M?nchen > > Besuchen Sie unsere Sammlung: > http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ > > --------- > > Dirk Neumann > > Tel: +49-89-8107-111 > Fax: +49-89-8107-300 > neumann(a)snsb.de > > postal address: > > Bavarian Natural History Collections > The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology > Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Storage > Muenchhausenstr. 21 > 81247 Munich (Germany) > > Visit our section at: > http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ > > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. From A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl Thu Aug 6 05:56:31 2020 From: A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl (A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl) Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2020 09:56:31 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Re: Freezing specimens in spirit In-Reply-To: References: <1315475c-9676-6995-332a-b93f2e92427c@snsb.de>, Message-ID: Dear Tonya, In addition to Dirk's and Simon's remarks: If you freeze glass jars holding ethanol 70, they will implode due to the 30-40 times higher expansion coefficient of ethanol compared to that of glass. If you freeze glass jars holding formalin, they will explode due to formation of ice (crystals). Fluid preserved specimens should always be stored at constant temperature, preferably between 18 and 22 ?C (temperature the users are motivated to work on the collections ? ). Kind regards, Dries Andries J. van Dam | conservator Museum of Anatomy | Leiden University Medical Center | Building 3 (V3-32) P.O.Box 9600 | 2300 RC Leiden | The Netherlands Visiting address: Hippocratespad 21 | Tel: +31 (0)71 52 68356 | E-mail: A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl Scientific associate | Natural History Museum London | http://www.nhm.ac.uk ________________________________ Van: Nhcoll-l namens Simon Moore Verzonden: donderdag 6 augustus 2020 10:41:37 Aan: Neumann, Dirk CC: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Onderwerp: [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Re: [Nhcoll-l] Freezing specimens in spirit Hi Tonya, Just to say that Dirk?s suggestions are all good and that alcohol neutralises fungus anyway, unless the concentration falls below c. 30%. Freezing jars is not a good idea (def a non-no for me too) and that fungal spores are ubiquitous; you just have to rely on prevention. With all good wishes, Simon. Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 6 Aug 2020, at 07:58, Dirk Neumann wrote: > > Hi Tonya, > > there are surely a couple of things here: > > 1. Depending which jars and closures you use in your collection, you will have different expansion coefficients. Containers for cryo-storage usually consider this (and some even will get properly tight when frozen and the lid shrinks under cold temperatures to give a proper fit), but jars we normally use in our collections are not designed for such cold temperatures. Freezing them, could cause considerable damage to jars and/or lids and may lead to high replacement costs in the long run. > > 2. Lipids, oils, fats and other dissolved components might coagulate. For example in insect collections, waxy deposits are commonly observed when specimens are frozen (e.g. -25?C). These deposits will not disappear when the specimens are thawed again but remain, covering all the filigree appendices, antennae, etc. In larger specimens, e.g. fish, it could lead to e.g to cholesterol deposits on specimens. So again, you surely would introduce more damage when freezing the jars. > > 3. Changing the temperature regime also influences the chemical equilibrium that formed inside specimen jars. Besides lipids and oils, lower temperatures usually decrease the capacity of the preservation fluid to keep organic compounds in solution. This often triggers crystallisation processes, e.g. residual dissolved formaldehyde may form paraformaldehyde needles. > > Carrying potential pests into your new storage with the jars would only be possible if you would move a lot of organic material into your new storage area. Some organic material, such as historic big bladder seals, are also very vulnerable to low temperatures (shrinkage). So if there are no organic deposits on your jars, there wouldn't be much nutrients that could be carried. Vice versa, if there would be dust on the jar (as we have currently because of major renovation works going on in our collection), cleaning jars with a damp cloth should do the job. You should be careful with external labels in this case, but usually any 'dirt' would be on the top. In case of stoppered jars or jars with historic seals, you probably would need to be careful with damp cleaning. > > Hope this helps, > > and good progress with your moving! > > With best wishes > Dirk > > > Am 06.08.2020 um 08:25 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): >> Hi all, >> >> I have a question for you about freezing whole jars of specimens ? what do you think the effect would be, and would you recommend it? My gut says NOOOOOOOO this is a terrible idea, but it has been suggested as a shortcut to kill potential pests before we move the collection into a new building. I personally think that the main thing we don?t want to move into a new EtOH vault is mould, whose spores won?t be killed by freezing anyway. But, I am open to ideas and I wanted to check with other people before loudly stamping down my foot? >> >> Thanks! >> >> Tonya >> >> --------------------------------------------------------- >> Dr Tonya Haff >> Collections Manager >> Australian National Wildlife Collection >> National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO >> Canberra, Australia >> Phone: (+61) 02 6242 1566 (office) >> (+61) 0419 569 109 (mobile) >> >> I am in Thursdays and Fridays >> Please call or text my mobile for a fast reponse Monday ? Wednesday >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Nhcoll-l mailing list >> >> Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu >> https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of >> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose >> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of >> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to >> society. See >> http://www.spnhc.org >> for membership information. >> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. >> > > > -- > > > > Dirk Neumann > > Tel: 089 / 8107-111 > Fax: 089 / 8107-300 > neumann(a)snsb.de > > Postanschrift: > > Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns > Zoologische Staatssammlung M?nchen > Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Storage > M?nchhausenstr. 21 > 81247 M?nchen > > Besuchen Sie unsere Sammlung: > http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ > > --------- > > Dirk Neumann > > Tel: +49-89-8107-111 > Fax: +49-89-8107-300 > neumann(a)snsb.de > > postal address: > > Bavarian Natural History Collections > The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology > Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Storage > Muenchhausenstr. 21 > 81247 Munich (Germany) > > Visit our section at: > http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ > > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bthiers at nybg.org Mon Aug 10 13:43:57 2020 From: bthiers at nybg.org (Thiers, Barbara) Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2020 17:43:57 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Job Opening at the New York Botanical Garden: Assistant Director of the Herbarium for Botanical Information Management Message-ID: The Assistant Director of the Herbarium for Botanical Information Management will supervise the Herbarium Information management staff and coordinate these activities with the Director of the Herbarium. Additionally, as an Assistant Director, this position supports, through actions and conduct, NYBG?s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives and actively helps to build and maintain an inclusive organization culture throughout the institution. The New York Botanical Garden is committed to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment, and further recognizes that diversity in our workforce fosters excellence in our mission of advocating for the plants of the world. Leveraging the strong foundation of existing policies and practices, NYBG will advance diversity, equity, and inclusion through a number of institutional initiatives presented through this plan. Our aspiration is to continue to cultivate a workforce and institution that is as diverse as the communities we serve and the audiences we engage. Specific Duties & Responsibilities * Participate in Leadership of the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, including attending weekly meetings, contributing to grant proposals and other fundraising documents, coordinating annual reports, and helping to organize and implement outreach activities. * Supervise Information Management staff, including weekly meetings, annual evaluations, recruitment and promotions. * Work with scientists to develop electronic floras and monographs, as well as other electronic publications, based on specimen data, and on the development of machine learning applications using herbarium specimen data. * Work with other Science Division staff to develop and implement new biodiversity data initiatives. * Represent NYBG in collaborative projects with other institutions. * Develop grant proposals and supervise grant-funded projects. * Participate in the global community of biodiversity information management. * Oversee the EMu Collections Management system, including software upgrades, bug reporting, training, and user support. * Develop and implement Science collections data entry protocols, digitization workflows, and data standardization. Qualifications * 5+ years of experience in botanical information management * Experience representing NYBG at annual conferences, national and international * Experience in training and supervising data entry staff * Experience in working with scientists to develop electronic floras and monographs * Experience with Axiell?s Emu CMS preferred. Application Requirements: * Submit a curriculum vitae * Submit a cover letter that presents a vision for the next decade of biodiversity information management at the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium (no more than 500 words). Information on the background and current practices of biodiversity information management at NYBG can be found in the following resources: * V. Starr Virtual Herbarium website (http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/vh/ * Tulig et al., 2012. Increasing the efficiency of digitization workflows for herbarium specimens. Zoookeys 209 (https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.209.3125) * Thiers, et al. Digitization of the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium. Brittonia 68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-016-9423-7 * Provide the name and contact information for three references who can speak to your experience and performance in biodiversity information management. EOE/M/F/Disabled/Veteran Apply here: https://www.nybg.org/about/work-with-us/employment/?p=job%2FoBQedfwC Dr. Barbara M. Thiers Vice President Patricia K. Holmgren Director William and Lynda Steere Herbarium The New York Botanical Garden President Elect, American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT) Past President, Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) Editor, Index Herbariorum 2900 Southern Blvd. Bronx, NY 10458 Download: The Worlds Herbaria Annual Report Index Herbariorum Registration Form Index Herbariorum Registration Form Example -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ekrimmel at gmail.com Mon Aug 10 15:45:11 2020 From: ekrimmel at gmail.com (Erica Krimmel) Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2020 12:45:11 -0700 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] This Wednesday - iDigBio API office hours on identifying contacts for collection data Message-ID: *Join us this Wednesday, August 12, at 3:30pm Eastern for Open Office Hours hosted by the iDigBio API User Group (R-based)! *Our 10-minute demo this week will be on how to identify people to contact at each collection included in iDigBio search results, and will be followed by open-ended discussion. This is a twice monthly online drop-in session where anyone is welcome to bring their questions or ideas about using tools such as the iDigBio API (Application Programming Interface) to work with biodiversity occurrence data in R. Community members of all backgrounds (collections staff, researchers, IT, etc.) and levels of programming experience (including R novice, or R non-existent) are encouraged to use these office hours as a time to discover and discuss API data access, issues, and solutions. Participants are welcome to drop by for only part of the hour. *WHEN*: Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Eastern; See future demo topics and sign up to do *or request* a demo at bit.ly/2wypVsY *WHERE*: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/97729921303 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From info at arcsinfo.org Mon Aug 10 21:30:00 2020 From: info at arcsinfo.org (ARCS) Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2020 21:30:00 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] MRM6 Giveaway & Save the Date Sept 30 ARCS Webinar Safe Materials ARCS Update Vol 5 | Update 13 Message-ID: ***MRM 6 Giveaway*** In celebration of the upcoming publication of Museum Registration Methods, 6th Edition, ARCS is pleased to give away one free copy of the book to a current ARCS Member! To register for the giveaway, please log in to your ARCSInfo.org account and, after confirming or updating your membership profile, click on the ?Enter Here to Win a Free Copy of MRM6!? button that appears on the Manage Your Profile Page. http://www.arcsinfo.org/membership/manage-your-profile Questions? Contact info at arcinfo.org Also, don?t forget to sign up for the CSAAM ? Museum Registration Methods, 6th Edition Preview webinar on Tuesday, August 11th at 3:00 p.m. EST https://www.aam-us.org/event/csaam-museum-registration-methods-6th-edition-preview/ ***Save the Date! ARCS Webinar September 30th at 2:00 p.m. ET: Boxes, Tubes & Pallets, Oh My! Choosing and Using Safe Materials for Collection Housing*** The 2019 Institute for Museum and Library Services Heritage Health Information survey documented that the conditions in storage are critical to the health of collection items held in trust by institutions across the nation. This webinar will focus on choosing appropriate materials for storage that won?t inadvertently damage your collections over time. Making wise decisions about products and how they are used in rehousing projects will stretch your budget to get the most preservation bang for your buck. Instructor: Rachael Perkins Arenstein, Principal, A.M. Art Conservation, LLC For more info: http://www.arcsinfo.org/news-events/event/1326/1/arcs-boxes-tube-pallets-oh-my-choosing-and-using-safe-materials-for-collection-housing ***#ARCSchat Rewatch with Michelle Millar Fisher of Art + Museum Transparency*** #ARCSchat is still on its summer break and planning on releasing new episodes in Fall 2020, but until then, enjoy this episode from January 2020. Hosts John Robinette (@CargaLatina) and Amanda Robinson (@ARobKabob) sat down and spoke with Michelle Millar Fisher (@AMTransparency), one of the founders of the Art and Museum Salary Spreadsheet, the Internship spreadsheet, and, most recently, a Union spreadsheet. Click here to watch the video: https://youtu.be/iVdWmXYoCbw -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From barry_baker at fws.gov Tue Aug 11 12:17:33 2020 From: barry_baker at fws.gov (Baker, Barry) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2020 16:17:33 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] New ivory identification guide Message-ID: Of potential interest to the collections community: https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/cites-wwf-and-traffic-release-new-guide-to-identify-smuggled-ivory https://cites.org/sites/default/files/ID_Manuals/R8_IvoryGuide_07162020_low-res.pdf Barry W. Baker [cid:758c2130-8b37-49f9-a895-da871ee3df3f] [cid:c997778f-230e-4857-a20f-67c2ac86287a] - CWFS, RPA Supervisory Forensic Scientist - Morphology U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | Office of Law Enforcement National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory 1490 East Main Street |Ashland, Oregon 97520-1310 USA Tel (direct): 541.488.6528 |Tel (lab): 541.482.4191 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Outlook-5xjl2d12.png Type: image/png Size: 291 bytes Desc: Outlook-5xjl2d12.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Outlook-xj0zqifg.png Type: image/png Size: 682 bytes Desc: Outlook-xj0zqifg.png URL: From jpandey at aibs.org Wed Aug 12 10:51:26 2020 From: jpandey at aibs.org (Jyotsna Pandey) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2020 10:51:26 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Register Now: AIBS Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: *How to market yourself, excel at interviews, and secure the job you desire* Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate programs in the United States do an excellent job of preparing students for careers in academia. As early career professionals and a growing number of reports note, however, many recent STEM graduates (including those with advanced degrees) are interested in employment in sectors beyond the professoriate by the time they complete their degree. Scientists continue to report that they feel ill-prepared and ill-equipped to pursue employment in these settings. To help scientists identify and successfully transition into the careers they desire, the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) developed a program to help scientists hone and practice the skills needed to secure employment. AIBS' Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists is an intensive multi-day program that blends lecture and hands-on exercises. Designed by scientists with years of work experience in diverse settings and a career coach, this program provides graduate students to senior scientists with the information, tools, and resources required to successfully identify and secure employment in a diversity of careers, including science policy, communications, researchers or program managers in the private sector, research funding organizations, non-profit management, international development, government agencies, and others. Course participants will: - Identify and clarify career interests and opportunities by reviewing currently available jobs; - Learn to communicate their knowledge and skills to employers by providing tools and activities; - Develop strategies for finding employment; - Develop application materials with feedback from instructors; - Prepare for and practice different interview styles and scenarios. *Who should take this course?* Current graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, and scientists interested in transitioning to a new employment sector. *Date and Location* This course will be offered online in three half-day sessions conducted on September 25, October 2, and October 9, 2020. The program will be offered live from 12:00 - 3:30 PM Eastern Time. For more information, including pricing, and to register visit: https://www.aibs.org/events/employmentbootcamp.html __________________________________________ Jyotsna Pandey, Ph.D. Public Policy Manager American Institute of Biological Sciences 950 Herndon Parkway Suite 450 Herndon, VA 20170 Phone: 202-628-1500 x 225 -- This message is confidential and should only be read by its intended recipients.? If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and delete all copies. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From PALMERL at si.edu Thu Aug 13 10:15:59 2020 From: PALMERL at si.edu (Palmer, Lisa) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2020 14:15:59 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] FW: Four Things from HENTF In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: fyi From: Foley, Lori Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2020 9:03 AM.org>; m-nichols at nga.gov Subject: Four Things from HENTF External Email - Exercise Caution THING 1 Malicious Cyber Actor Spoofing COVID-19 Loan Relief Webpage via Phishing Emails https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa20-225a DHS's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is currently tracking an unknown malicious cyber actor who is spoofing the Small Business Administration (SBA) COVID-19 loan relief webpage via phishing emails. These emails include a malicious link to the spoofed SBA website that the cyber actor is using for malicious re-directs and credential stealing. Small business owners and organizations at all levels should review the alert and apply the recommended mitigation measures to strengthen the security posture of their systems. We encourage you to share this alert with anyone who might be able to use it: https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa20-225a THING 2 HENTF Specialist position FEMA's Office of Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (OEHP) will soon be doubling its HENTF presence at HQ! OEHP is soliciting candidates to apply to be the Heritage Emergency National Task Force (HENTF) Specialist to work at FEMA HQ once temporary remote work is lifted. This specialized heritage resource position supports the HENTF Coordinator (me!) in achieving OEHP's goals to deliver FEMA mission priorities. For full details, see https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?from=myjobs%2CiaBackPress&jk=65a307d04fc35997&tk=1efia7brp0jd2000. The application period closes at 11:59 pm EDT on Mon., August 31, 2020. Thank you in advance for sharing this job announcement with your members and constituents. THING 3 2020 Hurricane Season Preparations Webinar for U.S. Gulf Coast Cultural Institutions A free webinar hosted by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) in partnership with the Texas Collections Emergency Resources Alliance (TX-CERA) Thurs., August 20, 10:00 am - noon CDT (11:00 am - 1:00 pm EDT) Join NCPTT for an overview of the 2020 U.S. Gulf Coast hurricane season, preparedness, and response. Speakers comprise representatives from NOAA/National Weather Service, NCPTT, the American Red Cross, and TX-CERA. For more information and to register, go to https://www.ncptt.nps.gov/events/hurricane-season-readiness-webinar-for-u-s-gulf-coast-cultural-institutions/. Please share this announcement with your Gulf Coast members and constituents. THING 4 HENTF Members Briefing Don't forget that the next quarterly HENTF Members Briefing is being conducted on Thurs., August 20, 2:00 - 3:30 pm EDT. The agenda and Zoom call-in info will be furnished in the updated invitation next week. I look forward to seeing and hearing from you! Stay safe. Warm regards, Lori Lori Foley Coordinator | Heritage Emergency National Task Force Office of Environmental Planning & Historic Preservation Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration Mobile: (202) 826-6303 lori.foley at fema.dhs.gov culturalrescue.si.edu/hentf Federal Emergency Management Agency fema.gov [cid:image001.jpg at 01D6715A.BD2C4A00] [cid:image002.jpg at 01D6715A.BD2C4A00] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4080 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2471 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: From Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Thu Aug 13 22:04:36 2020 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2020 02:04:36 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] big wings? Message-ID: Hello everyone, We are looking for a way to better store our wings (which right now are distributed taxonomically throughout the collection, and stored flat). I believe that I understand how to better curate the smaller specimens (e.g. suspended mylar envelopes), but I am wondering if any of you have suggestions for good and space efficient ways to store larger wings? And of course always happy to hear about any other wing storage solutions that you'd like to share, especially since we haven't started any change yet. Thanks! Tonya -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bernhard-leopold.bock at uni-jena.de Fri Aug 14 10:43:28 2020 From: bernhard-leopold.bock at uni-jena.de (Bernhard Bock) Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2020 16:43:28 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] big wings? In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20200814164328.Horde.VvzPn02xAMcB9BNJnaPynU8@webmail.uni-jena.de> Hey Tonya, I don't know how your wings are prepared, we started to cut them open and fill them with a wire/woodwool construction which is modelled like the real bones and muscles. On the end we have a little thicker stub with a little hook to hang them. We made some space where we started to hang them, wings get the same label as the body or skeleton and so on. Hanging in our collection has the advantegs that we didn't had any bugs in them yet, despite we never sprayed them. Also, moving our shelf es, the wings start to shake a little by only hanging in, that movement seems to annoy bugs. I put some pictures in attachment, hope that may help, In pictures you can se a crane wing, stork and eagle owl hanging that you have an impression for size. Best regards Bernd itat von "Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)" : > Hello everyone, > > We are looking for a way to better store our wings (which right now > are distributed taxonomically throughout the collection, and stored > flat). I believe that I understand how to better curate the smaller > specimens (e.g. suspended mylar envelopes), but I am wondering if > any of you have suggestions for good and space efficient ways to > store larger wings? And of course always happy to hear about any > other wing storage solutions that you'd like to share, especially > since we haven't started any change yet. > > Thanks! > > Tonya -- Bernhard Bock Friedrich-Schiller-Universit?t Jena Institut f?r Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung mit Phyletischem Museum, Ernst-Haeckel-Haus und Biologiedidaktik Erbertstr. 1 07743 Jena Tel.: 03641/949 186 bernhard-leopold.bock at uni-jena.de -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: IMG_20200814_133043.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 3461368 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: IMG_20200814_133028.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2860628 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: IMG_20200814_133013.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 3310742 bytes Desc: not available URL: From lewisan at earlham.edu Fri Aug 14 16:19:12 2020 From: lewisan at earlham.edu (Ann-Eliza Lewis) Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2020 16:19:12 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Museum Education Lead position In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Museum Education Lead August 11, 2020 Description The Joseph Moore Museum, on the campus of Earlham College, seeks a creative, enthusiastic, and motivated educator to lead a revitalization of our educational programs and college student tour guide training program. The Museum Education Lead will strengthen our undergraduate interpreter training program to better prepare our undergraduate educators to teach confidently and update the delivery of our school programs to provide online learning options and ensure learner-centered experiences aligned with current best practices in informal education. As a natural history museum within a small liberal arts college of ~1,000 students, we provide professional museum training for undergraduates while simultaneously offering educational programming for PreK-12 and the public in a geographic area of high poverty and STEM education need. The Lead will work with the museum director, collections manager, administrative assistant, student leaders, college faculty/staff, and community members to design and facilitate delivery of inquiry-based programs featuring our museum collections. Our programs cover a wide variety of topics ranging from biomedical science to Native American studies, with new programming planned for high school audiences. The Lead must be passionate about working with Earlham College students, providing sustained support for their growth as museum educators as part of their college learning experiences. This is a full time, 12 month, 3 year, grant-funded position supported by a part-time administrative assistant. Primary Duties & Responsibilities - Supervise, train and mentor Earlham College undergraduate student staff in outreach (i.e. interacting with the public through tours, events, and museum hosting during open hours). The majority of the Education Lead?s work is teaching and supporting students who engage with the community, though the Lead will also lead some programs. Tour guide training is a continuous process and will use methods from the National Association for Interpretation and Reflecting on Practice. - Plan and implement community educational programs for the Joseph Moore Museum in line with the museum?s mission and vision, including designing, scheduling, staffing/leading, publicizing and promoting educational programming, including field trips that meet state standards throughout the school year and in summer. In fall 2020, programming will need to be both converted to virtual experiences and administered online. - Plan and implement special events to connect Earlham community members with each other and the broader Wayne County community around topics of importance to science and society. Must be available on evenings and weekends to oversee events. - Document, assess and report on community engagement to the Director. This includes keeping daily statistics on program attendance, student tour leader performance and diversity and inclusion practices. - Build and maintain sustained relationships with teachers in the community and on campus - Assist with exhibits, including maintenance, refurbishment and design, ensuring a strong connection between outreach and the physical exhibits. Experience & Qualifications - Experience providing informal science education to children and youth - A commitment to the field of museum education and an interest in continued study in pedagogical strategies and practices - Ability to engage, challenge, and interest young people in the natural world - Experience designing and implementing developmentally appropriate curricula - Experience working in customer service roles, ideally in a museum or non-profit environment - Experience in a supervisory role - Strong organizational skills and attention to detail with a proven ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities, plan ahead, anticipate and articulate program needs - Ability to problem-solve, be flexible, and imaginative - Ability to work independently and as a team - BS in biology/geology and/or education, or museum studies with an education focus, demonstrated college-level understanding of science - Preferred: Masters degree, appropriate Indiana or Ohio teacher license, experience with Reflecting on Practice Program and/or NAI certification process Application Instructions Qualified applicants should send a letter of interest, resume, contact information for three references and a hyperlink to a 5-minute sample science education video for a single grade in the range of 3rd to 12th grade (specify grade level) all in a single pdf file to: Human Resources Office Earlham College 801 National Road West Richmond, IN 47374-4095 Email: HR at earlham.edu The application review begins immediately, and the search will remain open until the position is filled. ------------------------------ Earlham College is an Equal Opportunity Employer that seeks applications from candidates who contribute to diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, age, religious affiliation, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and veteran status, among other distinctions and contributions. As a College with a Quaker identity, Earlham also is eager to solicit applications from members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). https://earlham.edu/human-resources-and-business-operations/current-openings/?job=72011 Ann-Eliza Lewis, PhD (she/her) Collections Manager, Joseph Moore Museum Museum Studies and Archaeology Faculty Earlham College, 801 National Road West, Richmond, IN 47374 Dennis 031 / lewisan at earlham.edu / 765-983-1320 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From talixopulos at nhm.org Fri Aug 14 18:30:42 2020 From: talixopulos at nhm.org (Trevor Alixopulos) Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2020 15:30:42 -0700 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Natural History Museum of Los Angeles Offering Library Materials Message-ID: Hi everyone from the Research Library of the Natural History Museum in LA! We're using this pause in daily affairs as a chance to re-open our trove of monographs and serials to public institutions. This is a challenging moment for all libraries, but it may be a good time for a little low-cost collection development. We can pack them up for you and bill your institution for shipping fees. Please refer to the below letter/spreadsheet for instructions. For any questions about the materials please contact me at talixopulos at nhm.org or our librarian at librarian at nhm.org *Trevor Alixopulos* Library Technician Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90007 (213) 763-3387 Dear colleagues, Apologies for cross-posting. