<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"
http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">Dear Heather,<br>
<br>
on thing both, researcher and collection managers need to know
& understand is reasonable collecting, especially in an
increasingly bureaucratic legislative environment that rather
tends to burden biodiversity research instead of promoting it.<br>
<br>
This includes that collection materials need to be treated as
respectful as possible especially in the light of destructive
sampling methods. Today, it is possible to sequence or conduct
stable isotope analysis on historic specimens. While "DNA" was not
even discovered at the time of collection of historic specimens,
collections allow us today to analyse e.g. extinct species that
persisted time in drawers or specimen jars. This offers
opportunities, but we need to be careful not to corrode our
collections today, anticipating (damaging or making specimens
worthless for) future (not yet discovered) analytical advances.<br>
<br>
In my view, researchers need to understand that their samples have
a value beyond their (own) research interest, and thus need to be
documented thoroughly (e.g. detailed protocols of chemicals &
buffers used for extraction & storage) and <u>need to be</u>
transferred with comprehensive data into university or museum
based collections after termination of the respective research
project. It is a prerequisite of good research to allow
verification of (own) research results. This can only be achieved
if the materials / samples remain "available".<br>
<br>
Here in Munich, we offer students via university based excursions
to learn "how to collect". For students this is sometimes
challenging and exhausting, sometimes deeply embraced and
appreciated. We aim to give students a deep understanding what
"collecting" and "fieldwork" means (hoping not to get stranded
with an awfully mess of ill documented samples once these students
finished their thesis). A good guidance might be the Manual on
Field Recording Techniques and Protocols for All Taxa Biodiversity
Inventories; chapters are freely available at the bottom of this
page:<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.abctaxa.be/volumes/volume-8-manual-atbi">http://www.abctaxa.be/volumes/volume-8-manual-atbi</a> <br>
<br>
All the best<br>
Dirk<br>
<br>
<br>
Am 06.03.2014 20:29, schrieb Heather Lerner:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CAMniJEMoBhnZQT0Xyuvfo+EGSzpsn++PdmiA6vr5g9LFXgf0+g@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div class="im"
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">I have the
wonderful opportunity to be the director at the Joseph Moore<br>
Museum at Earlham College. With that position, I get to teach
one course<br>
per year in "Museum Studies." My goals with the course are to
first train<br>
students in the most useful skills they will need to go on as
collections<br>
managers or curators or researchers who use collections, and
second, for<br>
students who may never work in/for a museum in the future, to
convince them<br>
of the importance of biological collections so that they will
be educated<br>
lifelong museum advocates.<br>
<br>
</div>
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Here
is where I ask for *your input:*</span><br
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">(1)
what are the *skills *you want incoming collections manager,
graduate</span><br
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<div class="im"
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
students or curators to have?<br>
<br>
(2) we will read an article each week in which someone has
published their<br>
research using specimens/collections as a primary source of<br>
information/data. For example, ancient DNA, isotope,
morphological studies.<br>
</div>
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">What
are some of the best *examples of collections-based research*
you</span><br
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<div class="im"
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
thinkI should include?<br>
<br>
Thanks for your input,<br>
<br>
Heather</div>
<div><br>
</div>
-- <br>
<div dir="ltr">
<p>Heather<br>
<br>
*******************************************<br>
<span style="font-size:13.5pt">Heather
R. L. Lerner, Ph.D., M.S.</span><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://earlham.edu/jmm"
target="_blank">Joseph Moore Museum</a> Director<br>
Assistant Professor of Biology<br>
Earlham College<br>
801 National Road West<br>
Richmond IN 47374<br>
<br>
*******************************************<br>
Google Voice: 949-GENOMES<br>
Email: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:hlerner@gmail.com" target="_blank">hlerner@gmail.com</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://heatherlerner.com/"
target="_blank">http://heatherlerner.com/</a><br>
*******************************************</p>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<fieldset class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset>
<br>
<pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
Nhcoll-l mailing list
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu">Nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l">http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l</a>
_______________________________________________
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 <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.spnhc.org">http://www.spnhc.org</a> for membership information.
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Dirk Neumann
Tel: 089 / 8107-111
Fax: 089 / 8107-300
email: Dirk.Neumann(a)zsm.mwn.de
Postanschrift:
Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns
Zoologische Staatssammlung München
Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Labor
Münchhausenstr. 21
81247 München
Besuchen Sie unsere Sammlung:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.zsm.mwn.de/ich/">http://www.zsm.mwn.de/ich/</a>
---------
Dirk Neumann
Tel: +49-89-8107-111
Fax: +49-89-8107-300
email: Dirk.Neumann(a)zsm.mwn.de
postal address:
Bavarian Natural History Collections
The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology
Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Lab
Muenchhausenstr. 21
81247 Munich (Germany)
Visit our section at:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.zsm.mwn.de/ich/">http://www.zsm.mwn.de/ich/</a>
</pre>
</body>
</html>