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County recently began a multi-year reorganization of its research library, with the goal of focusing our resources on the needs of our own staff and researchers. In more than a century of existence, the library collection has grown to include many items that are now outside our evolving collecting scope or that have been rendered unnecessary to our institution by new technologies, new knowledge, or new editions. However, we recognize that items that no longer belong in our collection could become a valued part of yours. As we withdraw these items from the collection, we therefore hope to find institutions for whose scope they are more suitable. Items we are withdrawing include serials, books, maps, and other resources, from humanities and social sciences disciplines as well as natural and physical sciences. We will ask receiving institutions to pay the cost of shipping materials, but are otherwise prepared to make withdrawn items freely available to your institutions. If you would like to see a current list of materials available, please view our current list of offerings at http://bit.ly/NHMLAlibrary. This is a running list of items scheduled for disposition; it is not complete and will be updated throughout the project. If you would like to be notified when we update the list, please fill out the form here: http://bit.ly/NHMLAlib_updates. Please email librarian at nhm.org with any questions or requests. We look forward to working with many of you to ensure the best possible access to these materials for the scholars, patrons, and visitors we all support. Please feel free to share with any appropriate lists and colleagues. Best, Yolanda Bustos Museum Archivist and Library Resources Manager Trina Roberts Associate VP, Collections Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90007 NHM: 213.763.3389 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From studor at nature.ca Mon Aug 17 11:42:55 2020 From: studor at nature.ca (Sean Tudor) Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2020 15:42:55 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] =?windows-1252?q?Canadian_Museum_of_Nature_-_Loan_pro?= =?windows-1252?q?gram_update_/_Mus=E9e_canadien_de_la_nature_-_mis-=E0-jo?= =?windows-1252?q?ur_du_programme_de_pr=EAt?= Message-ID: Apologies for Cross-posting. French Follows The Canadian Museum of Nature (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) continues to maintain the suspension of the loan program instituted on March 18, 2020. We are currently not in a position to send or receive specimen loans. We will reopen the program once we have the capacity to do so. Researchers may continue to access collections information online via nature.ca or through one of our collection information partners (GBIF and/or Canadensys). If you have questions for a particular department or division, feel free to reach out to curatorial staff. If you have general questions about the CMN loan program, feel free to reach out to me, Sean Tudor, Head, Collection Services and Information Management, studor at nature.ca We appreciate your continued patience during this period. Sean Tudor Head, Collection Services and Information Management Chef, Service des collections et gestion de l?information Canadian Museum of Nature / Mus?e canadien de la nature 613-364-4122 343-542-8122 cell studor at nature.ca ____________________________________________________________________ Le Mus?e canadien de la nature (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) continue de maintenir la suspension du programme de pr?t institu? le 18 mars 2020. Nous ne sommes pas en mesure d'envoyer ou de recevoir des pr?ts de sp?cimens en ce moment. Nous rouvrirons le programme une fois que nous aurons la capacit? de le faire. Les chercheurs peuvent continuer ? acc?der aux informations sur les collections en ligne via nature.ca ou par l'un de nos partenaires d'information sur les collections (GBIF et / ou Canadensys). Si vous avez des questions pour un d?partement ou une division en particulier, n'h?sitez pas ? contacter le personnel de conservation. Si vous avez des questions d'ordre g?n?ral sur le programme de pr?t du MCN, n'h?sitez pas ? me contacter, Sean Tudor, Chef, Services de recouvrement et gestion de l'information, studor at nature.ca. Nous vous remercions de votre patience pendant cette p?riode. Sean Tudor Head, Collection Services and Information Management Chef, Service des collections et gestion de l?information Canadian Museum of Nature / Mus?e canadien de la nature 613-364-4122 343-542-8122 cell studor at nature.ca [https://www.nature.ca/sites/all/themes/realdecoy/images/splash/splash-logo.jpg] Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration. (click to learn more) Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration. (cliquez pour en savoir plus) cmnEmailFooterDefault. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jpandey at aibs.org Mon Aug 17 11:59:50 2020 From: jpandey at aibs.org (Jyotsna Pandey) Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2020 11:59:50 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] 2nd Natural History Collections and COVID-19 Survey: Operational Status, Economic Impacts and Plans for Reopening Message-ID: In April, the Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN) conducted a survey of the natural history collections/museum community to understand how COVID-19 related economic disruptions are affecting the work of professionals associated with such collections. We shared the results with the scientific community, including federal program managers and policymakers, in May 2020. This second survey follows up on and uses some questions from a recent American Alliance of Museums request for information. This survey focuses on collections institutions rather than individual staff, with the goal of determining the impact of COVID-19 related economic disruptions on research and management of collections. Our goal with this survey is to collect responses from as many institutions as possible; thus, one response per institution is optimal. If it is not possible to coordinate this, we would rather have multiple responses from an institution that we can combine, rather than no responses from an institution. Institutions are invited to share information about their operating status ? plans to re-open, operational status and limitations, closures, staff furloughs and Reductions in Force, program closures or terminations, and other disruptions to institutional operations. We invite information from all types of natural history collection holding institutions, which includes natural history museums, natural science collections, arboreta and herbaria, or other facilities with natural science collections. We will share a summary of the results through a variety of venues, as we did with the previous survey. No information that identifies individual institutions by name is requested. Please take the survey at https://bcon.aibs.org/2020/08/17/2nd-natural-history-collections-and-covid-19-survey-operational-status-economic-impacts-and-plans-for-reopening/ Thank you. __________________________________________ Jyotsna Pandey, Ph.D. Public Policy Manager American Institute of Biological Sciences 950 Herndon Parkway Suite 450 Herndon, VA 20170 Phone: 202-628-1500 x 225 www.aibs.org Follow us on Twitter! @AIBS_Policy -- This message is confidential and should only be read by its intended recipients.? If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and delete all copies. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From liathappleton at gmail.com Mon Aug 17 12:32:28 2020 From: liathappleton at gmail.com (Liath Appleton) Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2020 11:32:28 -0500 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] SPNHC reports due August 24 Message-ID: Hello all, this is your final reminder that all committee reports, rep reports, articles and announcements for the fall edition of the SPNHC newsletter will be due Aug 24, 2020. Liath Appleton Collections Manager Non-Vertebrate Paleontology Lab University of Texas at Austin Bldg PRC122 - campus mail code R8500 10100 Burnet Road Austin, TX 78758 SPNHC Connection Editor (newsletter at spnhc.org) SPNHC Web Manager (webmaster at spnhc.org) www.spnhc.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From abentley at ku.edu Mon Aug 17 14:01:43 2020 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2020 18:01:43 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] FW: Science Policy News from AIBS In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <80AFB41C-34C8-4056-AA79-DE1ADDABC3AE@ku.edu> Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. AIBS Public Policy Report AIBS Public Policy Report, Volume 21, Issue 17, August 17, 2020 * President Signs Executive Orders as COVID Relief Negotiations Collapse * Judge Strikes Down Changes to Migratory Bird Protections * House Science Panel Chair Calls on NASEM to Study Racism in Science * Scientists Concerned About Change to NSF GRFP Solicitation * Lawmakers Express Concerns About BLM Nominee * Prepare Your Resume, Hone Your Interview Skills * Enter the 2020 Faces of Biology Photo Contest * Short Takes * Special Collection of BioScience Articles on Natural History Collections * EPA Extends Deadline to Submit Nominations for Science Advisory Board * Webinar Series: Resources for Natural History Collections in a New Virtual World * Department of Defense Requests Community Input * From the Federal Register ________________________________ The AIBS Public Policy Report is distributed broadly by email every two weeks to the AIBS membership. Any interested party may self-subscribe to receive these free reports by email or RSS news feed, by going to www.aibs.org/public-policy-reports. With proper attribution to AIBS, all material from these reports may be reproduced or forwarded. AIBS staff appreciates receiving copies of materials used. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact the AIBS Director of Public Policy, Robert Gropp, at 202-628-1500 x 250. ________________________________ President Signs Executive Orders as COVID Relief Negotiations Collapse After COVID relief negotiations between White House representatives and Democratic congressional leaders reached an impasse, President Trump signed a series of Executive Orders on August 8, 2020, the White House argued would restore lapsed benefits and address some of the pandemic's economic impacts. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin began negotiations on the next coronavirus stimulus after Senate Republicans introduced a $1 trillion relief package on July 27. The House had passed a broader $3 trillion measure ? the Heroes Act ? in May. Talks broke down when an agreement could not be reached on unemployment benefits and additional state and local government aid. Trump said that he was open to future talks but in the meantime announced Executive Actions that he argued ?will take care of, pretty much, this entire situation.? The Executive Orders signed by President Trump aim to extend the enhanced unemployment benefits and eviction moratorium, to defer payroll tax payments from September through December for people earning less than $100,000, and to extend student loan payment relief. Some of the Executive actions are expected to face legal challenges. Setting aside the legality of the actions, many warn that the directives are too confused to implement. Speaker Pelosi and Senator Schumer said the orders were legally questionable and do not address COVID-19 testing, funds to help schools reopen safely, or additional aid for states and local governments. They expressed disappointment at the ?unworkable, weak and narrow policy announcements to slash the unemployment benefits that millions desperately need and endanger seniors? Social Security and Medicare.? One of the Executive orders would provide $400 in weekly enhanced unemployment aid, but calls on states to pay 25 percent of this funding. Many states are currently struggling with budget shortfalls as a result of the economic crisis, which makes it unlikely that these benefits will reach the unemployed. The federal contribution would be redirected from disaster relief funding at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Schumer said the plan was unworkable as ?most states will take months to implement it, because it's brand-new, it's sort of put together with spit and paste. And many states, because they have to chip in $100 and they don't have money, won't do it.? Schumer also criticized the move to draw $44 billion from FEMA ?when we're at the height of hurricane season.? The federal moratorium on evictions expired last month. Pelosi noted that Trump's eviction order calls on the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to consider ?whether any measures temporarily halting residential evictions of any tenants for failure to pay rent are reasonably necessary to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 from one State or possession into any other State or possession.? Pelosi criticized the order explaining, ?While it has the illusion of saying, ?We're going to have a moratorium on evictions,? it says, ?I'm going to ask the folks in charge to study if that's feasible?.? Democratic and Republican lawmakers are calling for the White House to resume negotiations on a relief package. ?Congress must act quickly,? said Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). ?There are constitutional limits on what the president can do to help through executive orders.? She pointed to the Paycheck Protection Program, which ?cannot be extended by executive order.? Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) called the order to defer payroll taxes ?unconstitutional,? arguing, ?President Trump does not have the power to unilaterally rewrite the payroll tax law. Under the Constitution, that power belongs to the American people acting through their members of Congress.? With the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) facing severe economic losses as a result of the pandemic, Democratic lawmakers have been pushing for $25 billion in funding for the USPS ? an amount recommended by its board of governors. Democratic leaders have also proposed an additional $3.5 billion in supplemental funding to support elections during the ongoing pandemic. In May, a bipartisan group of Senators requested Congress provide emergency aid for USPS in the next stimulus package. President Trump suggested earlier that he was opposed to the USPS funding because it would help universal mail-in voting this fall. He alleged that mail-in ballots will lead to fraud, despite experts insisting otherwise. But later, on August 14, Trump said that he would approve funding for USPS as part of a relief package if Democrats capitulated on certain White House priorities. Judge Strikes Down Changes to Migratory Bird Protections A federal judge at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has ruled against the Trump Administration?s effort to narrow the reach of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) of 1918. A 2017 legal opinion by the Department of the Interior solicitor?s office concluded that incidental bird take resulting from an otherwise lawful activity is not prohibited under MBTA and that the protections only apply to the intentional taking of a bird. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the term ?take? means ?to pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or attempt to pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect,? with ?incidental? take referring to an unintentional taking. The 2017 opinion has been widely criticized by conservation groups. Lawsuits challenging the opinion, filed by the National Audubon Society, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and a coalition of states led by New York, alleged the Interior Department violated the Administrative Procedure Act when it adopted the new interpretation of the law. ?At the behest of the oil and gas industry, and with no consideration of the resulting impacts to migratory birds, the [2017] Opinion reinterpreted the MBTA to exempt effectively all industrial activities from the Act's reach,? the challengers wrote in a legal brief. On August 11, 2020, Judge Valerie Caproni ruled to vacate the 2017 opinion. ?It is not only a sin to kill a mockingbird, it is also a crime. That has been the letter of the law for the past century,? stated Judge Caproni. ?But if the Department of the Interior has its way, many mockingbirds and other migratory birds that delight people and support ecosystems throughout the country will be killed without legal consequence,? she added. Conservation groups applauded the ruling. ?This decision confirms that Interior?s utter failure to uphold the conservation mandate of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service simply cannot stand up in a court of law,? said Katie Umekubo, Senior Attorney at NRDC. ?With the legal basis for its actions over the past year defeated, the administration should expect more defeats in court if they try to lock in their attempt to roll back the MBTA,? said Sarah Greenberger, Interim Chief Conservation Officer for the National Audubon Society. Interior Department spokesperson Conner Swanson said the decision ?undermines a common sense interpretation of the law and runs contrary to recent efforts, shared across the political spectrum, to de-criminalize unintentional conduct.? USFWS also issued a proposed rule in February 2020 that would codify the 2017 opinion. Interior and USFWS are currently reviewing the comments received in response to the proposed regulation and it is unclear how the ruling will impact the review process. Lawmakers in the House are considering related legislation that would clarify regulatory protections for migratory birds. If enacted, the Migratory Bird Protection Act (H.R. 5552), would amend MBTA to ensure that the ?prohibition on the unauthorized take or killing of migratory birds includes incidental take by commercial activities.? The measure was approved by the House Committee on Natural Resources in January 2020. House Science Panel Chair Calls on NASEM to Study Racism in Science Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, has requested the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) investigate systemic racism in academic research. In a July 29, 2020 letter to Dr. Marcia McNutt, President of the National Academy of Sciences, Chairwoman Johnson asserts: ?We must meet this moment in history with a rigorous and thoughtful analysis of the extent to which the U.S. scientific enterprise perpetuates systemic inequities to the detriment of society as a whole, as well as how those inequities are manifested.? She has called on NASEM to install a panel of experts to ?assess the influence of systemic racism in academia on the careers of individuals belonging to racial and ethnic groups historically underrepresented in the scientific, technical, and medical workforce.? Johnson asks that the panel examine the ways in which systemic racism in research and learning environments influences the recruitment, retention, and advancement of marginalized racial and ethnic groups across disciplines. The letter also recommends examining the extent to which racism has shaped research agendas and limited the breadth of research topics and diversity of researchers receiving federal funding; identifying policies and strategies that have been the most successful in addressing systemic racism; and identifying principles for sustainable organizational cultural change to address systemic racism and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic studies and careers. According to Science Insider, NASEM is preparing to conduct such a study in response to the request. ?I am quite excited about doing this study,? said Dr. McNutt, who thinks this study could set the stage for addressing systemic racism in academia in the way that a 2018 NASEM report jumpstarted conversations and actions on sexual harassment in science. According to McNutt, before that report, ?we had fooled ourselves into thinking that the problem had mostly been solved. We were so wrong. It had just gone underground. I worry that it is the same story with racism.? Last month, the House of Representatives passed a fiscal year (FY) 2021 appropriations bill containing an amendment offered by Chairwoman Johnson directing the National Science Foundation to allocate $1.5 million to fund such a study. The measure must still be agreed to by the Senate and signed into law by the President. Scientists Concerned About Change to NSF GRFP Solicitation The National Science Foundation (NSF) has updated the guidance for its Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) by announcing three high priority research areas for 2021: artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and computationally intensive research. The updated program solicitation encourages applications in ?all disciplines supported by NSF that incorporate these high priority research areas.? According to a report by Nature, some NSF-watchers worry that this update to emphasize research in applied computational science will significantly limit funding for fundamental science, particularly since NSF is the major US agency which has a mandate to promote and support all basic scientific research. Kelsey Lucas, a marine and aquatic comparative biomechanist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a former GRFP recipient, argues that the concentration of funding in certain fields without expanding the program means that other areas, including basic science, will get less funding. ?These are focus areas that are already, right now, very well-funded,? said Michael Hoffman, a computational biologist at the University of Toronto, who received the fellowship in 2003. Hoffman argues that the strength of the GRFP is that it trains scientists across a broad range of disciplines that are not typically funded by other agencies. And that is critical because ?you can never predict which areas are going to have the really important discoveries.? The GRFP supports graduate students pursuing full-time research-based master's and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education with the goal ?to help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States.? Each year, NSF awards about 2,000 graduate fellowships. Critics of the new guidance are also concerned that the narrower focus on computer science could put under-represented groups at a disadvantage. Nature notes that 80 percent of GRFP recipients between 1994 and 2004 were white. Roughly 19 percent of US computer-science bachelor?s degrees went to Black and Latino students and 19 percent went to women in 2016. According to NSF, the policy change is part of ?a coordinated federal strategy to secure America?s position as a global leader in research and innovation?, but that the fellowship ?will continue to encourage and accept applications in all eligible fields of science and engineering.? Lawmakers Express Concerns About BLM Nominee In an August 10, 2020, letter to President Trump, all Democratic Senators expressed opposition to William Perry Pendley?s nomination to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The letter, led by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Joe Manchin (D-WV), was signed by all 45 Democratic Senators, as well as Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Angus King (I-ME). Concerns highlighted in the letter include Pendley?s climate change denial, advocacy for selling public lands, and attempts to undermine tribes. ?Over the years, Mr. Pendley has consistently called for selling off public lands, which runs contrary to the balanced approach to managing public lands policy in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976,? the letter reads. The letter cites a statement from Pendley calling climate change ?political science or junk science, not real science.? The lawmakers also highlight Pendley?s interactions over the years with Native American tribes: ?Mr. Pendley has on many prior occasions mischaracterized, mocked, or undermined tribes' experiences, rights, and religion. This includes arguing against legal precedent that views tribal members as members of sovereign political entities, rather than as a racial group.? The Senators urge Trump ?to identify a new, qualified candidate for this critical position ? one who supports public lands and the mission of the Bureau of Land Management.? Mr. Pendley is currently serving as Deputy Director for Policy and Programs at BLM and is also exercising the authority of the Director. He was nominated by the White House to lead BLM in June 2020. He previously served as President of Mountain States Legal Foundation, as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps, and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Energy and Minerals in the Reagan administration. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has yet to schedule his confirmation hearing. Prepare Your Resume, Hone Your Interview Skills Registration is open for the Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists, an online professional development program from the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate programs in the United States do an excellent job of preparing students for careers in academia. As early career professionals and a growing number of reports note, however, many recent STEM graduates (including those with advanced degrees) are interested in employment in sectors beyond the professoriate by the time they complete their degree. Scientists continue to report that they feel ill-prepared and ill-equipped to pursue employment in these settings. To help scientists identify and successfully transition into the careers they desire, the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) developed a program to help scientists hone and practice the skills needed to secure employment. AIBS' Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists is an intensive multi-day program that blends lecture and hands-on exercises. Designed by scientists with years of work experience in diverse settings and a career coach, this program provides graduate students to senior scientists with the information, tools, and resources required to successfully identify and secure employment in a diversity of careers, including science policy, communications, researchers or program managers in the private sector, research funding organizations, non-profit management, international development, government agencies, and others. Course participants will: * Identify and clarify career interests and opportunities by reviewing currently available jobs; * Learn to communicate their knowledge and skills to employers by providing tools and activities; * Develop strategies for finding employment; * Develop application materials with feedback from instructors; * Prepare for and practice different interview styles and scenarios. Current graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, and scientists interested in transitioning to a new employment sector should consider signing up. This course will be offered online in three half-day sessions conducted on September 25, October 2, and October 9, 2020. The program will be offered live from 12:00 - 3:30 PM Eastern Time. For more information, including a general program agenda, and to register, please visit: https://www.aibs.org/events/employmentbootcamp.html Enter the 2020 Faces of Biology Photo Contest Enter the Faces of Biology Photo Contest for your chance to win $250 and to have your photo appear on the cover of the journal BioScience. The competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), recognizes scientists who use imagery to communicate aspects of biological research to the public and policymakers. The theme of the contest is ?Faces of Biology.? Photographs entered into the contest must depict a person, such as a scientist, researcher, collections curator, technician, or student, engaging in biological research. The depicted research may occur outside, in a lab, with a natural history collection, on a computer, in a classroom, or elsewhere. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how science is being conducted in 2020. You are invited to share how you are conducting your research in these unusual times. The First Place Winner will have his/her winning photo featured on the cover of BioScience, and will receive $250 and a one year subscription to BioScience. The Second and Third Place Winners will have his/her winning photo printed inside BioScience, and will receive a one year subscription to BioScience. The winning photo from the 2019 contest was featured on the cover of the April 2020 issue of BioScience. Submissions must be received by 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30, 2020. For more information or to enter the contest, visit https://www.aibs.org/public-programs/photocontest.html. Short Takes * A new special collection of natural history collection-related articles from BioScience highlights some of the exciting new ways scientists and educators are mobilizing and using biodiversity data from natural history collections. The collection entitled, ?Natural History Collections: Advancing the Frontiers of Science,? is available at https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/pages/natural-history-collections. * On April 1, 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requested nominations of scientific experts from a diverse range of disciplines to be considered for appointment to the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) and four SAB standing committees. On April 15, a federal district court vacated the grants policy articulated in EPA's 2017 federal advisory committee membership directive. As a result of that decision, the EPA is extending the nomination period until August 31, 2020. Appointments are anticipated to be filled by the start of Fiscal Year 2021. More information can be found at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-08-14/html/2020-17742.htm * Recognizing the rapid changes happening within museum communities and the efforts being made throughout the community to adapt to these changes, iDigBio is organizing a webinar series, entitled, Adapting to COVID-19: Resources for Natural History Collections in a New Virtual World. The webinar series aims to help provide insight into how different groups and institutions are adapting to life in a quickly evolving world. AIBS, the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), and the Natural Science Collections Alliance contributed to the planning of these programs. The next webinar, to be held on August 25, will address lessons learned from planning the Digital Data and SPNHC conferences and will include topics such as Zoom, social media, audience engagement, managing expectations, etc. Webinars will be held from 2:00 - 3:30 ET. All webinars will be recorded and held on Zoom. Visit the webinar series page for more information: https://www.idigbio.org/content/webinar-series-adapting-covid-resources-natural-history-collections-new-virtual-world * The Department of Defense has issued a Request for Information for its National Defense Education Program to inform future solicitations. The purpose of the RFI is to survey industry (to include non-profits, academia, large, and small businesses) for relevant information on three focus areas: Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, outreach, and workforce development; Biotechnology education and workforce development; and Enhanced civics education. Input can be submitted until August 28, 2020. Further information is available at: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=328298 From the Federal Register The following items appeared in the Federal Register from August 3 to 14, 2020. For more information on these or other recent items, please visit the AIBS Federal Register Resource at www.aibs.org/federal-register-resource/index.html. Week Ending 14 August 2020 Agency for International Development * Board for International Food and Agricultural Development: Notice of Meeting Commerce * Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Meeting of the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel * Science Advisory Board Environmental Protection Agency * Request for Nominations of Candidates for the EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) and SAB Standing Committees: Extension of Nomination Period Health and Human Services * National Cancer Institute; Notice of Meeting * Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting Week Ending 7 August 2020 Commerce * Fisheries of the South Atlantic; South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting Environmental Protection Agency * National Environmental Justice Advisory Council; Notification of Public Teleconference Meeting and Public Comment Health and Human Services * National Human Genome Research Institute; Notice of Meeting Interior * Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Regulations for Listing Endangered and Threatened Species and Designating Critical Habitat National Science Foundation * Advisory Committee for Polar Programs; Notice of Meeting ________________________________ * Give your society or organization a voice in public policy. See http://www.aibs.org/public-policy/funding_contributors.html. * Become an advocate for science, visit the AIBS Legislative Action Center at http://policy.aibs.org. * Know the news as it happens, sign-up to receive AIBS press releases and policy statements (https://www.aibs.org/mailing-lists/). The American Institute of Biological Sciences is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) scientific association dedicated to advancing biological research and education for the welfare of society. AIBS works to ensure that the public, legislators, funders, and the community of biologists have access to and use information that will guide them in making informed decisions about matters that require biological knowledge. The organization does this through informing decisions by providing peer-reviewed or vetted information about the biology field and profession and by catalyzing action through building the capacity and the leadership of the community to address matters of common concern. Founded in 1947 as a part of the National Academy of Sciences, AIBS became an independent, member-governed organization in the 1950s. Today, Today, AIBS has over 140 member organizations and has a Public Policy Office in Washington, DC. Its staff members work to achieve its mission by publishing the peer-reviewed journal BioScience, by providing scientific peer-review and advisory services to government agencies and other clients, and by collaborating with scientific organizations to advance public policy, education, and the public understanding of science. Website: www.aibs.org. You received this message because you or your organization have interacted with one of our programs or initiatives. Our mailing address is: American Institute of Biological Science 1201 New York Ave., NW, Ste. 420 Washington, DC 20005 Copyright (C) 2020 American Institute of Biological Sciences All rights reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bthiers at nybg.org Mon Aug 17 16:53:16 2020 From: bthiers at nybg.org (Thiers, Barbara) Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2020 20:53:16 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Call for Nominations for SPNHC Awards Message-ID: SPNHC Recognitions and Grants Nominations THE SPNHC Recognition and Grants Committee invites nominations for the following: The Carolyn L. Rose Award is our Society?s highest honor and is given to a practitioner (SPNHC membership is not required) whose work and efforts have promoted the values and objectives of the Society. Nominations should include a letter of nomination, a current curriculum vitae and letters of recommendation. Questions and nominations should be directed to the Chair of the Recognition and Grants Committee, Barbara M. Thiers (bthiers at nybg.org) and must be submitted by 15 November 2020. The President?s Award is presented to a member or former member of SPNHC whose activities have furthered the objectives of the Society through outstanding committee work, prolonged officer roles or promotion of activities of the Society. Nominations should include a letter of nomination, a current curriculum vitae, and letters of recommendation. Questions and nominations should be directed to the Chair of the Recognition and Grants Committee, Barbara M. Thiers (bthiers at nybg.org) and must be submitted by 15 November 2020. Honorary Membership can be conferred by Council in recognition of outstanding contributions to natural history collections or to the Society. Honorary Members have all the rights and privileges of regular members. Questions and nominations should be directed to the Chair of the Recognition and Grants Committee, Barbara M. Thiers (bthiers at nybg.org) and must be submitted by 15 November 2020. The Vendor Recognition Award is presented to commercial entities to recognize long-term support of the Society and/or the Society?s annual meetings. Nominations should include a letter or recommendation highlighting evidence of contributions. Questions and nominations should be directed to the Chair of the Recognition and Grants Committee, Barbara M. Thiers (bthiers at nybg.org) and must be submitted by 15 November 2020. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bthiers at nybg.org Mon Aug 17 16:54:10 2020 From: bthiers at nybg.org (Thiers, Barbara) Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2020 20:54:10 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] SPNHC FABER INNOVATION GRANT -- CALL FOR PROPOSALS Message-ID: Faber Innovation Grant Proposals The SPNHC Recognition and Grants Committee requests proposals for the Faber Innovation Grant, a cash grant of up to $1000, to support a project addressing issues relating to the management, care, conservation or use of natural history collections. Applicants for this Grant must be SPNHC members in good standing for at least one year prior to the award date. The successful applicant will be expected to present a final or interim report at an Annual Conference of the Society and publish the results, with the understanding that the manuscript be sent first to the SPNHC Publications Committee for first right of refusal. The application consists of a coversheet, the application document, curriculum vitae of the applicant and letters of commitment from the institution where the work will take place and from collaborators. The cover sheet should include a project title, name(s) of project personnel (including title, address, phone number and email), and a 100-word abstract describing the project. The application document should include a statement of purpose, project plan (e.g., participants, methods materials, schedule of completion) and budget and budget explanation. It should be sent as a Word document, no more than 10 pages in length, double-spaced. Questions and proposal should be directed to the Chair of the Recognition and Grants Committee, Barbara M. Thiers (bthiers at nybg.org) , and must be submitted by 1 February 2020. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lattke at ufpr.br Mon Aug 17 17:42:26 2020 From: lattke at ufpr.br (John Edwin Lattke Bravo) Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2020 21:42:26 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials Message-ID: Hello, Does anybody have any thoughts or experience to share regarding the comparative merits of 2ml cryogenic vials by Corning, Sarstedt and Granier for long term storage of insects in ethanol? Is the quality amongst the three similar? Positive experiences? Negative one? Just needing some user experience to help decide what might deliever the best bang for the buck (or real, in my case). Obrigado, John Lattke -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bthiers at nybg.org Mon Aug 17 18:01:06 2020 From: bthiers at nybg.org (Thiers, Barbara) Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2020 22:01:06 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Re-sending Faber Innovation Grant Program Announcement with correct due date. Message-ID: Faber Innovation Grant Proposals The SPNHC Recognition and Grants Committee requests proposals for the Faber Innovation Grant, a cash grant of up to $1000, to support a project addressing issues relating to the management, care, conservation or use of natural history collections. Applicants for this Grant must be SPNHC members in good standing for at least one year prior to the award date. The successful applicant will be expected to present a final or interim report at an Annual Conference of the Society and publish the results, with the understanding that the manuscript be sent first to the SPNHC Publications Committee for first right of refusal. The application consists of a coversheet, the application document, curriculum vitae of the applicant and letters of commitment from the institution where the work will take place and from collaborators. The cover sheet should include a project title, name(s) of project personnel (including title, address, phone number and email), and a 100-word abstract describing the project. The application document should include a statement of purpose, project plan (e.g., participants, methods materials, schedule of completion) and budget and budget explanation. It should be sent as a Word document, no more than 10 pages in length, double-spaced. Questions and proposal should be directed to the Chair of the Recognition and Grants Committee, Barbara M. Thiers (bthiers at nybg.org) , and must be submitted by 1 February 2021. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lmonahan2 at wisc.edu Mon Aug 17 20:36:53 2020 From: lmonahan2 at wisc.edu (LAURA A MONAHAN) Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2020 00:36:53 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Curator of Mammals and Birds - Extended Application Deadline In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: *Extended Deadline - Applications close 31 August 2020* Curator of Mammals and Birds Job No: 225149-AS Work type: Staff-Full Time To learn more and apply, visit: https://jobs.hr.wisc.edu/en-us/job/505255/curator-of-mammals-and-birds Position Summary: The University of Wisconsin Zoological Museum houses extensive collections of over 500,000 vertebrates (skins, skeletons, histological and fluid-preserved specimens). Located on the UW-Madison campus, the Museum provides support for university teaching and research activities both in and outside of Wisconsin, state and federal agencies, and qualified individuals. This position is responsible for the maintenance and growth primarily of the mammal skin and skull collections, and secondarily of the bird collections; supervision of and participation in all preparative activities; decision on loans, exchanges and screening destructive sampling requests of mammal and bird specimens. The position will develop and conduct collections-based research and produce, publish and present their findings, as well as participate in grant-writing; and in cooperation with the Museum Registrar, provision of information for the entry into and maintenance of museum database files pertaining to the collections of mammals and birds. To learn more about the Museum, visit: https://uwzm.integrativebiology.wisc.edu/ The Museum is part of the Department of Integrative Biology which consists of 65 faculty and staff members, as well as a large number of employees in training, graduate, and undergraduate employees. The department has 1,300+ undergraduate majors in Biology (L&S), Molecular and Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Zoology, teaches thousands of students in our introductory biology courses, and has top ranked graduate programs in the areas of Zoology and Freshwater Marine Science. Principal duties: -Curation: Curate collections of mammal and bird skin, skull, and fluid collections (skeletons are housed separately and maintained by another Curator), and other special holdings, including facilitation of associated correspondence on and assembly of loans, exchanges, gifts and permits concerned with these collections. -Preparation: Coordinate, implement and participate in preparation of vertebrate skin, skull, fluid and skeletal specimens. These activities include maintenance of the dermestid colony and preparation rooms and organization of catalog information, in part through supervision of volunteers and hourly helpers. -Research: Conduct a collections based research program, associated with academic interests and area of expertise. Produce findings and publish in scientific and popular journals; present at academic meetings and outreach events. -Collection Development: Develop and maintain a program to facilitate specimen deposition. This includes collaborations with university researchers and cooperative agreements with local, state and federal agencies. -Education and Access: Assist in fielding enquiries and in providing teaching materials, exhibitions, laboratory displays and verbal presentations in mammalogy, ornithology, wildlife ecology and other courses involving natural history specimens. Facilitate access to collections. -Grant Writing: Participate in grant-writing and other development activities designed to enhance infrastructure and provide funding for collection management and growth. -Data Management: In concert with the Museum Registrar, provide information for the design, entry into and maintenance of databases pertinent to the mammal and bird collections. Degree and Area of Specialization: Master's Degree in Zoology, Biology, or related discipline required. Minimum Years and Type of Relevant Work Experience: 2 years of previous work in natural history or vertebrate museum collections required; preference to candidates with 4+ years of experience. Required Knowledge and Skills: Demonstrated expertise in mammalian taxonomy. Proficiency in preparation of study skins of mammals and birds. Experience with care and maintenance of a dermestarium. Familiarity and experience with zoological collections and their use in research and teaching. Strong oral communication skills, including the ability to collaborate and network within the University and beyond. Demonstrated problem solving abilities, flexibility, and proven ability to work as part of a team. Ability to lift 40 pounds and use a ladder. Preferred Knowledge and Skills: Demonstrated familiarity in avian taxonomy. Familiarity with natural history collection databases and GIS programs. Salary: Minimum: $45,000 ANNUAL (12 months); Depending on Qualifications Institutional Statement on Diversity: Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world. For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: https://diversity.wisc.edu/ Instructions to Applicants: An applicant may be hired into an Associate Academic Curator, Academic Curator, or Senior Academic Curator, title dependent upon experience. Title will be determined upon hire. For questions on the position contact: Laura Monahan at lmonahan2 at wisc.edu To apply for this position you will need to upload a cover letter, resume and contact information for at least three professional references, including your current supervisor. References will not be contacted without advance notice. Your cover letter should address your qualifications as they pertain to the minimum number of years and type of relevant work experience listed above. Applications Close: Aug 31 2020 11:55 PM __ __ Laura A. Monahan Curator of Collections University of Wisconsin Zoological Museum L.E. Noland Zoology Building 250 North Mills Street Madison, WI 53706 Website: https://uwzm.integrativebiology.wisc.edu/ E-mail: lmonahan2 at wisc.edu Phone: (608) 890-1790 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From abentley at ku.edu Tue Aug 18 12:23:25 2020 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2020 16:23:25 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] FW: New BioScience Special Collection: Natural History Collections: Advancing the Frontiers of Science In-Reply-To: <1D8595F6-D1F8-4700-9660-AB2FB447BAF8@aibs.org> References: <1D8595F6-D1F8-4700-9660-AB2FB447BAF8@aibs.org> Message-ID: <61BD7A08-FC97-42F6-A83B-E9C05F3D224D@ku.edu> Hi all, AIBS/BioScience in collaboration with Oxford University Press has created a new online special collection "Natural History Collections: Advancing the Frontiers of Science?. The goal of these special collections is to highlight topical areas represented in the pages of BioScience. We will aim to update the collection ever six months or so. Meanwhile, the collection is available at https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/pages/natural-history-collections Please enjoy and feel free to share with colleagues, students, or anyone else you think will find these articles interesting. Robert Gropp AIBS/BioScience -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From garymotz at indiana.edu Tue Aug 18 12:37:40 2020 From: garymotz at indiana.edu (Motz, Gary) Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2020 16:37:40 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Job Opportunity: Digital Collection Manager at Indiana University Bloomington Message-ID: <34f9bb00f71844188c8c7201e7c2c017@IN-CCI-D2S09.ads.iu.edu> Hello all, I hope this email finds you well and that the important work of curating and maintaining natural history collections keeps you in good cheer. To aid in that work, the Indiana Geological and Water Survey at Indiana University Bloomington is seeking qualified candidates for a new position, our Digital Collections Manager. The Digital Collections Manager will serve as the technical lead and service coordinator for the first digital asset management system at the IGWS and facilitate the vast digital data holdings of a large research institute at a top tier research university. The position is a full-time, permanent post and is accompanied by a generous benefits package. Please find more information about the posting at the IGWS website ( https://igws.indiana.edu/jobs/) and apply for this position at https://jobs.iu.edu/. Please circulate this position announcement widely and direct questions to me at garymotz at indiana.edu. The deadline for application submissions is midnight, eastern time on Thursday, Sept 3rd. Many thanks! Gary _____________________________________ Gary Motz Research Affiliate - Paleobiology & Digitization Center for Biological Research Collections Chief Information Officer and Assistant Director for Information Services Indiana Geological and Water Survey 812-856-3500 420 N. Walnut St. | Bloomington, IN 47404 website | twitter | email | 812-855-7636 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 13019 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: smime.p7s Type: application/pkcs7-signature Size: 6673 bytes Desc: not available URL: From jpandey at aibs.org Wed Aug 19 15:09:19 2020 From: jpandey at aibs.org (Jyotsna Pandey) Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2020 15:09:19 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Enter the 2020 AIBS Faces of Biology Photo Contest In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Enter the Faces of Biology Photo Contest for your chance to win $250 and to have your photo appear on the cover of the journal *BioScience*. The competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), recognizes scientists who use imagery to communicate aspects of biological research to the public and policymakers. The theme of the contest is ?Faces of Biology.? Photographs entered into the contest must depict a person, such as a scientist, researcher, collections curator, technician, or student, engaging in biological research. The depicted research may occur outside, in a lab, with a natural history collection, on a computer, in a classroom, or elsewhere. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how science is being conducted in 2020. You are invited to share how you are conducting your research in these unusual times. The First Place Winner will have his/her winning photo featured on the cover of *BioScience*, and will receive $250 and a one year subscription to *BioScience*. The Second and Third Place Winners will have his/her winning photo printed inside *BioScience*, and will receive a one year subscription to *BioScience*. The winning photo from the 2019 contest was featured on the cover of the April 2020 issue of *BioScience*. Submissions must be received by 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30, 2020. For more information or to enter the contest, visit https://www.aibs.org/public-programs/photocontest.html. ___________________________________________ Jyotsna Pandey, Ph.D. Public Policy Manager American Institute of Biological Sciences -- This message is confidential and should only be read by its intended recipients.? If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and delete all copies. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From neumann at snsb.de Wed Aug 19 17:05:10 2020 From: neumann at snsb.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2020 23:05:10 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <3bac2877-ffb1-48b5-8b6b-e4b64e98daf1@snsb.de> Dear John, I would prefer NUNC Store-it tubes (article 264300; https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/264262#/264262) We tested them against Sarsted and other brands in a warm water bath > 50?C and they were among the tightest ones; also, they DON'T have an silicone O-ring (which will fail after some time); we had to replace poor quality tubes twice so far and besides necessary replacement costs and time needed to transfer tissues the huge evaporation loss (> 50% in some tubes) surely affected the integrity of the tissues / DNA. The NUNC-tubes have a flange and really need to be screwed down tight (which is a bit annoying), but we have them on storage since 2004, use them in the tropic in the field and their performance is excellent. Bit more expensive, but this slightly higher investment pays off in the long run. Hope this helps, with best wishes Dirk Am 17.08.2020 um 23:42 schrieb John Edwin Lattke Bravo: > Hello, > > Does anybody have any thoughts or experience to share regarding the > comparative merits of 2ml cryogenic vials by Corning, Sarstedt and > Granier for long term storage of insects in ethanol? Is the quality > amongst the three similar? Positive experiences? Negative one? Just > needing some user experience to help decide what might deliever the > best bang for the buck (or real, in my case). > > Obrigado, > > John Lattke > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- Dirk Neumann Tel: 089 / 8107-111 Fax: 089 / 8107-300 neumann(a)snsb.de Postanschrift: Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns Zoologische Staatssammlung M?nchen Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Storage M?nchhausenstr. 21 81247 M?nchen Besuchen Sie unsere Sammlung: http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ --------- Dirk Neumann Tel: +49-89-8107-111 Fax: +49-89-8107-300 neumann(a)snsb.de postal address: Bavarian Natural History Collections The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Storage Muenchhausenstr. 21 81247 Munich (Germany) Visit our section at: http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: jiodmhldnaildcal.png Type: image/png Size: 23308 bytes Desc: not available URL: From abentley at ku.edu Wed Aug 19 17:19:33 2020 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2020 21:19:33 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials In-Reply-To: <3bac2877-ffb1-48b5-8b6b-e4b64e98daf1@snsb.de> References: <3bac2877-ffb1-48b5-8b6b-e4b64e98daf1@snsb.de> Message-ID: John We have been using these Nalgene tubes in our collection and for collecting in all environments for over 15 years and have had no issues with storage in 95% ethanol, RNALater or liquid nitrogen environments: https://www.fishersci.com/shop/products/nalgene-general-long-term-storage-cryogenic-tubes/033377d I agree with Dirk that whatever make you go with, externally threaded tubes with no O-ring gasket are the way to go. Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of Dirk Neumann Reply-To: "neumann at snsb.de" Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 4:05 PM To: "nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials Dear John, I would prefer NUNC Store-it tubes (article 264300; https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/264262#/264262) We tested them against Sarsted and other brands in a warm water bath > 50?C and they were among the tightest ones; also, they DON'T have an silicone O-ring (which will fail after some time); we had to replace poor quality tubes twice so far and besides necessary replacement costs and time needed to transfer tissues the huge evaporation loss (> 50% in some tubes) surely affected the integrity of the tissues / DNA. The NUNC-tubes have a flange and really need to be screwed down tight (which is a bit annoying), but we have them on storage since 2004, use them in the tropic in the field and their performance is excellent. Bit more expensive, but this slightly higher investment pays off in the long run. Hope this helps, with best wishes Dirk Am 17.08.2020 um 23:42 schrieb John Edwin Lattke Bravo: Hello, Does anybody have any thoughts or experience to share regarding the comparative merits of 2ml cryogenic vials by Corning, Sarstedt and Granier for long term storage of insects in ethanol? Is the quality amongst the three similar? Positive experiences? Negative one? Just needing some user experience to help decide what might deliever the best bang for the buck (or real, in my case). Obrigado, John Lattke _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- [cid:image001.png at 01D67644.845D2980] Dirk Neumann Tel: 089 / 8107-111 Fax: 089 / 8107-300 neumann(a)snsb.de Postanschrift: Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns Zoologische Staatssammlung M?nchen Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Storage M?nchhausenstr. 21 81247 M?nchen Besuchen Sie unsere Sammlung: http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ --------- Dirk Neumann Tel: +49-89-8107-111 Fax: +49-89-8107-300 neumann(a)snsb.de postal address: Bavarian Natural History Collections The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Storage Muenchhausenstr. 21 81247 Munich (Germany) Visit our section at: http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 23309 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From gregory.watkins-colwell at yale.edu Thu Aug 20 09:22:23 2020 From: gregory.watkins-colwell at yale.edu (Watkins-Colwell, Gregory) Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2020 13:22:23 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials In-Reply-To: References: <3bac2877-ffb1-48b5-8b6b-e4b64e98daf1@snsb.de> Message-ID: Has anybody ever written a paper on this? It would sure be helpful. Each of the tubes that Andy and Dirk listed are the opposite of what I was told to use when we migrated to LN2 (internal thread with the silicon O-ring..). There?s also an issue I?ve found with some tubes not fitting properly in the boxes we use in the LN2 tanks. Some tubes are too narrow and rattle around. Others are too tall and the lid won?t go on properly (nor will the box properly fit in the rack as a result). So there are clearly a lot of factors. When we migrated to LN2 we had a lot of things in external thread, black o-ring tubes and when asked if those tubes are okay to use in LN2, the vendor literally shrugged and said? very slowly? ?prob-ab-ly??? so we transferred everything. Very time-consuming! A nice paper detailing the pros and cons of each with a solid recommendation would be great. On the issue of evaporation, we routinely decant off the liquid anyway before putting the tubes into LN2. Also, many of our samples are frozen raw (especially in ORN and MAM). How does tube morphology impact tissue samples in those cases? Anybody have any data on that? Greg **************** Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell Sr. Collection Manager, Herpetology and Ichthyology Division of Vertebrate Zoology Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History Main Office: 203-432-3791; West Campus: 203-737-7568; Fax 203-432-9277 Package shipping address: Greg Watkins-Colwell Division of Vertebrate Zoology Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History 170?210 Whitney Avenue New Haven, CT 06511 USA 203-432-3791 ****************** From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Bentley, Andrew Charles Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2020 5:20 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials John We have been using these Nalgene tubes in our collection and for collecting in all environments for over 15 years and have had no issues with storage in 95% ethanol, RNALater or liquid nitrogen environments: https://www.fishersci.com/shop/products/nalgene-general-long-term-storage-cryogenic-tubes/033377d I agree with Dirk that whatever make you go with, externally threaded tubes with no O-ring gasket are the way to go. Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Dirk Neumann > Reply-To: "neumann at snsb.de" > Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 4:05 PM To: "nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials Dear John, I would prefer NUNC Store-it tubes (article 264300; https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/264262#/264262) We tested them against Sarsted and other brands in a warm water bath > 50?C and they were among the tightest ones; also, they DON'T have an silicone O-ring (which will fail after some time); we had to replace poor quality tubes twice so far and besides necessary replacement costs and time needed to transfer tissues the huge evaporation loss (> 50% in some tubes) surely affected the integrity of the tissues / DNA. The NUNC-tubes have a flange and really need to be screwed down tight (which is a bit annoying), but we have them on storage since 2004, use them in the tropic in the field and their performance is excellent. Bit more expensive, but this slightly higher investment pays off in the long run. Hope this helps, with best wishes Dirk Am 17.08.2020 um 23:42 schrieb John Edwin Lattke Bravo: Hello, Does anybody have any thoughts or experience to share regarding the comparative merits of 2ml cryogenic vials by Corning, Sarstedt and Granier for long term storage of insects in ethanol? Is the quality amongst the three similar? Positive experiences? Negative one? Just needing some user experience to help decide what might deliever the best bang for the buck (or real, in my case). Obrigado, John Lattke _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- [cid:image001.png at 01D676D3.6903EBD0] Dirk Neumann Tel: 089 / 8107-111 Fax: 089 / 8107-300 neumann(a)snsb.de Postanschrift: Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns Zoologische Staatssammlung M?nchen Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Storage M?nchhausenstr. 21 81247 M?nchen Besuchen Sie unsere Sammlung: http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ --------- Dirk Neumann Tel: +49-89-8107-111 Fax: +49-89-8107-300 neumann(a)snsb.de postal address: Bavarian Natural History Collections The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Storage Muenchhausenstr. 21 81247 Munich (Germany) Visit our section at: http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 8605 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From HUDDLESTONC at si.edu Thu Aug 20 10:00:22 2020 From: HUDDLESTONC at si.edu (Huddleston, Chris) Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2020 14:00:22 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials In-Reply-To: References: <3bac2877-ffb1-48b5-8b6b-e4b64e98daf1@snsb.de> Message-ID: <69E23844-3CCB-4B67-87B4-A30A4FDF809E@si.edu> Hi Greg, If you can squeeze a tube between your thumb and forefinger and it distends, you should not use it in LN. Internal threads vs. external threads: Internally threaded tubes allow for more tubes (100) to fit in a standard 5.25? box. Externally threaded tubes require more space (81 tubes in a box). Personally, I don?t care for internally threaded tubes for storage of ?raw? vertebrate muscle, liver or what have you. This is because one has to literally unscrew a hunk of frozen meat out of the tube to sub-sample. If you do not leave enough head space, the tissue will freeze, expand and jam into the cap. This could lead to cross-contamination and tubes leaking or breaking. Internal lids are fine for liquids, such as DNA solutions. My advice: Before investing in a whole bunch of tubes, boxes and racks, always get a samples from the vendor (100 tubes minimum) and test configurations. Maybe I will write that paper someday, when I can leave my home office to collect data. Chris Huddleston Biorepository Manager Office of Collections Museum Support Center 4210 Silver Hill Road Suitland, MD 20746 huddlestonc at si.edu SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) complies with all U.S. export and sanctions laws, as well as fish, wildlife and other regulations applicable to the importation and exportation of specimens and research materials. Please consider the country of origin and nature of any specimen, sample, object or material shipped to NMNH, and if applicable, ensure that it is properly licensed and otherwise compliant with U.S. law prior to shipment. Learn about the Nagoya Protocol here: https://learnnagoya.com/ From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of "Watkins-Colwell, Gregory" Date: Thursday, August 20, 2020 at 9:22 AM To: "nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials External Email - Exercise Caution Has anybody ever written a paper on this? It would sure be helpful. Each of the tubes that Andy and Dirk listed are the opposite of what I was told to use when we migrated to LN2 (internal thread with the silicon O-ring..). There?s also an issue I?ve found with some tubes not fitting properly in the boxes we use in the LN2 tanks. Some tubes are too narrow and rattle around. Others are too tall and the lid won?t go on properly (nor will the box properly fit in the rack as a result). So there are clearly a lot of factors. When we migrated to LN2 we had a lot of things in external thread, black o-ring tubes and when asked if those tubes are okay to use in LN2, the vendor literally shrugged and said? very slowly? ?prob-ab-ly??? so we transferred everything. Very time-consuming! A nice paper detailing the pros and cons of each with a solid recommendation would be great. On the issue of evaporation, we routinely decant off the liquid anyway before putting the tubes into LN2. Also, many of our samples are frozen raw (especially in ORN and MAM). How does tube morphology impact tissue samples in those cases? Anybody have any data on that? Greg **************** Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell Sr. Collection Manager, Herpetology and Ichthyology Division of Vertebrate Zoology Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History Main Office: 203-432-3791; West Campus: 203-737-7568; Fax 203-432-9277 Package shipping address: Greg Watkins-Colwell Division of Vertebrate Zoology Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History 170?210 Whitney Avenue New Haven, CT 06511 USA 203-432-3791 ****************** From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Bentley, Andrew Charles Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2020 5:20 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials John We have been using these Nalgene tubes in our collection and for collecting in all environments for over 15 years and have had no issues with storage in 95% ethanol, RNALater or liquid nitrogen environments: https://www.fishersci.com/shop/products/nalgene-general-long-term-storage-cryogenic-tubes/033377d I agree with Dirk that whatever make you go with, externally threaded tubes with no O-ring gasket are the way to go. Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Dirk Neumann > Reply-To: "neumann at snsb.de" > Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 4:05 PM To: "nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials Dear John, I would prefer NUNC Store-it tubes (article 264300; https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/264262#/264262) We tested them against Sarsted and other brands in a warm water bath > 50?C and they were among the tightest ones; also, they DON'T have an silicone O-ring (which will fail after some time); we had to replace poor quality tubes twice so far and besides necessary replacement costs and time needed to transfer tissues the huge evaporation loss (> 50% in some tubes) surely affected the integrity of the tissues / DNA. The NUNC-tubes have a flange and really need to be screwed down tight (which is a bit annoying), but we have them on storage since 2004, use them in the tropic in the field and their performance is excellent. Bit more expensive, but this slightly higher investment pays off in the long run. Hope this helps, with best wishes Dirk Am 17.08.2020 um 23:42 schrieb John Edwin Lattke Bravo: Hello, Does anybody have any thoughts or experience to share regarding the comparative merits of 2ml cryogenic vials by Corning, Sarstedt and Granier for long term storage of insects in ethanol? Is the quality amongst the three similar? Positive experiences? Negative one? Just needing some user experience to help decide what might deliever the best bang for the buck (or real, in my case). Obrigado, John Lattke _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- [cid:image001.png at 01D676D8.B75283A0] Dirk Neumann Tel: 089 / 8107-111 Fax: 089 / 8107-300 neumann(a)snsb.de Postanschrift: Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns Zoologische Staatssammlung M?nchen Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Storage M?nchhausenstr. 21 81247 M?nchen Besuchen Sie unsere Sammlung: http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ --------- Dirk Neumann Tel: +49-89-8107-111 Fax: +49-89-8107-300 neumann(a)snsb.de postal address: Bavarian Natural History Collections The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Storage Muenchhausenstr. 21 81247 Munich (Germany) Visit our section at: http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 8606 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From abentley at ku.edu Thu Aug 20 10:55:08 2020 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2020 14:55:08 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials In-Reply-To: References: <3bac2877-ffb1-48b5-8b6b-e4b64e98daf1@snsb.de> Message-ID: Greg We took all of those things into account when selecting our long-term storage tubes. The tubes that we selected are cryo-safe (vapor NOT liquid), externally threaded (prevents thread coming into contact with large chunks of tissue and also prevents possible contamination), and are the right size to fit into an 81 tube box (they fit well and do not rattle in the box which some of the thinner tubes do. We are also happy with losing extra capacity for safety of tissues). In terms of evaporation, we have had no issues with evaporation in the field or returning from the field but we also routinely decant off all liquid before placing samples in the LN2 dewars for two reasons ? to prevent damage to DNA from ethanol over time (it will be arrested somewhat due to low temp but still happens) and to ensure access to the tissue sample in the tube (95% ethanol and RNALater both freeze at LN2 temperatures and so you have to thaw the liquid before being able to access the tissue which may degrade DNA quality over time with multiple freeze:thaw cycles). There is some info on tissue collections on the SPNHC wiki: https://spnhc.biowikifarm.net/wiki/Tissue_Sample_Collection but I suspect that the vial selection section needs updating Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of Greg Watkins-Colwell Date: Thursday, August 20, 2020 at 8:22 AM To: "nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials Has anybody ever written a paper on this? It would sure be helpful. Each of the tubes that Andy and Dirk listed are the opposite of what I was told to use when we migrated to LN2 (internal thread with the silicon O-ring..). There?s also an issue I?ve found with some tubes not fitting properly in the boxes we use in the LN2 tanks. Some tubes are too narrow and rattle around. Others are too tall and the lid won?t go on properly (nor will the box properly fit in the rack as a result). So there are clearly a lot of factors. When we migrated to LN2 we had a lot of things in external thread, black o-ring tubes and when asked if those tubes are okay to use in LN2, the vendor literally shrugged and said? very slowly? ?prob-ab-ly??? so we transferred everything. Very time-consuming! A nice paper detailing the pros and cons of each with a solid recommendation would be great. On the issue of evaporation, we routinely decant off the liquid anyway before putting the tubes into LN2. Also, many of our samples are frozen raw (especially in ORN and MAM). How does tube morphology impact tissue samples in those cases? Anybody have any data on that? Greg **************** Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell Sr. Collection Manager, Herpetology and Ichthyology Division of Vertebrate Zoology Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History Main Office: 203-432-3791; West Campus: 203-737-7568; Fax 203-432-9277 Package shipping address: Greg Watkins-Colwell Division of Vertebrate Zoology Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History 170?210 Whitney Avenue New Haven, CT 06511 USA 203-432-3791 ****************** From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Bentley, Andrew Charles Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2020 5:20 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials John We have been using these Nalgene tubes in our collection and for collecting in all environments for over 15 years and have had no issues with storage in 95% ethanol, RNALater or liquid nitrogen environments: https://www.fishersci.com/shop/products/nalgene-general-long-term-storage-cryogenic-tubes/033377d I agree with Dirk that whatever make you go with, externally threaded tubes with no O-ring gasket are the way to go. Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Dirk Neumann > Reply-To: "neumann at snsb.de" > Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 4:05 PM To: "nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials Dear John, I would prefer NUNC Store-it tubes (article 264300; https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/264262#/264262) We tested them against Sarsted and other brands in a warm water bath > 50?C and they were among the tightest ones; also, they DON'T have an silicone O-ring (which will fail after some time); we had to replace poor quality tubes twice so far and besides necessary replacement costs and time needed to transfer tissues the huge evaporation loss (> 50% in some tubes) surely affected the integrity of the tissues / DNA. The NUNC-tubes have a flange and really need to be screwed down tight (which is a bit annoying), but we have them on storage since 2004, use them in the tropic in the field and their performance is excellent. Bit more expensive, but this slightly higher investment pays off in the long run. Hope this helps, with best wishes Dirk Am 17.08.2020 um 23:42 schrieb John Edwin Lattke Bravo: Hello, Does anybody have any thoughts or experience to share regarding the comparative merits of 2ml cryogenic vials by Corning, Sarstedt and Granier for long term storage of insects in ethanol? Is the quality amongst the three similar? Positive experiences? Negative one? Just needing some user experience to help decide what might deliever the best bang for the buck (or real, in my case). Obrigado, John Lattke _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- [cid:image001.png at 01D676D7.FBEEB660] Dirk Neumann Tel: 089 / 8107-111 Fax: 089 / 8107-300 neumann(a)snsb.de Postanschrift: Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns Zoologische Staatssammlung M?nchen Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Storage M?nchhausenstr. 21 81247 M?nchen Besuchen Sie unsere Sammlung: http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ --------- Dirk Neumann Tel: +49-89-8107-111 Fax: +49-89-8107-300 neumann(a)snsb.de postal address: Bavarian Natural History Collections The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Storage Muenchhausenstr. 21 81247 Munich (Germany) Visit our section at: http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 8606 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From mahoneymer at gmail.com Thu Aug 20 12:15:30 2020 From: mahoneymer at gmail.com (Meredith Mahoney) Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2020 11:15:30 -0500 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials In-Reply-To: References: <3bac2877-ffb1-48b5-8b6b-e4b64e98daf1@snsb.de> Message-ID: There is one short report in the SPNHC newsletter March 2012 (vol 26, no.1), by Bryan Stuart and Gabriela Hogue, not cited on the wiki page. The authors note issues with internally threaded vials with silicone O-rings and after comparing a couple different tubes recommend externally-threaded, non-O-ring-having tubes.There's more details in the report on specific brands, but this is the only publication I know of. On Thu, Aug 20, 2020 at 9:55 AM Bentley, Andrew Charles wrote: > Greg > > > > We took all of those things into account when selecting our long-term > storage tubes. The tubes that we selected are cryo-safe (vapor NOT > liquid), externally threaded (prevents thread coming into contact with > large chunks of tissue and also prevents possible contamination), and are > the right size to fit into an 81 tube box (they fit well and do not rattle > in the box which some of the thinner tubes do. We are also happy with > losing extra capacity for safety of tissues). > > > > In terms of evaporation, we have had no issues with evaporation in the > field or returning from the field but we also routinely decant off all > liquid before placing samples in the LN2 dewars for two reasons ? to > prevent damage to DNA from ethanol over time (it will be arrested somewhat > due to low temp but still happens) and to ensure access to the tissue > sample in the tube (95% ethanol and RNALater both freeze at LN2 > temperatures and so you have to thaw the liquid before being able to access > the tissue which may degrade DNA quality over time with multiple > freeze:thaw cycles). > > > > There is some info on tissue collections on the SPNHC wiki: > https://spnhc.biowikifarm.net/wiki/Tissue_Sample_Collection but I suspect > that the vial selection section needs updating > > > > Andy > > > > A : A : A : > > }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> > > V V V > > Andy Bentley > > Ichthyology Collection Manager > > University of Kansas > > Biodiversity Institute > > Dyche Hall > > 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard > > Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 > > USA > > > > Tel: (785) 864-3863 > > Fax: (785) 864-5335 > > Email: abentley at ku.edu > > http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu > > > > A : A : A : > > }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> > > V V V > > > > > > *From: *Nhcoll-l on behalf of Greg > Watkins-Colwell > *Date: *Thursday, August 20, 2020 at 8:22 AM > *To: *"nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" > *Subject: *Re: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials > > > > Has anybody ever written a paper on this? It would sure be helpful. Each > of the tubes that Andy and Dirk listed are the opposite of what I was told > to use when we migrated to LN2 (internal thread with the silicon > O-ring..). > > > > There?s also an issue I?ve found with some tubes not fitting properly in > the boxes we use in the LN2 tanks. Some tubes are too narrow and rattle > around. Others are too tall and the lid won?t go on properly (nor will the > box properly fit in the rack as a result). So there are clearly a lot of > factors. When we migrated to LN2 we had a lot of things in external > thread, black o-ring tubes and when asked if those tubes are okay to use in > LN2, the vendor literally shrugged and said? very slowly? ?prob-ab-ly??? so > we transferred everything. Very time-consuming! > > > > A nice paper detailing the pros and cons of each with a solid > recommendation would be great. > > > > On the issue of evaporation, we routinely decant off the liquid anyway > before putting the tubes into LN2. Also, many of our samples are frozen > raw (especially in ORN and MAM). How does tube morphology impact tissue > samples in those cases? Anybody have any data on that? > > > > > > > > > > Greg > > > > > > > > > > **************** > > Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell > > Sr. Collection Manager, Herpetology and Ichthyology > > Division of Vertebrate Zoology > > Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History > > Main Office: 203-432-3791; West Campus: 203-737-7568; Fax 203-432-9277 > > > > Package shipping address: > > Greg Watkins-Colwell > > Division of Vertebrate Zoology > > Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History > 170?210 Whitney Avenue > New Haven, CT 06511 USA > > 203-432-3791 > > ****************** > > > > *From:* Nhcoll-l * On Behalf Of *Bentley, > Andrew Charles > *Sent:* Wednesday, August 19, 2020 5:20 PM > *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > *Subject:* Re: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials > > > > John > > > > We have been using these Nalgene tubes in our collection and for > collecting in all environments for over 15 years and have had no issues > with storage in 95% ethanol, RNALater or liquid nitrogen environments: > https://www.fishersci.com/shop/products/nalgene-general-long-term-storage-cryogenic-tubes/033377d > > > > > I agree with Dirk that whatever make you go with, externally threaded > tubes with no O-ring gasket are the way to go. > > > > Andy > > > > A : A : A : > > }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> > > V V V > > Andy Bentley > > Ichthyology Collection Manager > > University of Kansas > > Biodiversity Institute > > Dyche Hall > > 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard > > Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 > > USA > > > > Tel: (785) 864-3863 > > Fax: (785) 864-5335 > > Email: abentley at ku.edu > > http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu > > > > > A : A : A : > > }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> > > V V V > > > > > > *From: *Nhcoll-l on behalf of Dirk > Neumann > *Reply-To: *"neumann at snsb.de" > *Date: *Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 4:05 PM > *To: *"nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" > *Subject: *Re: [Nhcoll-l] comparative quality cryogenic vials > > > > Dear John, > > > > I would prefer NUNC Store-it tubes (article 264300; > https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/264262#/264262 > > ) > > > > We tested them against Sarsted and other brands in a warm water bath > > 50?C and they were among the tightest ones; also, they DON'T have an > silicone O-ring (which will fail after some time); we had to replace poor > quality tubes twice so far and besides necessary replacement costs and time > needed to transfer tissues the huge evaporation loss (> 50% in some tubes) > surely affected the integrity of the tissues / DNA. > > > > The NUNC-tubes have a flange and really need to be screwed down tight > (which is a bit annoying), but we have them on storage since 2004, use them > in the tropic in the field and their performance is excellent. Bit more > expensive, but this slightly higher investment pays off in the long run. > > > > Hope this helps, > > with best wishes > > Dirk > > > > > > Am 17.08.2020 um 23:42 schrieb John Edwin Lattke Bravo: > > Hello, > > > > Does anybody have any thoughts or experience to share regarding the > comparative merits of 2ml cryogenic vials by Corning, Sarstedt and Granier > for long term storage of insects in ethanol? Is the quality amongst the > three similar? Positive experiences? Negative one? Just needing some user > experience to help decide what might deliever the best bang for the buck > (or real, in my case). > > > > Obrigado, > > > > John Lattke > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Nhcoll-l mailing list > > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > > > _______________________________________________ > > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > > > > -- > > > Dirk Neumann > > Tel: 089 / 8107-111 > Fax: 089 / 8107-300 > neumann(a)snsb.de > > Postanschrift: > > Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns > Zoologische Staatssammlung M?nchen > Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Storage > M?nchhausenstr. 21 > 81247 M?nchen > > Besuchen Sie unsere Sammlung: > http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ > > > --------- > > Dirk Neumann > > Tel: +49-89-8107-111 > Fax: +49-89-8107-300 > neumann(a)snsb.de > > postal address: > > Bavarian Natural History Collections > The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology > Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Storage > Muenchhausenstr. 21 > 81247 Munich (Germany) > > Visit our section at: > http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 8606 bytes Desc: not available URL: From gnelson at floridamuseum.ufl.edu Fri Aug 21 09:53:24 2020 From: gnelson at floridamuseum.ufl.edu (Nelson,Gil) Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2020 13:53:24 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Second in a series: Executing Virtual Events: Lessons learned from Digital Data & SPNHC Conference Planners In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Please join us Tuesday for the second webinar "Executing Virtual Events: Lessons learned from Digital Data & SPNHC Conference Planners" in the iDigBio series Adapting to COVID-19: Resources for Natural History Collections in a New Virtual World. [cid:a4dc2f0e-2e1f-444a-952c-031c9a84b547] iDigBio recognizes the rapid changes happening within museum communities and the efforts being made throughout the community to adapt to these changes. We hope that this webinar series can help to provide insight into how different groups and institutions are adapting to life in a quickly evolving world. All webinars will be recorded and held in Zoom. Tuesday, August 25th at 2:00 - 3:30 ET: Executing Virtual Events: Lessons learned from Digital Data & SPNHC Conference Planners Topics to include: Zoom, Social Media/Advertising, Audience Engagement/Managing Expectations, Day of Roles and Responsibilities, Moderators/ Tech Support, Social Engagements, Accessibility, Surveys, Meeting formats moving forward Zoom link: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/99571640979?pwd=V0VwbDBySEtBYUptNUZ2L0RQNGh0UT09 Future events include: September 15-17: Taking the Pulse of Natural History Collections During COVID-19 Series: Where are we now? Join iDigBio, NSCA, BCON, NSF, and SPNHC for a mini-series to discuss the climate of natural history collections during COVID. What is the community experiencing? How are they coping? How do we persevere? September 15: Review Results of BCON?s Community Survey & Break-out room discussion Speaker: Barbara Thiers September 16: Collections Perspectives & Break-out room discussion Speakers: John Bates, Emily Braker, Brian Atkinson, Mare Nazare September 17: Where do we go from here & Panel Discussion Speakers: Rob Gropp, Pam Soltis, Scott Miller, Roland Roberts Zoom link for series: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/93561818170?pwd=eVRxU1RWQWE2VGFhTi91enV6WWJvdz09 October 27: Virtual Project Management, Tips and Tools Speakers: Diego Barroso; Project Manager TORCH TCN, BRIT & David Jennings, Project Manager, iDigBio Zoom link: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/99571640979?pwd=V0VwbDBySEtBYUptNUZ2L0RQNGh0UT09 November 18: Engaging Public Participation in Collections Digitization Learn about opportunities to use the Zooniverse platform for collections digitization, including examples of Notes from Nature related to transcription and phenology scoring projects. We will also demo available project management tools for NfN, followed by a higher-level explanation of the technology behind the platform that makes it all possible. Speakers: Austin Mast; iDigBio, Florida State University & Katie Pearson, Project Manager California Phenology TCN Zoom link: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/99571640979?pwd=V0VwbDBySEtBYUptNUZ2L0RQNGh0UT09 Visit the webinar series page for additional information: https://www.idigbio.org/content/webinar-series-adapting-covid-resources-natural-history-collections-new-virtual-world Jillian Goodwin iDigBio Conference Manager Florida Museum of Natural History 508-887-6043 www.idigbio.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Outlook-y0kpyiyt.png Type: image/png Size: 203415 bytes Desc: Outlook-y0kpyiyt.png URL: From PALMERL at si.edu Fri Aug 21 13:01:57 2020 From: PALMERL at si.edu (Palmer, Lisa) Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2020 17:01:57 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] FW: Tropical Storm Laura In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: fyi From: Foley, Lori Sent: Friday, August 21, 2020 12:17 PM Subject: Tropical Storm Laura External Email - Exercise Caution Dear HENTF members, Tropical Depression 13 has become Tropical Storm Laura. [cid:image001.jpg at 01D677BB.3FE74880] * Tropical storm conditions are expected across portions of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico today through Saturday, and Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect. Heavy rainfall is likely across this area beginning today and could cause mudslides and flash and urban flooding through Sunday. * Please reach out to your members and constituents in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to ensure that they are taking preparedness measures now. * Interests in Gulf Coast states should also be on the alert: Laura could bring storm surge, rainfall, and wind impacts to portions of Cuba, the Bahamas, and Florida early next week and the northeast U.S. Gulf Coast by the middle of next week. * The HENTF dashboard contains this information and more, including graphics and key messages from the National Hurricane Center. * Monitor the storm throughout the weekend via the National Hurricane Center: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/#Laura. Thank you, Lori Lori Foley Coordinator | Heritage Emergency National Task Force Office of Environmental Planning & Historic Preservation Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration Mobile: (202) 826-6303 lori.foley at fema.dhs.gov culturalrescue.si.edu/hentf Federal Emergency Management Agency fema.gov [cid:image002.jpg at 01D677BB.3FE74880] [cid:image003.jpg at 01D677BB.3FE74880] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 37387 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4073 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2557 bytes Desc: image003.jpg URL: From Mandy.Reid at Australian.Museum Sun Aug 23 21:29:19 2020 From: Mandy.Reid at Australian.Museum (Mandy Reid) Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2020 01:29:19 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] EDNA samples Message-ID: I am wondering whether any museums are accepting EDNA (Environmental DNA) samples, such as water samples, animal scats etc., or whether you have been approached regarding storing such samples in museum collections? Is this something that we should consider? It would be excellent if anyone is interested in a discussion around this as it is something Collections staff at the Australian Museum in Sydney have been approached about. Cheers Mandy Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land on which the Australian Museum stands. [https://media.australianmuseum.net.au/media/dd/images/600x140px_EmailSignatures_ProjectDiscover_2v4.b.d0cdf0f.jpg] The Australian Museum email disclaimer The views in this email are those of the user and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Museum. The information contained in this email message and any accompanying files is or may be confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, reliance, forwarding, printing or copying of this email or any attached files is unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender. The Australian Museum does not guarantee the accuracy of any information contained in this e-mail or attached files. As Internet communications are not secure, the Australian Museum does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message or attached files. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 6827 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From gregory.watkins-colwell at yale.edu Mon Aug 24 13:50:16 2020 From: gregory.watkins-colwell at yale.edu (Watkins-Colwell, Gregory) Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2020 17:50:16 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] EDNA samples In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Ironically, this topic was recently brought up at the ASIH Ichthyology and Herpetology Collections Committee meeting. In short: yes... various institutions have been approached to house such things and there seems legitimately good reasons to house such samples in a natural history collection. Some of the tricks are basically artifacts of how museums "normally" do things. That is, we normally store things pre-sorted and identified and tagged by taxon and locality and cataloged into the appropriate taxonomic division. In this case, most of that is unknown and the data we have are primarily locality and time, without taxon initially. Eventually somebody can say what taxa are in that sample, but until then it is basically a tube of water, or scat or dirt, etc. SO how then is it cataloged and in which division? In fact, even after we know what's in the sample, how do we store it? Do we try to isolate each DNA fragment by taxon (NO!!!!)... does the tube get cataloged by every applicable division? Does the sample get subdivided so that each division has a subsample of the same thing? So many of the conversations are about details like that. There are also some really fun practical issues such as, how do you import/export it? Is it claimed as wildlife or just as water? What happens when the water "becomes" wildlife (i.e. you import water and export crocodile DNA that was in the water all along)... does that impact any import/export regulations, etc. Will wildlife agents assume you falsified the initial report? In terms of regulatory compliance, would some agencies say that a researcher need a CITES export permit for water if it later turns out that it included DNA from elephants or freshwater dolphins or whatever? Greg **************** Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell Sr. Collection Manager, Herpetology and Ichthyology Division of Vertebrate Zoology Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History Main Office: 203-432-3791; West Campus: 203-737-7568; Fax 203-432-9277 Package shipping address: Greg Watkins-Colwell Division of Vertebrate Zoology Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History 170-210 Whitney Avenue New Haven, CT 06511 USA 203-432-3791 ****************** From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Mandy Reid Sent: Sunday, August 23, 2020 9:29 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] EDNA samples I am wondering whether any museums are accepting EDNA (Environmental DNA) samples, such as water samples, animal scats etc., or whether you have been approached regarding storing such samples in museum collections? Is this something that we should consider? It would be excellent if anyone is interested in a discussion around this as it is something Collections staff at the Australian Museum in Sydney have been approached about. Cheers Mandy Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land on which the Australian Museum stands. [https://media.australianmuseum.net.au/media/dd/images/600x140px_EmailSignatures_ProjectDiscover_2v4.b.d0cdf0f.jpg] The Australian Museum email disclaimer The views in this email are those of the user and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Museum. The information contained in this email message and any accompanying files is or may be confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, reliance, forwarding, printing or copying of this email or any attached files is unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender. The Australian Museum does not guarantee the accuracy of any information contained in this e-mail or attached files. As Internet communications are not secure, the Australian Museum does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message or attached files. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 6827 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From abentley at ku.edu Mon Aug 24 16:16:18 2020 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2020 20:16:18 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them Message-ID: Hi all I am trying to resolve a philosophical conundrum brought on by the ever-increasing mountain of digital data being produces from and associated with natural history collections. My question is whether digital representations of an object (images, CT scans, etc.) should be treated as preparations of an object in a collections database similar to other physical preparations or treated differently? For instance, in a fish collection like mine, you have a lot that has a certain number of specimens. Some of those may be subsequently cleared and stained or have skeletons prepared. These are traditionally handled as preparations of the original lot with the same catalog number (although in some collections they are treated as separate catalog numbers). Now, however, you have digital representations of those physical objects such as images, CT scans, etc. Should these also be treated as preparations or be treated differently - as digital products or linked as attachments to the physical objects? To me, they are not physical objects but digital representations of the original object. As such, they are somewhat different to a preparation. This has implications when totaling traditional counts of objects in a collection as well as when publishing data from a collection to the aggregator community. In some instances, this may be governed by the data model and business rules of the CMS you are using or by your personal preference. I would be interested in hearing your views on this and how you handle this in your collection as I am not sure there is any community consensus as to which way to handle these. I have heard of both methods being used in various collections. Thanks in advance Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From info at arcsinfo.org Mon Aug 24 21:30:00 2020 From: info at arcsinfo.org (ARCS) Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2020 21:30:00 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Congratulations Irene Taurins, MRM6 Giveaway, & New Board Member Alicia Thomas ARCS Update Vol 5 | Update 14 Message-ID: ***ARCS Founding Board Member Irene Taurins - Retirement*** ARCS wants to congratulate founding board member Irene Taurins on her retirement after forty-two years at the Philadelphia Museum of Art! Here is a brief profile that Irene submitted for a previous 2018 ARCS Update and again congratulations Irene! "I am one of the founding board members of ARCS and registration is my passion and identity. I have been at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for forty years, so clearly I love what I do. My devotion to the preservation and sharing of great art goes back to childhood ? my father was a small, but avid collector. I love solving problems and working out logistics. I even like fine arts insurance! Part of the job of a registrar is to safeguard art when it moves, and traveling to exotic places for our worthy work is a welcome side benefit. I just returned from a trip to Denmark, a first for me. I have traveled around the world on a courier trip from Philadelphia to Taiwan to Paris and back to Philadelphia in a week. The Registration community has always been giving, open and sharing and I treasure being a member of it. I am finding it hard to think of retiring as I find registration so fulfilling. But even retirement from my day job won?t stop me from our ARCS mission." ***MRM 6 Giveaway*** Did you enter our Museum Registration Methods, 6th Edition, giveaway? Current ARCS Members can log in to your ARCSInfo.org account and, after confirming or updating your membership profile, click on the ?Enter Here to Win a Free Copy of MRM6!? button that appears on the Manage Your Profile Page. Enter to win before August 31!! Questions? Contact info at arcinfo.org Manage Your Profile and Enter to Win Here: http://www.arcsinfo.org/membership/manage-your-profile ***ARCS New Board Member Alicia Thomas*** The ARCS Board is excited to welcome Alicia Thomas, Principal of Nail-to-Nail, as one of three new members to our Board of Directors. With a portfolio of registration, collections, and exhibitions experience spanning twenty-seven years, Alicia has held positions at several art museums, and recently left her full-time position to launch a company specializing in collections care and exhibitions management. For the past 8 years, Alicia was the Director of Exhibitions & Collections Management for the Palm Springs Art Museum. In this capacity, she oversaw the art, archives, and library collections and raised the standards of collections care to align with best practices. With an affinity for conservation and preservation, she wrote two collections grants awarded by the IMLS and NEH, and now serves as a reviewer. She has handled every type of art shipment from ocean freighter to helicopter and coordinated over one hundred exhibitions. Prior to working in Palm Springs, Alicia spent twelve years at the National Gallery of Art coordinating exhibitions and loans from the collection to museums worldwide. She also managed loans to the President, the President?s cabinet, US ambassadors, and justices of the Supreme Court. Finally, Alicia worked five years as a registrar at the J. Paul Getty Museum and Vassar College. She holds an M.A. in art history and a B.A. in fine arts. Shortly after joining the ARCS board, Alicia started an intensive course in appraising fine arts and antiques through the Appraiser?s Association of America. This was a natural direction to pursue having grown up with parents who collected art and owned an antique shop. Now that she has completed her classes and passed the core competency exam, she looks forward to offering this new service to private collectors and museum clients. In her personal time, Alicia enjoys collecting art and ceramics, gardening, and spoiling her Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. ***Save the Date! ARCS Webinar September 30th at 2:00 p.m. EST: Boxes, Tubes & Pallets, Oh My! Choosing and Using Safe Materials for Collection Housing*** Mark your calendars to join instructor Rachael Perkins Arenstein, Principal, A.M. Art Conservation, LLC for this webinar that will focus on choosing appropriate materials for storage that won?t inadvertently damage your collections over time. Making wise decisions about products and how they are used in rehousing projects will stretch your budget to get the most preservation bang for your buck. For more info: http://www.arcsinfo.org/news-events/event/1326/1/arcs-boxes-tube-pallets-oh-my-choosing-and-using-safe-materials-for-collection-housing ***#ARCSchat September 1 at 1:00 p.m. ET*** Buddha says "Wear your ego like a loose-fitting garment." In these crazy times of furloughs, layoffs, lockdowns, and unionizing, #ARCSchat returns to un-tailor your work attire with a second season of their YouTube Live chat with a conversation with Joan Baldwin, the 2019 ARCS conference keynote speaker, author of Leadership Matters, and prolific blogger. Joan will help us undress the institutional unrest going on at the moment and help us walk the catwalk to becoming our own best advocates. In preparation for this chat, we recommend that you revisit her keynote address from last November here (https://youtu.be/tZESvBMfxhg) and also read her recent blog "The Museum Crisis: Does Reflection Help?". ( https://leadershipmatters1213.wordpress.com/2020/08/10/the-museum-crisis-does-reflection-help/ ) Lastly, #ARCSchat wants to introduce a new segment called "A Day in the Life" that involves you and your crazy job stories. With the voice recorder on your phone, record a 2-5 minute clip telling us the following: 1. Who you are 2. Where you work 3. A crazy or unique work experience you had whether it happened in the past or during the lockdown. Email the clip to info at arcsinfo.org and we'll include it in the podcast version of the chat. ***ER Sub-Committee Instagram Takeover*** Join the ARCS Emergency Programming Sub-Committee this week for an Instagram Takeover! They will be talking all things hurricane preparedness - but even if you don't live in a hurricane area, there will still be something for you! Each day, committee members will break down a different aspect of hurricane response and preparedness, including preparing for long term closure, flood response, and mold recovery. Direct message them your questions to @arcs4all and tag them in your posts with your preparedness tips or response pics, and follow the hashtags #RegistrarsRespond #CollectionsManagersRespond #ARCStotheRescue #collectionsemergency https://www.instagram.com/arcs4all/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shelljames at gmail.com Mon Aug 24 22:32:06 2020 From: shelljames at gmail.com (Shelley James) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2020 10:32:06 +0800 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] AIC/SPNHC 2021 - Call for proposals Message-ID: Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collection (SPNHC) 36th Annual Meeting Held jointly with the American Institute for Conservation 11-15 May, 2021 Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront in Jacksonville, Florida. Call for Proposals You are cordially invited to submit proposals for Symposia, Field trips, and Workshops for the 2021 annual meeting of SPNHC which will be held in Jacksonville, Florida, USA from 11-15 May, 2021. The theme for the meeting is ?Transform 2021?. We apologise for the rapid but necessary time-frame for submissions. Please note the following dates: *Proposals *for *Symposia* are *due 1 September 2020. * *Proposals* for *Workshops* and *Field trips *are *due* *30 September 2020. * Abstract submission will begin 1 September 2020 and the deadline is September 30th for all abstracts. Workshops and Field Trips will take place prior to the conference on 11-12 May 2021. Symposia will take place on 13-15 May 2021. Please note: submissions are requested for in-person sessions, and proposers must be able to commit to attending the 2021 meeting (at this time). Submissions should include the following information: ? Title ? Symposium/Workshop/ Field Trip Description: minimum of 200 words, but not more than one page. ? Amount of time for your Symposium/Workshop: 30, 60, 90 minutes, half day, full day ? Expected number of participants ? What should participants bring? (For example: a laptop.) *Proposals should be sent to:* Suzanne Davis davissl at umich.edu and Ruth Seyler rseyler at culturalheritage.org Please see the conference website for more information: https://www.culturalheritage.org/events/annual-meeting/future-meetings/meeting-2021 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From liathappleton at gmail.com Tue Aug 25 11:02:22 2020 From: liathappleton at gmail.com (Liath Appleton) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2020 10:02:22 -0500 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I love this question! We've discussed this quite a bit around here. Since most of our images are attached to individual specimens or as a group photo of the entire lot, we do not make digital images a preparation on their own. The reason being that if you pull a photo for publication, you will want to know which individual is represented in the photo. If we pull an individual specimen out of a lot to be photographed separately, we make that specimen a separate prep and attach the image to it. We did toy around with making some of our really nice, high res, images their own preparations for tracking purposes. For example, if someone wanted to use an image in a publication, we could "loan" the preparation, but it ended up creating problems and ultimately it made more sense to just have a separate prep for that particular specimen with its images attached. However, it is possible in our database to have a digital-only preparation. If an imaged specimen were to become lost or destroyed, the images associated with it would remain as the preparation. So in a sense, that would be a digital-only preparation. This is the case for a few of our specimens that we haven't been able to find in our collections, but were photographed many years ago. Hopefully, those specimens will eventually be found and reunited with their images. In this case we have a preparation type "digital" to make it clear for those doing a search that there is no physical specimen to borrow. As to your question concerning counts, I'm not sure I have a good answer for that one. I only include actual specimens when reporting counts, however, in the future there could be a need for digital count. If for instance there were a fire, and much of the physical collection were destroyed, then the digital collection would become more important. This is definitely something to think about. In this case, I would include my preparations listed as digital-only in my count. The short answer is that although I personally think of images as attachments, I do think it is important to have a system in place for digital-only preparations in the future. We don't know where technology will go next, and there may be reasons to have separate preparations that we haven't currently considered.---Liath Liath Appleton Collections Manager Non-Vertebrate Paleontology Lab University of Texas at Austin Bldg PRC122 - campus mail code R8500 10100 Burnet Road Austin, TX 78758 SPNHC Connection Editor (newsletter at spnhc.org) SPNHC Web Manager (webmaster at spnhc.org) www.spnhc.org On Mon, Aug 24, 2020 at 3:16 PM Bentley, Andrew Charles wrote: > Hi all > > > > I am trying to resolve a philosophical conundrum brought on by the > ever-increasing mountain of digital data being produces from and associated > with natural history collections. My question is whether digital > representations of an object (images, CT scans, etc.) should be treated as > preparations of an object in a collections database similar to other > physical preparations or treated differently? For instance, in a fish > collection like mine, you have a lot that has a certain number of > specimens. Some of those may be subsequently cleared and stained or have > skeletons prepared. These are traditionally handled as preparations of the > original lot with the same catalog number (although in some collections > they are treated as separate catalog numbers). Now, however, you have > digital representations of those physical objects such as images, CT scans, > etc. Should these also be treated as preparations or be treated > differently - as digital products or linked as attachments to the physical > objects? To me, they are not physical objects but digital representations > of the original object. As such, they are somewhat different to a > preparation. This has implications when totaling traditional counts of > objects in a collection as well as when publishing data from a collection > to the aggregator community. In some instances, this may be governed by > the data model and business rules of the CMS you are using or by your > personal preference. > > > > I would be interested in hearing your views on this and how you handle > this in your collection as I am not sure there is any community consensus > as to which way to handle these. I have heard of both methods being used > in various collections. > > > > Thanks in advance > > > > Andy > > > > A : A : A : > > }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> > > V V V > > Andy Bentley > > Ichthyology Collection Manager > > University of Kansas > > Biodiversity Institute > > Dyche Hall > > 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard > > Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 > > USA > > > > Tel: (785) 864-3863 > > Fax: (785) 864-5335 > > Email: abentley at ku.edu > > http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu > > > > A : A : A : > > }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> > > V V V > > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From schindeld at si.edu Tue Aug 25 11:09:24 2020 From: schindeld at si.edu (Schindel, David) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2020 15:09:24 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi, Andy, We've had discussions about this in the Interagency Working Group on Scientific Collections (IWGSC; see usfsc.nal.usda.gov). If the digital representations of an object are not published, they would be archival material directly related to the specimen, and therefore part of the collection. They would be equivalent to field notes, locality maps, audio and video recordings, etc. lf they are submitted to a public database or other open access data repository (GenBank, CTBase, etc.) then these are publication events that can (and in a perfect world, would be) linked to the specimen record along with scholarly publications in which the specimen is cited. In both cases, a comprehensively curated system of specimen digitization would allow users to discover and navigate to all these assets. Best regards and stay well - David David E. Schindel, Research Associate Office of the Provost Smithsonian Institution Email: schindeld at si.edu ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of Bentley, Andrew Charles Sent: Monday, August 24, 2020 4:16 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them External Email - Exercise Caution Hi all I am trying to resolve a philosophical conundrum brought on by the ever-increasing mountain of digital data being produces from and associated with natural history collections. My question is whether digital representations of an object (images, CT scans, etc.) should be treated as preparations of an object in a collections database similar to other physical preparations or treated differently? For instance, in a fish collection like mine, you have a lot that has a certain number of specimens. Some of those may be subsequently cleared and stained or have skeletons prepared. These are traditionally handled as preparations of the original lot with the same catalog number (although in some collections they are treated as separate catalog numbers). Now, however, you have digital representations of those physical objects such as images, CT scans, etc. Should these also be treated as preparations or be treated differently - as digital products or linked as attachments to the physical objects? To me, they are not physical objects but digital representations of the original object. As such, they are somewhat different to a preparation. This has implications when totaling traditional counts of objects in a collection as well as when publishing data from a collection to the aggregator community. In some instances, this may be governed by the data model and business rules of the CMS you are using or by your personal preference. I would be interested in hearing your views on this and how you handle this in your collection as I am not sure there is any community consensus as to which way to handle these. I have heard of both methods being used in various collections. Thanks in advance Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From james.macklin at canada.ca Tue Aug 25 11:51:13 2020 From: james.macklin at canada.ca (Macklin, James (AAFC/AAC)) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2020 15:51:13 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] EDNA samples In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1c470449-b5a6-4924-97a9-92db05dabc94@CO1NAM05FT060.eop-nam05.prod.protection.outlook.com> This is an important topic indeed! Last year my colleague Matt Ryan (from CABI) and I were planning to lead a symposium on the impact of biodiversity-based microbiome research on the natural science collection community at the SPNHC/ICOM conference. The title was: ?Appreciating the little things in life: Molecular technologies driving new methodologies in specimen preservation and management?. Due to the ?live and in person? conference being cancelled, we decided to postpone our symposium until next year. Now, I have just seen the call for symposia for next year?s SPNHC conference with AIC so Matt and I will discuss submitting this symposium again. It would be great to bring your use cases forward as part of this :) For your interest, Matt and I, along with colleagues from around the globe have just published an overview paper on microbiomes and biobanking. This may appear to be a little tangential to our traditional preservation subjects and techniques but as you have pointed out, cannot be ignored by our community. Food for thought? Development of Microbiome Biobanks ? Challenges and Opportunities https://www.cell.com/trends/microbiology/fulltext/S0966-842X(20)30188-8 Best, James James Macklin, Ph.D. Research Scientist: Botany and Biodiversity Informatics William Saunders Building #49 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 960 Carling Avenue Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0C6 From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Watkins-Colwell, Gregory Sent: Monday, August 24, 2020 1:50 PM To: Mandy Reid ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] EDNA samples Ironically, this topic was recently brought up at the ASIH Ichthyology and Herpetology Collections Committee meeting. In short: yes? various institutions have been approached to house such things and there seems legitimately good reasons to house such samples in a natural history collection. Some of the tricks are basically artifacts of how museums ?normally? do things. That is, we normally store things pre-sorted and identified and tagged by taxon and locality and cataloged into the appropriate taxonomic division. In this case, most of that is unknown and the data we have are primarily locality and time, without taxon initially. Eventually somebody can say what taxa are in that sample, but until then it is basically a tube of water, or scat or dirt, etc. SO how then is it cataloged and in which division? In fact, even after we know what?s in the sample, how do we store it? Do we try to isolate each DNA fragment by taxon (NO!!!!)? does the tube get cataloged by every applicable division? Does the sample get subdivided so that each division has a subsample of the same thing? So many of the conversations are about details like that. There are also some really fun practical issues such as, how do you import/export it? Is it claimed as wildlife or just as water? What happens when the water ?becomes? wildlife (i.e. you import water and export crocodile DNA that was in the water all along)? does that impact any import/export regulations, etc. Will wildlife agents assume you falsified the initial report? In terms of regulatory compliance, would some agencies say that a researcher need a CITES export permit for water if it later turns out that it included DNA from elephants or freshwater dolphins or whatever? Greg **************** Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell Sr. Collection Manager, Herpetology and Ichthyology Division of Vertebrate Zoology Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History Main Office: 203-432-3791; West Campus: 203-737-7568; Fax 203-432-9277 Package shipping address: Greg Watkins-Colwell Division of Vertebrate Zoology Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History 170?210 Whitney Avenue New Haven, CT 06511 USA 203-432-3791 ****************** From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Mandy Reid Sent: Sunday, August 23, 2020 9:29 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] EDNA samples I am wondering whether any museums are accepting EDNA (Environmental DNA) samples, such as water samples, animal scats etc., or whether you have been approached regarding storing such samples in museum collections? Is this something that we should consider? It would be excellent if anyone is interested in a discussion around this as it is something Collections staff at the Australian Museum in Sydney have been approached about. Cheers Mandy Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land on which the Australian Museum stands. [https://media.australianmuseum.net.au/media/dd/images/600x140px_EmailSignatures_ProjectDiscover_2v4.b.d0cdf0f.jpg] The Australian Museum email disclaimer The views in this email are those of the user and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Museum. The information contained in this email message and any accompanying files is or may be confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, reliance, forwarding, printing or copying of this email or any attached files is unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender. The Australian Museum does not guarantee the accuracy of any information contained in this e-mail or attached files. As Internet communications are not secure, the Australian Museum does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message or attached files. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 6827 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From PALMERL at si.edu Tue Aug 25 14:26:45 2020 From: PALMERL at si.edu (Palmer, Lisa) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2020 18:26:45 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] FW: Hurricane Laura #1 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: fyi From: Foley, Lori Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2020 2:23 PM Subject: Hurricane Laura #1 External Email - Exercise Caution Dear HENTF members, Hurricane Laura poses a serious threat to Texas and Louisiana. Storm surge, wind, and rainfall hazards will extend well away from Laura's center along the Gulf Coast. Please reach out to your members and constituents to encourage them to complete actions to protect life and property today. Preparedness tips are uploaded to the HENTF dashboard, https://fema.connectsolutions.com/hentf/, along with key messages and graphics from the National Hurricane Center. [A close up of a map Description automatically generated] According to the National Hurricane Center: * Laura is forecast to reach the northwestern Gulf Coast at or near major hurricane intensity Wednesday night. * Hurricane conditions are expected by Wednesday evening in the area from San Luis Pass, Texas, to west of Morgan City, Louisiana, and a Hurricane Warning is in effect. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in the warning area Wednesday afternoon. * For more key messages and graphics and to monitor Hurricane Laura, go to https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/#Laura. Thank you, Lori Lori Foley Coordinator | Heritage Emergency National Task Force Office of Environmental Planning & Historic Preservation Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration Mobile: (202) 826-6303 lori.foley at fema.dhs.gov culturalrescue.si.edu/hentf Federal Emergency Management Agency fema.gov [cid:image002.jpg at 01D67AEB.C1497B90] [cid:image003.jpg at 01D67AEB.C1497B90] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 75379 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4087 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2471 bytes Desc: image003.jpg URL: From zrandall at flmnh.ufl.edu Tue Aug 25 16:21:21 2020 From: zrandall at flmnh.ufl.edu (Randall, Zachary) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2020 20:21:21 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Andy, This is a great topic. We produce a large amount of 2D images (live and preserved) and CT data for our fish collection here at UF. We treat these data as prep types for a collection object. A major reason for this approach and not separating lots is to conserve collection space. Given the rate that we are imaging our specimens, we wouldn't be able to also support our future growth of newly acquired collections. Additionally, we see the value of having image data as prep types so that the collection object can be the one stop for all "metadata" including from other individuals from the same lot. For example, although we try to CT scan individuals from tissued lots to increase data value, we usually don't scan the individuals that were tissued because it would be a loss in morphological data captured (e.g. missing fins, epaxial tissue, etc.). One catalog number to rule them all. Guess we're a bunch of lumpers at heart. Our system for tracking down the imaged individual in a lot is still being improved (luckily we rarely get those types of requests). When possible, we image lots with only one individual. If we image lots with several individuals, then we wrap that individual with cheese cloth and/or include tag(s). Adding these media as prep types in Specify allows us to query the number of multimedia that we have, similarly to tissues. This number only include files existing in Specify, since derivatives and raw data are a whole other can of worms. Best, Zach -- Zachary S. Randall Biological Scientist & Imaging Lab Manager Florida Museum of Natural History 1659 Museum Road Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 352-273-1958|Rm. 277 www.zacharyrandall.org Twitter: @Zach__Randall From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Schindel, David Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2020 11:09 AM To: Bentley, Andrew Charles ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them [External Email] Hi, Andy, We've had discussions about this in the Interagency Working Group on Scientific Collections (IWGSC; see usfsc.nal.usda.gov). If the digital representations of an object are not published, they would be archival material directly related to the specimen, and therefore part of the collection. They would be equivalent to field notes, locality maps, audio and video recordings, etc. lf they are submitted to a public database or other open access data repository (GenBank, CTBase, etc.) then these are publication events that can (and in a perfect world, would be) linked to the specimen record along with scholarly publications in which the specimen is cited. In both cases, a comprehensively curated system of specimen digitization would allow users to discover and navigate to all these assets. Best regards and stay well - David David E. Schindel, Research Associate Office of the Provost Smithsonian Institution Email: schindeld at si.edu ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Bentley, Andrew Charles > Sent: Monday, August 24, 2020 4:16 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them External Email - Exercise Caution Hi all I am trying to resolve a philosophical conundrum brought on by the ever-increasing mountain of digital data being produces from and associated with natural history collections. My question is whether digital representations of an object (images, CT scans, etc.) should be treated as preparations of an object in a collections database similar to other physical preparations or treated differently? For instance, in a fish collection like mine, you have a lot that has a certain number of specimens. Some of those may be subsequently cleared and stained or have skeletons prepared. These are traditionally handled as preparations of the original lot with the same catalog number (although in some collections they are treated as separate catalog numbers). Now, however, you have digital representations of those physical objects such as images, CT scans, etc. Should these also be treated as preparations or be treated differently - as digital products or linked as attachments to the physical objects? To me, they are not physical objects but digital representations of the original object. As such, they are somewhat different to a preparation. This has implications when totaling traditional counts of objects in a collection as well as when publishing data from a collection to the aggregator community. In some instances, this may be governed by the data model and business rules of the CMS you are using or by your personal preference. I would be interested in hearing your views on this and how you handle this in your collection as I am not sure there is any community consensus as to which way to handle these. I have heard of both methods being used in various collections. Thanks in advance Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From abentley at ku.edu Tue Aug 25 17:30:05 2020 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2020 21:30:05 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <88417CA0-894F-49A4-A483-F40C5DD31D8A@ku.edu> Zach Thanks for this articulation of your process. With regard to the issues you raise (which are similar to issues raised in other replies I have received): 1. Space ? not sure this is a valid reason for using preps given that there are other mechanisms of tagging individuals in a lot rather than separating them out as you indicate ? wrapping in cheesecloth or tagging. Also, imaged individuals can usually be discerned simply by visual inspection of distinguishing characteristics ? fin damage, body shape, size, etc. 2. Searching - not sure this is a valid reason either given that it is just as easy to search a database for those records that have attachments as searching for preps. You could add metadata about the attachment that could facilitate searching for various kinds of attachments in the same manner. 3. Data integration ? These attachments are still published to the aggregators as associated with the occurrence record through extensions or otherwise, even though they are not preps. See this example from my collection where Genbank sequences, images and citations are all published as part of the record of this tissue - https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/656980275. CT scans would similarly be included as linkages to Morphosource. I am still stuck thinking that an image or a CT scan is simply a digital representation of a specimen and not a prep in the traditional sense but maybe I am thinking too narrowly. I have yet to see a compelling argument for preps. For instance, if you were to scan a publication or field notebook, would this represent a separate ?prep? of the publication or field note page or is it simply a digital representation of the same thing? Is the distinction that more information can be gleaned from a CT scan than can be gleaned from the specimen itself without dissection? Is that true of an image? What more information is available besides coloration from an image taken while alive or shortly after euthanizing? I am still worried by the possible confusion with collection stats and digital representations being counted as specimens. I am also worried about the process of publishing data to aggregators where currently digital media are published as part of an Audubon core extension and not as occurrences (which they would be as preps). Still mulling this over in my brain but it would be great if we had some community consensus as to how to treat these things ? which there currently is not given the replies I have been receiving. I will admit that some of my thinking is driven by the Specify data model that we use for our collections. I would be interested in hearing how other CMS?s deal with these or is it similarly all over the map. Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: "zrandall at flmnh.ufl.edu" Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2020 at 3:22 PM To: "SchindelD at si.edu" , Andrew Bentley , "nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" Subject: RE: Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them Hi Andy, This is a great topic. We produce a large amount of 2D images (live and preserved) and CT data for our fish collection here at UF. We treat these data as prep types for a collection object. A major reason for this approach and not separating lots is to conserve collection space. Given the rate that we are imaging our specimens, we wouldn?t be able to also support our future growth of newly acquired collections. Additionally, we see the value of having image data as prep types so that the collection object can be the one stop for all ?metadata? including from other individuals from the same lot. For example, although we try to CT scan individuals from tissued lots to increase data value, we usually don?t scan the individuals that were tissued because it would be a loss in morphological data captured (e.g. missing fins, epaxial tissue, etc.). One catalog number to rule them all. Guess we?re a bunch of lumpers at heart. Our system for tracking down the imaged individual in a lot is still being improved (luckily we rarely get those types of requests). When possible, we image lots with only one individual. If we image lots with several individuals, then we wrap that individual with cheese cloth and/or include tag(s). Adding these media as prep types in Specify allows us to query the number of multimedia that we have, similarly to tissues. This number only include files existing in Specify, since derivatives and raw data are a whole other can of worms. Best, Zach -- Zachary S. Randall Biological Scientist & Imaging Lab Manager Florida Museum of Natural History 1659 Museum Road Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 352-273-1958|Rm. 277 www.zacharyrandall.org Twitter: @Zach__Randall From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Schindel, David Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2020 11:09 AM To: Bentley, Andrew Charles ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them [External Email] Hi, Andy, We've had discussions about this in the Interagency Working Group on Scientific Collections (IWGSC; see usfsc.nal.usda.gov). If the digital representations of an object are not published, they would be archival material directly related to the specimen, and therefore part of the collection. They would be equivalent to field notes, locality maps, audio and video recordings, etc. lf they are submitted to a public database or other open access data repository (GenBank, CTBase, etc.) then these are publication events that can (and in a perfect world, would be) linked to the specimen record along with scholarly publications in which the specimen is cited. In both cases, a comprehensively curated system of specimen digitization would allow users to discover and navigate to all these assets. Best regards and stay well - David David E. Schindel, Research Associate Office of the Provost Smithsonian Institution Email: schindeld at si.edu ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Bentley, Andrew Charles > Sent: Monday, August 24, 2020 4:16 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them External Email - Exercise Caution Hi all I am trying to resolve a philosophical conundrum brought on by the ever-increasing mountain of digital data being produces from and associated with natural history collections. My question is whether digital representations of an object (images, CT scans, etc.) should be treated as preparations of an object in a collections database similar to other physical preparations or treated differently? For instance, in a fish collection like mine, you have a lot that has a certain number of specimens. Some of those may be subsequently cleared and stained or have skeletons prepared. These are traditionally handled as preparations of the original lot with the same catalog number (although in some collections they are treated as separate catalog numbers). Now, however, you have digital representations of those physical objects such as images, CT scans, etc. Should these also be treated as preparations or be treated differently - as digital products or linked as attachments to the physical objects? To me, they are not physical objects but digital representations of the original object. As such, they are somewhat different to a preparation. This has implications when totaling traditional counts of objects in a collection as well as when publishing data from a collection to the aggregator community. In some instances, this may be governed by the data model and business rules of the CMS you are using or by your personal preference. I would be interested in hearing your views on this and how you handle this in your collection as I am not sure there is any community consensus as to which way to handle these. I have heard of both methods being used in various collections. Thanks in advance Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pentcheff at gmail.com Tue Aug 25 19:02:49 2020 From: pentcheff at gmail.com (Dean Pentcheff) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2020 16:02:49 -0700 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them In-Reply-To: <88417CA0-894F-49A4-A483-F40C5DD31D8A@ku.edu> References: <88417CA0-894F-49A4-A483-F40C5DD31D8A@ku.edu> Message-ID: Speaking from a perspective coming from managing diverse marine invertebrates: we would consider any digital products as being derivatives (and hence "filed with" or linked to) the original specimen. Linking an image or a CT scan back to a specimen (to be precise: to a specimen record distinguished by a unique specimenID) would be treated just like linking a molecular sequencing extract back to a specimen record. The workflow that often goes with marine invertebrates has led us away from the "prep" concept (which seems to come naturally for vertebrate collections where there are a roughly fixed number of kinds of preps for specimens) to a parent/child concept. A "specimen" can be an unsorted lot (multi-phyletic), or a jar of individuals assumed to be the same species, or one critter in a jar. The moment an individual (or sub-lot) is removed or distinguished in some way, it gets a new specimenID that is linked as a "child" of the "parent" specimen record. That process can continue (all the worms from an unsorted lot could be given their own specimenID as a lot, and then individuals pulled from the worm jar could each get their own specimenID when they're isolated for sequencing). The idea is that anything you will want to refer to individually later (in a publication, etc.) should get its own specimenID. Now, having said that, and thinking about images, CT scans, and molecular extracts, I hypothesize that I think about those in a way very similar to the way vertebrate people think about "preps". An image never gets its own specimenID, but always points to a specimenID (yes, there's an imageID for the image record, but that's just the identifier for the image record and does not pretend to be anything else). The same is true for molecular extracts, and would be for CT scans if we had any. Each of those derived products (images, extracts, CT scans) would probably get its own table in a database, since there are properties unique to it that are irrelevant to the others. But they exist as derivatives of the specimen identified by its specimenID (and use that specimenID to maintain the linkage). It seems to me that this is analogous to the "prep" idea, which has a defined set of physical derivatives that can come from a specimen, each one of which may have its own properties. Some of these derivatives (images, CT scans) are electronic-only, and some are physical (molecular extract), but they're treated similarly as defined derivatives of specimens. A field we maintain in the specimen table is "specimen exists (yes/no)". We have situations where there are derivative products but no physical specimen remains in the collection: when the specimen was consumed for molecular analysis, for example. But that same system would accommodate a situation where there never was a physical specimen, but there only ever was an image, for example. We're mostly specimen-based (not so much observation-based), so in practice almost all the situations like that existing in our case are situations where we started with a physical specimen. -Dean -- Dean Pentcheff pentcheff at gmail.com pentcheff at nhm.org https://research.nhm.org/disco On Tue, Aug 25, 2020 at 2:30 PM Bentley, Andrew Charles wrote: > Zach > > > > Thanks for this articulation of your process. With regard to the issues > you raise (which are similar to issues raised in other replies I have > received): > > > > 1. Space ? not sure this is a valid reason for using preps given that > there are other mechanisms of tagging individuals in a lot rather than > separating them out as you indicate ? wrapping in cheesecloth or tagging. > Also, imaged individuals can usually be discerned simply by visual > inspection of distinguishing characteristics ? fin damage, body shape, > size, etc. > 2. Searching - not sure this is a valid reason either given that it is > just as easy to search a database for those records that have attachments > as searching for preps. You could add metadata about the attachment that > could facilitate searching for various kinds of attachments in the same > manner. > 3. Data integration ? These attachments are still published to the > aggregators as associated with the occurrence record through extensions or > otherwise, even though they are not preps. See this example from my > collection where Genbank sequences, images and citations are all published > as part of the record of this tissue - > https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/656980275. CT scans would similarly > be included as linkages to Morphosource. > > > > I am still stuck thinking that an image or a CT scan is simply a digital > representation of a specimen and not a prep in the traditional sense but > maybe I am thinking too narrowly. I have yet to see a compelling argument > for preps. For instance, if you were to scan a publication or field > notebook, would this represent a separate ?prep? of the publication or > field note page or is it simply a digital representation of the same > thing? Is the distinction that more information can be gleaned from a CT > scan than can be gleaned from the specimen itself without dissection? Is > that true of an image? What more information is available besides > coloration from an image taken while alive or shortly after euthanizing? I > am still worried by the possible confusion with collection stats and > digital representations being counted as specimens. I am also worried > about the process of publishing data to aggregators where currently digital > media are published as part of an Audubon core extension and not as > occurrences (which they would be as preps). > > > > Still mulling this over in my brain but it would be great if we had some > community consensus as to how to treat these things ? which there currently > is not given the replies I have been receiving. I will admit that some of > my thinking is driven by the Specify data model that we use for our > collections. I would be interested in hearing how other CMS?s deal with > these or is it similarly all over the map. > > > > Andy > > > > A : A : A : > > }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> > > V V V > > Andy Bentley > > Ichthyology Collection Manager > > University of Kansas > > Biodiversity Institute > > Dyche Hall > > 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard > > Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 > > USA > > > > Tel: (785) 864-3863 > > Fax: (785) 864-5335 > > Email: abentley at ku.edu > > http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu > > > > A : A : A : > > }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> > > V V V > > > > > > *From: *"zrandall at flmnh.ufl.edu" > *Date: *Tuesday, August 25, 2020 at 3:22 PM > *To: *"SchindelD at si.edu" , Andrew Bentley < > abentley at ku.edu>, "nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" > *Subject: *RE: Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection > management databases and how to manage them > > > > Hi Andy, > > > > This is a great topic. We produce a large amount of 2D images (live and > preserved) and CT data for our fish collection here at UF. We treat these > data as prep types for a collection object. A major reason for this > approach and not separating lots is to conserve collection space. Given the > rate that we are imaging our specimens, we wouldn?t be able to also support > our future growth of newly acquired collections. Additionally, we see the > value of having image data as prep types so that the collection object can > be the one stop for all ?metadata? including from other individuals from > the same lot. For example, although we try to CT scan individuals from > tissued lots to increase data value, we usually don?t scan the individuals > that were tissued because it would be a loss in morphological data captured > (e.g. missing fins, epaxial tissue, etc.). One catalog number to rule them > all. Guess we?re a bunch of lumpers at heart. > > > > Our system for tracking down the imaged individual in a lot is still being > improved (luckily we rarely get those types of requests). When possible, we > image lots with only one individual. If we image lots with several > individuals, then we wrap that individual with cheese cloth and/or include > tag(s). > > > > Adding these media as prep types in Specify allows us to query the number > of multimedia that we have, similarly to tissues. This number only include > files existing in Specify, since derivatives and raw data are a whole other > can of worms. > > > > > > Best, > > Zach > > -- > > Zachary S. Randall > > Biological Scientist & Imaging Lab Manager > > Florida Museum of Natural History > > 1659 Museum Road > > Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 > > 352-273-1958|Rm. 277 > > > > www.zacharyrandall.org > > Twitter: @Zach__Randall > > > > > > > > *From:* Nhcoll-l * On Behalf Of *Schindel, > David > *Sent:* Tuesday, August 25, 2020 11:09 AM > *To:* Bentley, Andrew Charles ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > *Subject:* Re: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in > collection management databases and how to manage them > > > > *[External Email]* > > Hi, Andy, > > > > We've had discussions about this in the Interagency Working Group on > Scientific Collections (IWGSC; see usfsc.nal.usda.gov). If the digital > representations of an object are not published, they would be archival > material directly related to the specimen, and therefore part of the > collection. They would be equivalent to field notes, locality maps, audio > and video recordings, etc. lf they are submitted to a public database or > other open access data repository (GenBank, CTBase, etc.) then these are > publication events that can (and in a perfect world, would be) linked to > the specimen record along with scholarly publications in which the specimen > is cited. > > > > In both cases, a comprehensively curated system of specimen digitization > would allow users to discover and navigate to all these assets. > > > > Best regards and stay well - > > > > David > > > > David E. Schindel, Research Associate > > Office of the Provost > > Smithsonian Institution > > Email: schindeld at si.edu > > > ------------------------------ > > *From:* Nhcoll-l on behalf of > Bentley, Andrew Charles > *Sent:* Monday, August 24, 2020 4:16 PM > *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > *Subject:* [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection > management databases and how to manage them > > > > *External Email - Exercise Caution* > > Hi all > > > > I am trying to resolve a philosophical conundrum brought on by the > ever-increasing mountain of digital data being produces from and associated > with natural history collections. My question is whether digital > representations of an object (images, CT scans, etc.) should be treated as > preparations of an object in a collections database similar to other > physical preparations or treated differently? For instance, in a fish > collection like mine, you have a lot that has a certain number of > specimens. Some of those may be subsequently cleared and stained or have > skeletons prepared. These are traditionally handled as preparations of the > original lot with the same catalog number (although in some collections > they are treated as separate catalog numbers). Now, however, you have > digital representations of those physical objects such as images, CT scans, > etc. Should these also be treated as preparations or be treated > differently - as digital products or linked as attachments to the physical > objects? To me, they are not physical objects but digital representations > of the original object. As such, they are somewhat different to a > preparation. This has implications when totaling traditional counts of > objects in a collection as well as when publishing data from a collection > to the aggregator community. In some instances, this may be governed by > the data model and business rules of the CMS you are using or by your > personal preference. > > > > I would be interested in hearing your views on this and how you handle > this in your collection as I am not sure there is any community consensus > as to which way to handle these. I have heard of both methods being used > in various collections. > > > > Thanks in advance > > > > Andy > > > > A : A : A : > > }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> > > V V V > > Andy Bentley > > Ichthyology Collection Manager > > University of Kansas > > Biodiversity Institute > > Dyche Hall > > 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard > > Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 > > USA > > > > Tel: (785) 864-3863 > > Fax: (785) 864-5335 > > Email: abentley at ku.edu > > http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu > > > > > A : A : A : > > }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> > > V V V > > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Sadie.Mills at niwa.co.nz Tue Aug 25 20:30:51 2020 From: Sadie.Mills at niwa.co.nz (Sadie Mills) Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2020 00:30:51 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them In-Reply-To: References: <88417CA0-894F-49A4-A483-F40C5DD31D8A@ku.edu> Message-ID: Here at the NIWA Invertebrate Collection in our Specify database we have the specimen images as attributes of our collection object. We store the image files in our NIWA-wide image management database (An Atlas database), which creates a unique asset ID for the image that can be shared via a public link. We copy these Atlas asset IDs for each associated image into individual ?specimen image? fields in the ?Collection Object Attribute? table. These fields are link fields that are programmed to go to our Atlas image database public link. So we can have multiple asset IDs per collection object. We also have a yes/no tickbox labelled as ?Photo? on the ?preparation? table so that we can use that to flag if we have a photo of that particular preparation. Usually we would register a separate lot as the photo voucher, but we don?t always do this if the individual is pretty distinct looking in the group of multiple specimens. Cheers, Sadie From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Dean Pentcheff Sent: Wednesday, 26 August 2020 11:03 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them Speaking from a perspective coming from managing diverse marine invertebrates: we would consider any digital products as being derivatives (and hence "filed with" or linked to) the original specimen. Linking an image or a CT scan back to a specimen (to be precise: to a specimen record distinguished by a unique specimenID) would be treated just like linking a molecular sequencing extract back to a specimen record. The workflow that often goes with marine invertebrates has led us away from the "prep" concept (which seems to come naturally for vertebrate collections where there are a roughly fixed number of kinds of preps for specimens) to a parent/child concept. A "specimen" can be an unsorted lot (multi-phyletic), or a jar of individuals assumed to be the same species, or one critter in a jar. The moment an individual (or sub-lot) is removed or distinguished in some way, it gets a new specimenID that is linked as a "child" of the "parent" specimen record. That process can continue (all the worms from an unsorted lot could be given their own specimenID as a lot, and then individuals pulled from the worm jar could each get their own specimenID when they're isolated for sequencing). The idea is that anything you will want to refer to individually later (in a publication, etc.) should get its own specimenID. Now, having said that, and thinking about images, CT scans, and molecular extracts, I hypothesize that I think about those in a way very similar to the way vertebrate people think about "preps". An image never gets its own specimenID, but always points to a specimenID (yes, there's an imageID for the image record, but that's just the identifier for the image record and does not pretend to be anything else). The same is true for molecular extracts, and would be for CT scans if we had any. Each of those derived products (images, extracts, CT scans) would probably get its own table in a database, since there are properties unique to it that are irrelevant to the others. But they exist as derivatives of the specimen identified by its specimenID (and use that specimenID to maintain the linkage). It seems to me that this is analogous to the "prep" idea, which has a defined set of physical derivatives that can come from a specimen, each one of which may have its own properties. Some of these derivatives (images, CT scans) are electronic-only, and some are physical (molecular extract), but they're treated similarly as defined derivatives of specimens. A field we maintain in the specimen table is "specimen exists (yes/no)". We have situations where there are derivative products but no physical specimen remains in the collection: when the specimen was consumed for molecular analysis, for example. But that same system would accommodate a situation where there never was a physical specimen, but there only ever was an image, for example. We're mostly specimen-based (not so much observation-based), so in practice almost all the situations like that existing in our case are situations where we started with a physical specimen. -Dean -- Dean Pentcheff pentcheff at gmail.com pentcheff at nhm.org https://research.nhm.org/disco [http://research.nhm.org/images/DISCO_lockup_4color-300.png] On Tue, Aug 25, 2020 at 2:30 PM Bentley, Andrew Charles > wrote: Zach Thanks for this articulation of your process. With regard to the issues you raise (which are similar to issues raised in other replies I have received): 1. Space ? not sure this is a valid reason for using preps given that there are other mechanisms of tagging individuals in a lot rather than separating them out as you indicate ? wrapping in cheesecloth or tagging. Also, imaged individuals can usually be discerned simply by visual inspection of distinguishing characteristics ? fin damage, body shape, size, etc. 2. Searching - not sure this is a valid reason either given that it is just as easy to search a database for those records that have attachments as searching for preps. You could add metadata about the attachment that could facilitate searching for various kinds of attachments in the same manner. 3. Data integration ? These attachments are still published to the aggregators as associated with the occurrence record through extensions or otherwise, even though they are not preps. See this example from my collection where Genbank sequences, images and citations are all published as part of the record of this tissue - https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/656980275. CT scans would similarly be included as linkages to Morphosource. I am still stuck thinking that an image or a CT scan is simply a digital representation of a specimen and not a prep in the traditional sense but maybe I am thinking too narrowly. I have yet to see a compelling argument for preps. For instance, if you were to scan a publication or field notebook, would this represent a separate ?prep? of the publication or field note page or is it simply a digital representation of the same thing? Is the distinction that more information can be gleaned from a CT scan than can be gleaned from the specimen itself without dissection? Is that true of an image? What more information is available besides coloration from an image taken while alive or shortly after euthanizing? I am still worried by the possible confusion with collection stats and digital representations being counted as specimens. I am also worried about the process of publishing data to aggregators where currently digital media are published as part of an Audubon core extension and not as occurrences (which they would be as preps). Still mulling this over in my brain but it would be great if we had some community consensus as to how to treat these things ? which there currently is not given the replies I have been receiving. I will admit that some of my thinking is driven by the Specify data model that we use for our collections. I would be interested in hearing how other CMS?s deal with these or is it similarly all over the map. Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: "zrandall at flmnh.ufl.edu" > Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2020 at 3:22 PM To: "SchindelD at si.edu" >, Andrew Bentley >, "nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" > Subject: RE: Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them Hi Andy, This is a great topic. We produce a large amount of 2D images (live and preserved) and CT data for our fish collection here at UF. We treat these data as prep types for a collection object. A major reason for this approach and not separating lots is to conserve collection space. Given the rate that we are imaging our specimens, we wouldn?t be able to also support our future growth of newly acquired collections. Additionally, we see the value of having image data as prep types so that the collection object can be the one stop for all ?metadata? including from other individuals from the same lot. For example, although we try to CT scan individuals from tissued lots to increase data value, we usually don?t scan the individuals that were tissued because it would be a loss in morphological data captured (e.g. missing fins, epaxial tissue, etc.). One catalog number to rule them all. Guess we?re a bunch of lumpers at heart. Our system for tracking down the imaged individual in a lot is still being improved (luckily we rarely get those types of requests). When possible, we image lots with only one individual. If we image lots with several individuals, then we wrap that individual with cheese cloth and/or include tag(s). Adding these media as prep types in Specify allows us to query the number of multimedia that we have, similarly to tissues. This number only include files existing in Specify, since derivatives and raw data are a whole other can of worms. Best, Zach -- Zachary S. Randall Biological Scientist & Imaging Lab Manager Florida Museum of Natural History 1659 Museum Road Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 352-273-1958|Rm. 277 www.zacharyrandall.org Twitter: @Zach__Randall From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Schindel, David Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2020 11:09 AM To: Bentley, Andrew Charles >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them [External Email] Hi, Andy, We've had discussions about this in the Interagency Working Group on Scientific Collections (IWGSC; see usfsc.nal.usda.gov). If the digital representations of an object are not published, they would be archival material directly related to the specimen, and therefore part of the collection. They would be equivalent to field notes, locality maps, audio and video recordings, etc. lf they are submitted to a public database or other open access data repository (GenBank, CTBase, etc.) then these are publication events that can (and in a perfect world, would be) linked to the specimen record along with scholarly publications in which the specimen is cited. In both cases, a comprehensively curated system of specimen digitization would allow users to discover and navigate to all these assets. Best regards and stay well - David David E. Schindel, Research Associate Office of the Provost Smithsonian Institution Email: schindeld at si.edu ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Bentley, Andrew Charles > Sent: Monday, August 24, 2020 4:16 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them External Email - Exercise Caution Hi all I am trying to resolve a philosophical conundrum brought on by the ever-increasing mountain of digital data being produces from and associated with natural history collections. My question is whether digital representations of an object (images, CT scans, etc.) should be treated as preparations of an object in a collections database similar to other physical preparations or treated differently? For instance, in a fish collection like mine, you have a lot that has a certain number of specimens. Some of those may be subsequently cleared and stained or have skeletons prepared. These are traditionally handled as preparations of the original lot with the same catalog number (although in some collections they are treated as separate catalog numbers). Now, however, you have digital representations of those physical objects such as images, CT scans, etc. Should these also be treated as preparations or be treated differently - as digital products or linked as attachments to the physical objects? To me, they are not physical objects but digital representations of the original object. As such, they are somewhat different to a preparation. This has implications when totaling traditional counts of objects in a collection as well as when publishing data from a collection to the aggregator community. In some instances, this may be governed by the data model and business rules of the CMS you are using or by your personal preference. I would be interested in hearing your views on this and how you handle this in your collection as I am not sure there is any community consensus as to which way to handle these. I have heard of both methods being used in various collections. Thanks in advance Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. [https://www.niwa.co.nz/static/niwa-2018-horizontal-180.png] Sadie Mills Principal Technician - Marine Biology Group Manager - Collections Curation +64-4-386-0464 | +64-27-447-2343 National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA) 301 Evans Bay Parade Hataitai Wellington New Zealand Connect with NIWA: niwa.co.nz Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Instagram To ensure compliance with legal requirements and to maintain cyber security standards, NIWA's IT systems are subject to ongoing monitoring, activity logging and auditing. This monitoring and auditing service may be provided by third parties. Such third parties can access information transmitted to, processed by and stored on NIWA's IT systems -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From zrandall at flmnh.ufl.edu Wed Aug 26 15:49:41 2020 From: zrandall at flmnh.ufl.edu (Randall, Zachary) Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2020 19:49:41 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them In-Reply-To: References: <88417CA0-894F-49A4-A483-F40C5DD31D8A@ku.edu> , Message-ID: I should clarify that our 2D image data (photographs) are added as prep types as well as collection object attachments. Our CT data is currently only added as prep types since it?s all freely accessible on MorphoSource (MS). We have the RSS feed from MS integrated with our collection IPT making the scans discoverable to aggregators. However, currently we don?t have a link yet between MS and our collection database. If you currently search our online database the only way you?ll know we have CT data is because it?s listed as a prep type. We intend to also include a collection object attachment for CT and is something we are currently working on. For the attachment we want to avoid hosting duplicated data that is already on MS, while at the same time identifying our institution as being the home repository for the raw CT data. In the end we try to use a combination of prep type and collection object attachment as a means to make the data discoverable. We are definitely looking forward to future methods on how to support and convey this digital media. Also, I?m interested to know how other institutions have tied data hosted on MS into their local database. Please email me if you'd like to share your methods (since it's a different thread topic). Here is an example of one of our collection records on iDigBio that has a 2D image and CT data: https://www.idigbio.org/portal/records/1dfa5b41-bf10-414a-925b-9dad7b2e8958 Same record on our online-database: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ (catalog number 160521) Best, Zach -- Zachary S. Randall Biological Scientist & Imaging Lab Manager Florida Museum of Natural History 1659 Museum Road Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 352-273-1958|Rm. 277 www.zacharyrandall.org Twitter: @Zach__Randall ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of Sadie Mills Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2020 8:30 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them [External Email] Here at the NIWA Invertebrate Collection in our Specify database we have the specimen images as attributes of our collection object. We store the image files in our NIWA-wide image management database (An Atlas database), which creates a unique asset ID for the image that can be shared via a public link. We copy these Atlas asset IDs for each associated image into individual ?specimen image? fields in the ?Collection Object Attribute? table. These fields are link fields that are programmed to go to our Atlas image database public link. So we can have multiple asset IDs per collection object. We also have a yes/no tickbox labelled as ?Photo? on the ?preparation? table so that we can use that to flag if we have a photo of that particular preparation. Usually we would register a separate lot as the photo voucher, but we don?t always do this if the individual is pretty distinct looking in the group of multiple specimens. Cheers, Sadie From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Dean Pentcheff Sent: Wednesday, 26 August 2020 11:03 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them Speaking from a perspective coming from managing diverse marine invertebrates: we would consider any digital products as being derivatives (and hence "filed with" or linked to) the original specimen. Linking an image or a CT scan back to a specimen (to be precise: to a specimen record distinguished by a unique specimenID) would be treated just like linking a molecular sequencing extract back to a specimen record. The workflow that often goes with marine invertebrates has led us away from the "prep" concept (which seems to come naturally for vertebrate collections where there are a roughly fixed number of kinds of preps for specimens) to a parent/child concept. A "specimen" can be an unsorted lot (multi-phyletic), or a jar of individuals assumed to be the same species, or one critter in a jar. The moment an individual (or sub-lot) is removed or distinguished in some way, it gets a new specimenID that is linked as a "child" of the "parent" specimen record. That process can continue (all the worms from an unsorted lot could be given their own specimenID as a lot, and then individuals pulled from the worm jar could each get their own specimenID when they're isolated for sequencing). The idea is that anything you will want to refer to individually later (in a publication, etc.) should get its own specimenID. Now, having said that, and thinking about images, CT scans, and molecular extracts, I hypothesize that I think about those in a way very similar to the way vertebrate people think about "preps". An image never gets its own specimenID, but always points to a specimenID (yes, there's an imageID for the image record, but that's just the identifier for the image record and does not pretend to be anything else). The same is true for molecular extracts, and would be for CT scans if we had any. Each of those derived products (images, extracts, CT scans) would probably get its own table in a database, since there are properties unique to it that are irrelevant to the others. But they exist as derivatives of the specimen identified by its specimenID (and use that specimenID to maintain the linkage). It seems to me that this is analogous to the "prep" idea, which has a defined set of physical derivatives that can come from a specimen, each one of which may have its own properties. Some of these derivatives (images, CT scans) are electronic-only, and some are physical (molecular extract), but they're treated similarly as defined derivatives of specimens. A field we maintain in the specimen table is "specimen exists (yes/no)". We have situations where there are derivative products but no physical specimen remains in the collection: when the specimen was consumed for molecular analysis, for example. But that same system would accommodate a situation where there never was a physical specimen, but there only ever was an image, for example. We're mostly specimen-based (not so much observation-based), so in practice almost all the situations like that existing in our case are situations where we started with a physical specimen. -Dean -- Dean Pentcheff pentcheff at gmail.com pentcheff at nhm.org https://research.nhm.org/disco [http://research.nhm.org/images/DISCO_lockup_4color-300.png] On Tue, Aug 25, 2020 at 2:30 PM Bentley, Andrew Charles > wrote: Zach Thanks for this articulation of your process. With regard to the issues you raise (which are similar to issues raised in other replies I have received): 1. Space ? not sure this is a valid reason for using preps given that there are other mechanisms of tagging individuals in a lot rather than separating them out as you indicate ? wrapping in cheesecloth or tagging. Also, imaged individuals can usually be discerned simply by visual inspection of distinguishing characteristics ? fin damage, body shape, size, etc. 2. Searching - not sure this is a valid reason either given that it is just as easy to search a database for those records that have attachments as searching for preps. You could add metadata about the attachment that could facilitate searching for various kinds of attachments in the same manner. 3. Data integration ? These attachments are still published to the aggregators as associated with the occurrence record through extensions or otherwise, even though they are not preps. See this example from my collection where Genbank sequences, images and citations are all published as part of the record of this tissue - https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/656980275. CT scans would similarly be included as linkages to Morphosource. I am still stuck thinking that an image or a CT scan is simply a digital representation of a specimen and not a prep in the traditional sense but maybe I am thinking too narrowly. I have yet to see a compelling argument for preps. For instance, if you were to scan a publication or field notebook, would this represent a separate ?prep? of the publication or field note page or is it simply a digital representation of the same thing? Is the distinction that more information can be gleaned from a CT scan than can be gleaned from the specimen itself without dissection? Is that true of an image? What more information is available besides coloration from an image taken while alive or shortly after euthanizing? I am still worried by the possible confusion with collection stats and digital representations being counted as specimens. I am also worried about the process of publishing data to aggregators where currently digital media are published as part of an Audubon core extension and not as occurrences (which they would be as preps). Still mulling this over in my brain but it would be great if we had some community consensus as to how to treat these things ? which there currently is not given the replies I have been receiving. I will admit that some of my thinking is driven by the Specify data model that we use for our collections. I would be interested in hearing how other CMS?s deal with these or is it similarly all over the map. Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: "zrandall at flmnh.ufl.edu" > Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2020 at 3:22 PM To: "SchindelD at si.edu" >, Andrew Bentley >, "nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" > Subject: RE: Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them Hi Andy, This is a great topic. We produce a large amount of 2D images (live and preserved) and CT data for our fish collection here at UF. We treat these data as prep types for a collection object. A major reason for this approach and not separating lots is to conserve collection space. Given the rate that we are imaging our specimens, we wouldn?t be able to also support our future growth of newly acquired collections. Additionally, we see the value of having image data as prep types so that the collection object can be the one stop for all ?metadata? including from other individuals from the same lot. For example, although we try to CT scan individuals from tissued lots to increase data value, we usually don?t scan the individuals that were tissued because it would be a loss in morphological data captured (e.g. missing fins, epaxial tissue, etc.). One catalog number to rule them all. Guess we?re a bunch of lumpers at heart. Our system for tracking down the imaged individual in a lot is still being improved (luckily we rarely get those types of requests). When possible, we image lots with only one individual. If we image lots with several individuals, then we wrap that individual with cheese cloth and/or include tag(s). Adding these media as prep types in Specify allows us to query the number of multimedia that we have, similarly to tissues. This number only include files existing in Specify, since derivatives and raw data are a whole other can of worms. Best, Zach -- Zachary S. Randall Biological Scientist & Imaging Lab Manager Florida Museum of Natural History 1659 Museum Road Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 352-273-1958|Rm. 277 www.zacharyrandall.org Twitter: @Zach__Randall From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Schindel, David Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2020 11:09 AM To: Bentley, Andrew Charles >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them [External Email] Hi, Andy, We've had discussions about this in the Interagency Working Group on Scientific Collections (IWGSC; see usfsc.nal.usda.gov). If the digital representations of an object are not published, they would be archival material directly related to the specimen, and therefore part of the collection. They would be equivalent to field notes, locality maps, audio and video recordings, etc. lf they are submitted to a public database or other open access data repository (GenBank, CTBase, etc.) then these are publication events that can (and in a perfect world, would be) linked to the specimen record along with scholarly publications in which the specimen is cited. In both cases, a comprehensively curated system of specimen digitization would allow users to discover and navigate to all these assets. Best regards and stay well - David David E. Schindel, Research Associate Office of the Provost Smithsonian Institution Email: schindeld at si.edu ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Bentley, Andrew Charles > Sent: Monday, August 24, 2020 4:16 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Digital objects vs. physical objects in collection management databases and how to manage them External Email - Exercise Caution Hi all I am trying to resolve a philosophical conundrum brought on by the ever-increasing mountain of digital data being produces from and associated with natural history collections. My question is whether digital representations of an object (images, CT scans, etc.) should be treated as preparations of an object in a collections database similar to other physical preparations or treated differently? For instance, in a fish collection like mine, you have a lot that has a certain number of specimens. Some of those may be subsequently cleared and stained or have skeletons prepared. These are traditionally handled as preparations of the original lot with the same catalog number (although in some collections they are treated as separate catalog numbers). Now, however, you have digital representations of those physical objects such as images, CT scans, etc. Should these also be treated as preparations or be treated differently - as digital products or linked as attachments to the physical objects? To me, they are not physical objects but digital representations of the original object. As such, they are somewhat different to a preparation. This has implications when totaling traditional counts of objects in a collection as well as when publishing data from a collection to the aggregator community. In some instances, this may be governed by the data model and business rules of the CMS you are using or by your personal preference. I would be interested in hearing your views on this and how you handle this in your collection as I am not sure there is any community consensus as to which way to handle these. I have heard of both methods being used in various collections. Thanks in advance Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. [https://www.niwa.co.nz/static/niwa-2018-horizontal-180.png] Sadie Mills Principal Technician - Marine Biology Group Manager - Collections Curation +64-4-386-0464 | +64-27-447-2343 National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA) 301 Evans Bay Parade Hataitai Wellington New Zealand Connect with NIWA: niwa.co.nz Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Instagram To ensure compliance with legal requirements and to maintain cyber security standards, NIWA's IT systems are subject to ongoing monitoring, activity logging and auditing. This monitoring and auditing service may be provided by third parties. Such third parties can access information transmitted to, processed by and stored on NIWA's IT systems -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rinconrodriguezl at ufl.edu Thu Aug 27 11:31:43 2020 From: rinconrodriguezl at ufl.edu (Rincon Rodriguez,Laura) Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2020 15:31:43 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Collections Lit Club Message-ID: Hello everybody! Hola a todos! Thank you so much for participating in our Collections Lit Club launch day. I appreciate your support with my new initiative and we hope that you all enjoyed as well. I decided to move my blog into a collaborative community platform with WeAreMuseums. This is the link of our club: https://community.wearemuseums.com/groups/2945546?utm_source=manual Please feel free to join our Collections Lit Club circle and you will receive all the notifications for the upcoming meetups. Also, If you could not attend to the first meetup, the recording will be available on our circle . . If you did attend, please fill out the following survey to let us know how we can keep improving: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=-KBNDTFKdk2s5gpiMx4bhFKSNlC0P5tPorlBWK9ZE75UQzJHWlJaNjBLUFA0Q1I3RDRMSDFNRlZBSS4u We are eager to incorporate your comments and feedback to make our upcoming meetups even better! If you didn't participate but you would like to discuss a specific article, chapter, manifesto etc about collections. Please don't hesitate and feel free to reach me out. Thank you and keep an eye out for our next event! Best, Laura Rinc?n and John Simmons -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From PITASSYD at si.edu Thu Aug 27 12:12:23 2020 From: PITASSYD at si.edu (Pitassy, Diane) Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2020 16:12:23 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Smithsonian (NMNH), Division of Fishes seeks curation contractor Message-ID: National Museum of Natural History Division of Fishes Smithsonian Institution Request for Quote Curation and Digitization Services for Division of Fishes Larval Fish Collection The National Museum of Natural History Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Fishes is seeking a contractor to curate, digitize and install 10,000 non-inventoried larval fish lots into the National Fish Collection. The National Fish Collection currently has a comprehensive larval fish collection acquired from NOAA in vial storage in the Museum Support Center, Suitland, MD. Each individual vial represents a lot, which can include a single or multiple specimens of the same taxonomic identification that were collected on specific date at a given locality. Lots are stored in variety of small non-archival glass vials with failing closures that are susceptible to cracks, leading to fluid evaporation and specimen dehydration. Most of these vials are organized in cardboard boxes, and while a sizable percentage of the collection is identified to the family and or genus level, the collection is not inventoried, databased, or taxonomically organized. To make this collection accessible and known to the research community, the Division of Fishes is seeking a contractor to perform the following tasks (see statement of work (SOW) for details): 1) Verify physical condition and data quality of non-inventoried lots 2) Digitize all relevant data for each lot into the Division of Fishes database, EMu 3) Physically curate each fluid lot to archival storage standards 4) Install each lot into the National Fish Larval Collection storage area Desirable skills: * Experience with zoological museum collections * Experience handling fluid specimens * Familiarity with biological nomenclature or taxonomy * Experience with relational databases and/or museum databases * Ability to use Excel * Strong organizational and communication skills The contractor will be responsible for providing the labor to complete all these tasks. The Smithsonian will provide access to Smithsonian-owned computers for digital capture tasks, but should telework be required it is expected that the contractor will provide his/her own computer running the MS-Windows operating system and Microsoft Excel, must meet OCIO computer security standards if connecting remotely to NMNH network and will have an external or cloud storage to backup work . Training of contractors and quality control will be provided by the Division of Fishes collection management staff. All curation supplies, including archival label stock, vials, jars, ethanol, printers and network access will be provided by the Smithsonian. Smithsonian supplies and computers will be used for generating all labels. Due to COVID-19, the start date will be based upon the re-opening of the museum. Tentatively, the period of performance for this contract is scheduled to begin January 4, 2021. Work to be completed at the Museum Support Center, Suitland, MD (MSC) during standard Division of Fishes business hours (Monday - Friday, excluding federal holidays or emergency closures, between the hours of 8:30 AM and 6:00 PM). Telework will be considered on a case by case basis. The contractor will not receive paid holidays, vacations, sick days, travel time or other SI leave benefits. Proposals will be accepted until 5:00 PM EDT, Wednesday, September 30, 2020. Proposals will be reviewed on the basis of best value for the money. Send proposals to Diane Pitassy via e-mail at pitassyd at si.edu. Follow the format set forth in section 4 of the attached Request for Quote (RFQ) below "Information to be submitted with quotes." There are no benefits, tax or social security withholding associated with this contract. The contractor must pass a background investigation before work can begin. Diane Pitassy Museum Specialist Division of Fishes Museum Support Center 4210 Silver Hill Rd Suitland MD 20746 w 301.238.1732 | pitassyd at si.edu SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Facebook | Twitter | Instagram The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) complies with all U.S. export and sanctions laws, as well as fish, wildlife and other regulations applicable to the importation and exportation of specimens and research materials. Please consider the country of origin and nature of any specimen, sample, object or material shipped to NMNH, and if applicable, ensure that it is properly licensed and otherwise compliant with U.S. law prior to shipment. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: Clause_Independant_Contractor.doc Type: application/msword Size: 48128 bytes Desc: Clause_Independant_Contractor.doc URL: From PALMERL at si.edu Fri Aug 28 15:39:49 2020 From: PALMERL at si.edu (Palmer, Lisa) Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2020 19:39:49 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] FW: HENTF: Laura #2 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: FYI: From: Foley, Lori Sent: Friday, August 28, 2020 3:32 PM Subject: HENTF: Laura #2 External Email - Exercise Caution Dear HENTF members, As initial impact assessments and search & rescue operations continue along the Gulf Coast, we hope that your families, friends, and colleagues in the impacted area are safe. I ask that you begin reaching out to your member organizations for a status check on their staff, facilities, and collections. Obtaining reports of damage - and reports of no damage - is vital for "situational awareness" and the ability of HENTF to support response efforts, especially in the arts & culture and historic preservation communities. What is now Tropical Depression Laura continues to weaken as it moves northeastward through the Middle Mississippi Valley and into the Ohio Valley today and crosses the Mid-Atlantic states on Saturday. Laura will bring heavy rain, strong thunderstorms, and gusty winds to locations along and near its track, with slight risks of severe weather and flash flooding before it eventually exits the East Coast as a Post-Tropical Cyclone early Sunday. So let's continue to pay attention to potential impacts to cultural and historic resources as Laura tracks across the U.S. [cid:image001.jpg at 01D67D51.76318C70] Messaging about Laura from the National Weather Service will continue to be posted in the Chat box of the HENTF dashboard. Thank you, Lori Lori Foley Coordinator | Heritage Emergency National Task Force Office of Environmental Planning & Historic Preservation Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration Mobile: (202) 826-6303 lori.foley at fema.dhs.gov culturalrescue.si.edu/hentf Federal Emergency Management Agency fema.gov [cid:image002.jpg at 01D67D51.76318C70] [cid:image003.jpg at 01D67D51.76318C70] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 31426 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4073 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2468 bytes Desc: image003.jpg URL: From neumann at snsb.de Sun Aug 30 10:57:12 2020 From: neumann at snsb.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2020 16:57:12 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] EDNA samples In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4299ae00-8d96-62ec-0a45-65eb27173518@snsb.de> Dear Mandy & Greg, in principle, collections handling & storing unsorted malaise traps or ("unsorted") algae samples already have EDNA collections (maybe without calling them so). What Greg describes perfectly matches unsorted malaise trap samples and I entirely agree with Greg and James that these samples (and any individualised reference specimens that are identified and isolated from those bulk samples) will have high relevancy (and potential) for us in the future. As James pointed out, microbiome research ("omics") is an important and fast developing new area and Greg is absolutely right that traditional concepts to catalog such samples wouldn't work. If you understand such samples as just another kind of "multidimensional collection object" (such as for example an insect drawer that holds */x/* species from */y /*independent collection events and */z/* collections/collectors), management of such samples shouldn't be a real challenge. The real challenges however could be the /preservation/ of such EDNA samples, especially of water-based EDNA samples from marine or freshwater environments unless these samples are maintained, i.e. cultivated like living algae collections (which evolve and thus change over time). And yes, absolutely agree with questions on "regulatory compliance" that Greg raised - was recently approached by a colleague how to handle a EDNA sample that potentially contained DNA of an living fossil and highly regulated CITES species. We surely need new concepts and ideas here. All the best Dirk Am 24.08.2020 um 19:50 schrieb Watkins-Colwell, Gregory: > > Ironically, this topic was recently brought up at the ASIH Ichthyology > and Herpetology Collections Committee meeting.? In short: yes? various > institutions have been approached to house such things and there seems > legitimately good reasons to house such samples in a natural history > collection.? Some of the tricks are basically artifacts of how museums > ?normally? do things.? That is, we normally store things pre-sorted > and identified and tagged by taxon and locality and cataloged into the > appropriate taxonomic division.? In this case, most of that is unknown > and the data we have are primarily locality and time, without taxon > initially.? Eventually somebody can say what taxa are in that sample, > but until then it is basically a tube of water, or scat or dirt, etc.? > SO how then is it cataloged and in which division? ??In fact, even > after we know what?s in the sample, how do we store it?? Do we try to > isolate each DNA fragment by taxon (NO!!!!)? does the tube get > cataloged by every applicable division?? Does the sample get > subdivided so that each division has a subsample of the same thing? So > many of the conversations are about details like that.? There are also > some really fun practical issues such as, how do you import/export > it?? Is it claimed as wildlife or just as water?? What happens when > the water ?becomes? wildlife (i.e. you import water and export > crocodile DNA that was in the water all along)? does that impact any > import/export regulations, etc.? Will wildlife agents assume you > falsified the initial report? > > In terms of regulatory compliance, would some agencies say that a > researcher need a CITES export permit for water if it later turns out > that it included DNA from elephants or freshwater dolphins or whatever? > > Greg > > **************** > > Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell > > Sr. Collection Manager, Herpetology and Ichthyology > > Division of Vertebrate Zoology > > Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History > > Main Office: 203-432-3791;? West Campus: 203-737-7568; Fax 203-432-9277 > > Package shipping address: > > Greg Watkins-Colwell > > Division of Vertebrate Zoology > > Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History > 170?210 Whitney Avenue > New Haven, CT 06511 USA > > 203-432-3791 > > ****************** > > *From:* Nhcoll-l *On Behalf Of > *Mandy Reid > *Sent:* Sunday, August 23, 2020 9:29 PM > *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > *Subject:* [Nhcoll-l] EDNA samples > > I am wondering whether any museums are accepting EDNA (Environmental > DNA) samples, such as water samples, animal scats etc., or whether you > have been approached regarding storing such samples in museum collections? > > Is this something that we should consider? It would be excellent if > anyone is interested in a discussion around this as it is something > Collections staff at the Australian Museum in Sydney have been > approached about. > > Cheers > > Mandy > > *Dr Mandy Reid* > > Collection Manager | Malacology > > *Australian Museum*? 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia > > *T*61 2 9320 6412 *M *61 0431 829 842 > signature_357450491 > > > *Facebook* > *| > **Twitter* > *| > **Instagram* > *| > **YouTube* > > > ** > > /I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as > the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land on which the > Australian Museum stands./ > > > > The Australian Museum email disclaimer > > The views in this email are those of the user and do not necessarily > reflect the views of the Australian Museum. The information contained > in this email message and any accompanying files is or may be > confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not > the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, reliance, forwarding, > printing or copying of this email or any attached files is > unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it > and notify the sender. The Australian Museum does not guarantee the > accuracy of any information contained in this e-mail or attached > files. As Internet communications are not secure, the Australian > Museum does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this > message or attached files. > > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- Dirk Neumann Tel: 089 / 8107-111 Fax: 089 / 8107-300 neumann(a)snsb.de Postanschrift: Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns Zoologische Staatssammlung M?nchen Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Storage M?nchhausenstr. 21 81247 M?nchen Besuchen Sie unsere Sammlung: http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ --------- Dirk Neumann Tel: +49-89-8107-111 Fax: +49-89-8107-300 neumann(a)snsb.de postal address: Bavarian Natural History Collections The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Storage Muenchhausenstr. 21 81247 Munich (Germany) Visit our section at: http://www.zsm.mwn.de/sektion/ichthyologie-home/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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AIBS Public Policy Report AIBS Public Policy Report, Volume 21, Issue 18, August 31, 2020 * White House Announces 2022 R&D Budget Priorities * Fetal Tissue Ethics Board Recommends Rejecting Majority of Research Proposals * White House Announces Nationwide Network of AI, QIS Research Institutes * Report Lays Out Plan for Strengthening Scientific Integrity at Federal Agencies * Certain Endangered Species Susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, Study Predicts * 2nd BCoN COVID-19 Survey: Operational Status, Economic Impacts and Plans for Reopening * Prepare Your Resume, Hone Your Interview Skills * Enter the 2020 Faces of Biology Photo Contest * Short Takes * NASEM Resources to Support Participation, Advancement of Women in STEMM * Public Meeting of NASEM Panel on Oil Spills Announced * Nominate an Expert on PFAS Testing and Health Outcomes * From the Federal Register ________________________________ The AIBS Public Policy Report is distributed broadly by email every two weeks to the AIBS membership. Any interested party may self-subscribe to receive these free reports by email or RSS news feed, by going to www.aibs.org/public-policy-reports. With proper attribution to AIBS, all material from these reports may be reproduced or forwarded. AIBS staff appreciates receiving copies of materials used. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact the AIBS Director of Public Policy, Robert Gropp, at 202-628-1500 x 250. ________________________________ White House Announces 2022 R&D Budget Priorities On August 14, 2020, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), issued its annual science and technology priorities memorandum. The document guides federal agency priority-setting in the coming budget cycle. The directive identified public health security and innovation, industrial leadership, national security, energy and environmental leadership, and space exploration as priorities for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget. The Administration?s memo asserts that the federal government ?serves as a catalyst for innovation by investing in early stage research, supporting workforce education and training, and optimizing research environments by streamlining administrative barriers and adhering to bedrock American values, such as free inquiry, competition, honesty, and inclusion.? According to the memo, the Industries of the Future ? namely artificial intelligence (AI), quantum information sciences (QIS), biotechnology, advanced communication networks/5G, and advanced manufacturing ? will remain the Administration?s highest priority. One of the goals identified is ?fulfilling President Trump?s commitment to double non-defense AI QIS funding by FY2022.? The Administration?s FY 2022 budget priorities include a new R&D priority -- American Public Health Security and Innovation -- to streamline biomedical and biotechnology R&D aimed at responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring that the U.S. scientific enterprise is ?maximally prepared for any health-related threats.? The memo directs agencies to prioritize research to ensure timely development of modernized devices and equipment, diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines to protect against infectious diseases or other bio-threats. The Administration also prioritizes improving epidemiological modeling to enhance the ability to predict future pandemics and accelerating ?identification and selection of R&D investments including the rapid detection, containment, and treatment of infectious diseases.? The guidance once again stresses prioritizing the bioeconomy, defined as the ?science, infrastructure, innovation and technology, health, and national security that drive economic growth, promote health, and increase public benefit across the human, plant, and animal spectrums.? To enable bioeconomic opportunities, agencies have been directed to focus on ?R&D that enables forecasting and analyses from comprehensive collections of epidemiological, clinical, and genomic data capable of driving supply chain resilience and economic growth across sectors such as healthcare and pharmaceuticals, engineering biology, nanobiotechnology, agriculture, and [Industries of the Future] including advanced manufacturing.? The memo calls for ?evidence-based standards and research to rapidly and strategically continue improving biotechnology infrastructure that support human, plant, and animal safety.? Energy and environmental priorities include early-stage research on technologies for harnessing nuclear, renewable, and fossil energy; efforts to map, explore, and characterize the resources of the exclusive economic zone; efforts to manage large volumes of ocean observation and research data; research to understand and respond to changes in the ocean system; a national strategy to improve the predictability of earth systems and meteorological services; and efforts to ?to observe, understand, and predict the physical, biological, and socio-economic processes of the Arctic to protect and advance American interests.? Included in the guidance are examples of four cross-cutting actions that spread across the R&D budgetary priorities and require departments and agencies to collaborate with each other and with other stakeholders. For one of these actions, optimizing research environments and results, the memo highlights four high-priority areas requiring attention: strengthening U.S. research security, reducing administrative burdens in federally funded research; improving research rigor transparency, and integrity; and creating a safe, diverse, inclusive, and equitable research environment. The remaining three cross cutting actions include building the science and technology workforce of the future; facilitating multisector partnerships and technology transfer; and leveraging the ?power of data? by improving data accessibility and security. Fetal Tissue Ethics Board Recommends Rejecting Majority of Research Proposals The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Human Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board, which was appointed by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar in February 2020, has recommended that the Secretary withhold funding for most of the applications submitted to NIH to conduct medical research using human fetal tissue. The Trump Administration first announced that it will restrict federal funding for medical research that uses human fetal tissue in June 2019. The new policy prohibits all intramural research, or research conducted within NIH, involving the use of human fetal tissue from elective abortions. Extramural research projects, including research funded by NIH grants at universities, involving aborted fetal tissue are now required to go through an additional review process convened by an ethics advisory board after it has cleared the regular scientific review process. After reviewing 14 research proposals last month, the Ethics Board has recommended in a report sent to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee that the Secretary only fund one of the proposals and withhold funding for the remaining 13. All 14 proposals had already been recommended for funding by scientific reviewers. The reason provided most commonly in the report for recommending against funding a proposal was the argument that sufficient ethical justification for using human fetal tissue was not provided. The only proposal that was approved for funding by the panel was for a study to use already obtained human fetal tissue stored in a biorepository to try to validate and improve an alternative model. According to Science Insider, at least 10 of the Board?s 15 members have publicly opposed abortion, fetal tissue research, human embryonic stem cell research, or contraception. Two board members provided the following dissenting opinion to be included in the report: ?This board was clearly constituted?so as to include a large majority of members who are on the public record as being opposed to human fetal tissue research of any type. This was clearly an attempt to block funding of as many contracts and grants as possible, even those responding to the NIH solicitation for proposals responsive to the notice: ?Characterizing and Improving Humanized Immune System Mouse Models (IMM-HIS).? This solicitation required comparison of current humanized mice made with human fetal tissue to proposed models that do not use human fetal tissue. The outcome of the Board?s deliberations are thus clearcut and will paradoxically fail to reduce the use of human fetal tissue in the development of humanized mice needed for therapy development including for COVID19.? The report received swift criticism from the scientific community. ?Crucial advances in biomedical research will be slowed because of the American restrictions on research using human fetal tissue,? said Christine Mummery, President of the International Society for Stem Cell. ?People may die unnecessarily because the administration has allowed an ideological special interest group to hijack biomedical research.? Last month, a coalition of 90 scientific, academic, and medical groups, including AIBS, sent a letter to the Ethics Board to express support for the continued use of human fetal tissue in biomedical research, arguing that the ?long-standing existing review process for fetal tissue research ensures that research using fetal tissue is scientifically meritorious, legal, and ethically sound.? The panel?s recommendations are not binding ? the final decision about whether or not to fund each proposal rests with the HHS Secretary. White House Announces Nationwide Network of AI, QIS Research Institutes On August 26, 2020, the White House, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Energy (DOE) announced more than $1 billion in awards for the establishment of twelve new artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum information science (QIS) research and development (R&D) institutes nationwide. NSF, in partnership with U.S. Department of Agriculture?s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the U.S. Department of Homeland?s Security Science and Technology Directorate, and the U.S. Department of Transportation?s Federal Highway Administration, will invest $140 million over five years in seven AI Research Institutes ? five led by NSF and two led by USDA NIFA ? with each institute receiving $20 million. These research and education institutes will be based at universities and will focus on AI related research areas, such as machine-learning, synthetic manufacturing, precision agriculture, and forecasting prediction. According to the Administration, this research will improve the national capacity in critical areas such as extreme weather preparedness, K-12 education advancement, next-generation workforce development, and agricultural resilience and sustainability. The seven AI Research Institutes supported by NSF and NIFA include: * NSF AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography at the University of Oklahoma, Norman. * USDA-NIFA AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems at the University of California, Davis. * USDA-NIFA AI Institute for Future Agricultural Resilience, Management, and Sustainability at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. * NSF AI Institute for Molecular Discovery, Synthetic Strategy, and Manufacturing (or the NSF Molecule Maker Lab) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. * NSF AI Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning at the University of Texas, Austin. * NSF AI Institute for Student-AI Teaming at the University of Colorado, Boulder. * NSF AI Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ?The AI institutes being awarded today comprise large, multi-disciplinary, and multi-sector collaborations: they bring together consortia of dozens of universities and other organizations, ultimately spanning academia, government, and industry,? said Michael Kratsios, U.S. Chief Technology Officer. ?In effect, over the next five years, some of the best minds in the country will be tackling some of the grandest challenges that we face, both in terms of new AI techniques as well as breakthroughs in fields of science and engineering and sectors of our economy. And along the way, they will nurture the future American workforce in AI research and practice.? In addition, DOE will provide $625 million over five years to establish five QIS Research Centers that will be led by DOE National Laboratory teams at Argonne, Brookhaven, Fermi, Oak Ridge, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories. Academia and private companies, including IBM, Google, and Intel, will invest another $300 million in these centers that will focus on QIS research topics, such as quantum networking, sensing, computing, and materials manufacturing. NSF?s AI Research Institutes and DOE?s QIS Research Centers will collectively serve as national R&D hubs for ?industries of the future?, namely artificial intelligence (AI), quantum information science (QIS), 5G communications, and other technologies. According to the White House, this new network of institutes ?will not only accelerate discovery and innovation, but will also promote job creation and workforce development? by including ?a strong emphasis on training, education, and outreach to help Americans of all backgrounds, ages, and skill levels participate in our 21st-century economy.? Report Lays Out Plan for Strengthening Scientific Integrity at Federal Agencies The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has released a new report, Strengthening Scientific Integrity at Federal Agencies: Recommendations for 2021 and Beyond, which outlines a road map for the next Administration to enhance scientific integrity across federal agencies. ?Independent science is under attack in government decisionmaking and its integrity must be restored,? states the report. ?Government decisions affect our public health and safety and must be rooted in strong, independent science,? argues the report. ?But the safeguards protecting government science have broken down significantly, with the Trump administration in particular laying bare the inherent weaknesses in existing scientific integrity standards, policies, and practices.? The document cites multiple instances since 2017 in which political appointees ?stalled scientific research, rolled back science-based public protections and policies, retaliated against government scientists, weakened and disbanded science advisory committees, failed to fill a large number of critical scientific positions, and undermined career staff.? The report graded current scientific integrity policies across the federal government and found that the protections available to federal scientists and their work varied widely by agency. The analysis found, for example, that the National Science Foundation?s (NSF) media and social media policies are missing, with previous links now dead; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a suite of scientific integrity policies and resources, while the Department of Commerce does not; and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been certified for ensuring its employees are aware of their whistleblower protections, while the Department of Agriculture has not. UCS provides several recommendations for federal agencies to advance scientific integrity policies and practices, including ensuring open communication with the press and the public, enforcing clearance and review policies that protect scientific independence, preventing interference in data collection and research funding, and minimizing conflicts of interest in government science. The report recommends appointing officials to oversee scientific integrity, form intra-agency committees, and report annually on the state of scientific integrity within agencies. UCS also recommends educating and training federal workers on their rights and responsibilities. Finally, the report calls for providing safe and meaningful procedures to report and investigate scientific integrity violations and for establishing mechanisms to protect scientists from retaliatory actions and threats. Certain Endangered Species Susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, Study Predicts A new computational study predicts that several critically endangered primate species are at a very high risk of contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The research, which was published in Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences this month, assessed the susceptibility of 410 species of vertebrates, including 252 mammals, to the virus and identified a number of mammals that can potentially be infected via their ACE2 proteins (angiotensin converting enzyme-2) ? the main receptor for the virus. The species identified by the study that are at ?very high? risk of infection include the critically endangered Western lowland gorilla and Sumatran orangutan, as well as the endangered chimpanzee and bonobo. White-tail deer, Chinese hamster, muskrat, giant anteater, and marine mammals such as killer whale and common bottlenose dolphins are at a ?high? risk of infection, while the Siberian tiger, sheep, cat, and cattle are at a ?medium? risk of infection. The results of this study can potentially help in the identification of intermediate hosts for the virus and therefore reduce the opportunity for a future outbreak of COVID-19. The researchers suggest that the species at highest risk for infection represent an opportunity for spillover of the virus from humans to other susceptible animals. According to a report in The Scientist, Dr. Harris Lewin, Professor of Evolution and Ecology and at the University of California, Davis and an author on the paper, argues that if there is an intermediate species between bats and humans it is likely in the two highest risk categories, which include fewer than 100 species. Dr. Lewin thinks wild hamsters might be worth looking into as possible intermediate hosts for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from bats to humans. Although these results still need to be confirmed empirically, they may potentially help to identify animal models of COVID-19 and assist the conservation of animals both in native habitats and in human care. 2nd BCoN COVID-19 Survey: Operational Status, Economic Impacts and Plans for Reopening In April, the Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN) conducted a survey of the natural history collections/museum community to understand how COVID-19 related economic disruptions are affecting the work of professionals associated with such collections. The results were shared with the scientific community, including federal program managers and policymakers, in May 2020. This second survey follows up on and uses some questions from a recent American Alliance of Museums request for information. This survey focuses on collections institutions rather than individual staff, with the goal of determining the impact of COVID-19 related economic disruptions on research and management of collections. The goal is to collect responses from as many institutions as possible; thus, one response per institution is optimal. If it is not possible to coordinate this, we would rather have multiple responses from an institution that we can combine, rather than no responses from an institution. Institutions are invited to share information about their operating status ? plans to re-open, operational status and limitations, closures, staff furloughs and Reductions in Force, program closures or terminations, and other disruptions to institutional operations. BCoN invites information from all types of natural history collection holding institutions, which includes natural history museums, natural science collections, arboreta and herbaria, or other facilities with natural science collections. BCoN will share a summary of the results through a variety of venues, as we did with the previous survey. No information that identifies individual institutions by name is requested. Please take the survey at https://bcon.aibs.org/2020/08/17/2nd-natural-history-collections-and-covid-19-survey-operational-status-economic-impacts-and-plans-for-reopening/ Prepare Your Resume, Hone Your Interview Skills Registration is open for the Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists, an online professional development program from the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate programs in the United States do an excellent job of preparing students for careers in academia. As early career professionals and a growing number of reports note, however, many STEM graduates (including those with advanced degrees) are interested in employment in sectors beyond the professoriate. Scientists continue to report that they feel ill-prepared and ill-equipped to pursue employment in these settings. To help scientists identify and successfully transition into the careers they desire, the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) developed Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists. This intensive multi-day program blends lecture and hands-on exercises. Designed by scientists with years of work experience in diverse settings and a career coach, the program provides graduate students to senior scientists with the information, tools, and resources required to successfully identify and secure employment in a diversity of careers, including science policy, communications, researchers or program managers in the private sector, research funding organizations, non-profit management, international development, government agencies, and others. Course participants will: * Identify and clarify career interests and opportunities; * Learn to communicate their knowledge and skills to employers; * Develop strategies for finding employment; * Develop application materials with feedback from instructors; * Prepare for and practice different interview styles and scenarios. Current graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, and scientists interested in transitioning to a new employment sector should consider signing up. This course will be offered online in three half-day sessions conducted on September 25, October 2, and October 9, 2020. The program will be offered live from 12:00 - 3:30 PM Eastern Time. For more information, including a general program agenda, and to register, please visit: https://www.aibs.org/events/employmentbootcamp.html Enter the 2020 Faces of Biology Photo Contest Enter the Faces of Biology Photo Contest for your chance to win $250 and to have your photo appear on the cover of the journal BioScience. The competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), recognizes scientists who use imagery to communicate aspects of biological research to the public and policymakers. The theme of the contest is ?Faces of Biology.? Photographs entered into the contest must depict a person, such as a scientist, researcher, collections curator, technician, or student, engaging in biological research. The depicted research may occur outside, in a lab, with a natural history collection, on a computer, in a classroom, or elsewhere. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how science is being conducted in 2020. You are invited to share how you are conducting your research in these unusual times. The First Place Winner will have his/her winning photo featured on the cover of BioScience, and will receive $250 and a one year subscription to BioScience. The Second and Third Place Winners will have his/her winning photo printed inside BioScience, and will receive a one year subscription to BioScience. The winning photo from the 2019 contest was featured on the cover of the April 2020 issue of BioScience. Submissions must be received by 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30, 2020. For more information or to enter the contest, visit https://www.aibs.org/public-programs/photocontest.html. Short Takes * The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has shared a collection of freely available resources to support the participation and advancement of women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). These include reports that explore the wide range of structural, cultural, and institutional patterns of bias, discrimination, and inequity that affect women, and the steps that can be taken to increase representation in STEMM. Read more at: https://notes.nap.edu/2020/08/25/resources-to-increase-the-participation-and-advancement-of-women-in-stemm/ * The National Academies recently appointed the ad-hoc committee for the Oil in the Sea IV: Inputs, Fates, and Effects consensus study. The committee will hold its first public meeting virtually on September 18, 2020 from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM EDT to explore the study?s statement of task with sponsors and stakeholders. The committee will provide an update of the previous report?s (Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects, 2003) inventory of the sources, composition, and quantity of hydrocarbon inputs as well as an assessment of the state of the science on the fate and effects of fossil fuel hydrocarbons in the marine environment. Register here. * The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is inviting nominations for experts to serve on a panel that will provide advice to help clinicians respond to patient concerns about testing blood or urine for exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Fourteen members are sought with expertise in environmental epidemiology, exposure science, occupational and environmental medicine, analytical chemistry, medical toxicology, environmental sociology, and bioethics. Any questions or comments about the study should be sent to EBoyle at nas.edu. Nominations will be accepted until September 7, 2020 at https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5764442/NOMINATE-AN-EXPERT-Guidance-on-PFAS-Testing-and-Health-Outcomes From the Federal Register The following items appeared in the Federal Register from August 17 to 28, 2020. For more information on these or other recent items, please visit the AIBS Federal Register Resource at www.aibs.org/federal-register-resource/index.html. Week Ending 28 August 2020 Commerce * Hydrographic Services Review Panel Meeting Energy * Notice of Request for Information (RFI) on FY 2021 Bioenergy Technologies Office Multi-Topics Environmental Protection Agency * Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) Safe and Sustainable Water Resources Subcommittee Meeting--October 2020 Health and Human Services * Meeting of the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group * Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health; Notice of Meeting National Aeronautics and Space Administration * NASA Advisory Council; Science Committee; Meeting National Science Foundation * Sunshine Act Meeting; National Science Board Week Ending 21 August 2020 Agriculture * Notice of Intent To Extend Without Change a Currently Approved Information Collection Environmental Protection Agency * TSCA Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals; Request for Nominations; Extension of Nomination and Public Comment Periods Health and Human Services * National Cancer Institute; Notice of Meeting * National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Notice of Meeting * Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health Amended; Notice of Meeting * Request for Information, Strategic Opportunities and Challenges for the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health Interior * Virtual Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board Meeting National Science Foundation * Sunshine Act Meeting; National Science Board ________________________________ * Give your society or organization a voice in public policy. See http://www.aibs.org/public-policy/funding_contributors.html. * Become an advocate for science, visit the AIBS Legislative Action Center at http://policy.aibs.org. * Know the news as it happens, sign-up to receive AIBS press releases and policy statements (https://www.aibs.org/mailing-lists/). The American Institute of Biological Sciences is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) scientific association dedicated to advancing biological research and education for the welfare of society. AIBS works to ensure that the public, legislators, funders, and the community of biologists have access to and use information that will guide them in making informed decisions about matters that require biological knowledge. The organization does this through informing decisions by providing peer-reviewed or vetted information about the biology field and profession and by catalyzing action through building the capacity and the leadership of the community to address matters of common concern. Founded in 1947 as a part of the National Academy of Sciences, AIBS became an independent, member-governed organization in the 1950s. Today, Today, AIBS has over 140 member organizations and has a Public Policy Office in Washington, DC. Its staff members work to achieve its mission by publishing the peer-reviewed journal BioScience, by providing scientific peer-review and advisory services to government agencies and other clients, and by collaborating with scientific organizations to advance public policy, education, and the public understanding of science. Website: www.aibs.org. You received this message because you or your organization have interacted with one of our programs or initiatives. Our mailing address is: American Institute of Biological Science 950 Herndon Parkway Suite 450 Herndon, VA 20170 Copyright (C) 2020 American Institute of Biological Sciences All rights reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jpandey at aibs.org Mon Aug 31 16:27:49 2020 From: jpandey at aibs.org (Jyotsna Pandey) Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2020 16:27:49 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Register Now: AIBS Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: *How to market yourself, excel at interviews, and secure the job you desire* Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate programs in the United States do an excellent job of preparing students for careers in academia. As early career professionals and a growing number of reports note, however, many STEM graduates (including those with advanced degrees) are interested in employment in sectors beyond the professoriate. Scientists continue to report that they feel ill-prepared and ill-equipped to pursue employment in these settings. To help scientists identify and successfully transition into the careers they desire, the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) developed Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists. This intensive multi-day program blends lecture and hands-on exercises. Designed by scientists with years of work experience in diverse settings and a career coach, the program provides graduate students to senior scientists with the information, tools, and resources required to successfully identify and secure employment in a diversity of careers, including science policy, communications, researchers or program managers in the private sector, research funding organizations, non-profit management, international development, government agencies, and others. Course participants will: - Identify and clarify career interests and opportunities; - Learn to communicate their knowledge and skills to employers; - Develop strategies for finding employment; - Develop application materials with feedback from instructors; - Prepare for and practice different interview styles and scenarios. *Who should take this course?* Current graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, and scientists interested in transitioning to a new employment sector. *Date and Location* This course will be offered online in three half-day sessions conducted on September 25, October 2, and October 9, 2020. The program will be offered live from 12:00 - 3:30 PM Eastern Time. For more information, including pricing, and to register visit: https://www.aibs.org/events/employmentbootcamp.html __________________________________________ Jyotsna Pandey, Ph.D. Public Policy Manager American Institute of Biological Sciences 950 Herndon Parkway Suite 450 Herndon, VA 20170 Phone: 202-628-1500 x 225 -- This message is confidential and should only be read by its intended recipients.? If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and delete all copies. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From emily.braker at colorado.edu Mon Aug 31 16:53:35 2020 From: emily.braker at colorado.edu (Emily M. Braker) Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2020 20:53:35 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] September 8th Webinar - Arctos Data Publishing Message-ID: Please join us for a webinar on how Arctos data are auto-published to data aggregators. Title: Traveling with Data on the River Arctos; Getting from ArctosDB to global data sharing Abstract: Moving your data into Arctos? Already in? Ever wonder how your data venture forth from the warm embrace of the arctic mama bear and into the hands of data users via GBIF, iDigBio, and VertNet? Well, even if you never wondered, I'm ready to tell you anyway. Together we'll paddle the grand waterway upon which hundreds of millions of occurrence records have migrated on our trusty kayak of metadata, through the wilds of the Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT) and into the Land of the Data Portals. Dress warmly and bring a water bottle. Presenter: David Bloom, VertNet Coordinator When: Tuesday, September 8, 2020 at 3:00pm ET Where: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/91587565098 Can't Make It?: View archived recordings here https://arctosdb.org/learn/webinars/ Emily Braker Vertebrate Collections Manager, Zoology Section University of Colorado Museum of Natural History 265 UCB, Bruce Curtis Building Boulder, CO 80309-0218 Phone: 303-492-8466 http://www.colorado.edu/cumuseum/research-collections/vertebrates -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: