[Nhcoll-l] April iDigBio webinars

[Nelson,Gil]

Hello everyone!

Don’t forget to join us for our first April webinar and be sure to pre-register for the rest of our April lineup. Registration is now open! Check out our upcoming webinars below!

Register here:
https://www.idigbio.org/content/webinar-series-importance-sustaining-biodiversity-specimen-collections-digitization-absence

For past recordings and upcoming events, visit the series Wiki page:
https://www.idigbio.org/wiki/index.php/Sustaining_Collections_Digitization_Beyond_NSF_Funding:_A_Webinar_Series

April 9, 2026: Planning for the future of Biodiversity Digitization and Data Mobilization at the Museum of Comparative Zoology (2:00-3:00pm ET)
Speakers:
Breda Zimkus (Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology)
Jon Woodward (Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology)
Richard A. Rabideau Childers (Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology)
Wei-Ping Chan (Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology)

Abstract: The Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University houses approximately 21 million animal specimens across ten departments, each with its own discipline-specific practices and priorities. As a result, collection digitization at the museum over the last 40 years has proceeded in a decentralized and often piecemeal fashion. In this talk, we will provide a history of digitization at the MCZ and examine both some of the successes and challenges of the past, using them as a lens through which to survey the foreseeable (and unforeseeable) future. We highlight how institutional priorities and community support have contributed to important advances in centralization and standardization and have kept digitization moving forward. We will focus particularly on a new high-throughput digitization system that we are developing, incorporating recent advances in 3D imaging and machine learning to dramatically improve the speed of specimen imaging and cataloging in collections for which conventional digitization is simply too extensive of a task.

April 14, 2026: New advances and opportunities in 3D Digitization in the field and in the collection (3:00-5:00pm ET)
Speakers:
Genevieve Rios (Yale Peabody Museum)
Duncan Irschick (University of Massachusetts - Amherst)
Austin Mast (Florida State University, iDigBio)
Mark Smith (Macroscopic Solutions)

Abstract: Techniques for 3D modeling are advancing rapidly, and the biodiversity collections community will benefit from keeping abreast of the latest advances and thinking strategically about the new opportunities that 3D modeling offers.  Here, we will present experimentation with recently developed methods (e.g., Neural Radiance Fields and 3D Gaussian Splatting), advances in robotics and macrophotography that provide scaling opportunities for model generation, and new analyses made possible with 3D modeling. These approaches have the potential to dramatically reduce digitization time while increasing fidelity and throughput across a wide range of specimen types. We will also discuss practical considerations for adoption, including infrastructure requirements, workflow integration, and sustainability.

April 21, 2026: Planning for the future of Biodiversity Digitization and Data Mobilization at Carnegie Museum of Natural History (2:00-4:00pm ET)
Speakers:
Kathy Hollis (Carnegie Museum of Natural History)
Mason Heberling (Carnegie Museum of Natural History)
Mary Janecka (Carnegie Museum of Natural History)
Valerie Warhol (Carnegie Museum of Natural History)

Abstract: Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH) houses over 22 million specimens and objects critical to understanding biodiversity, climate change, and cultural history. In addition to these physical collections, CMNH also stewards extensive long-term ecological and environmental observational data collected at its field station, Powdermill Nature Reserve (PNR). Together, these data resources form a vital foundation for scientific research and public engagement. While a significant portion of these collections and observational datasets are in digital formats, the museum faces significant challenges in managing, integrating, and mobilizing its diverse digital data and digital assets. This webinar presents CMNH’s strategic initiative to develop a comprehensive informatics program aimed at ensuring long-term accessibility, interoperability, and preservation of both collections and observational data. Presenters will outline the program’s goals, including the implementation of a centralized collections management system (CMS) and digital asset management system (DAMS), adherence to FAIR Data Principles, and the development of sustainable workflows and infrastructure. The session will offer insights into the assessment and planning process, current projects and implementation efforts, and the practical strategies CMNH is employing to build a resilient, scalable data stewardship program.

April 30, 2026: Current State of Digitization in Mammalogy and Future Directions (2:00-4:00pm ET)
Speakers:
Cody Thompson (University of Michigan)
Sharlene Santana (University of Washington)
Bryan McLean (University of North Carolina at Greensboro)
Nate Upham (Arizona State University)
Noe de la Sancha (DePaul University)
Emily Braker (University of Colorado - Boulder)
Abstract: Beginning in the 1970s, mammal collections began the process of digitizing their paper catalogs using mainframe computers. By the 1990s, mammal collections shifted their specimen cataloging to electronic databases, which soon led to the phasing out of paper catalogs. Georeferencing and data aggregation efforts, such as the Mammal Networked Information System (MaNIS), soon followed, placing mammalogy and its natural history collections ahead of the digitization curve by the early 2000s. Recognizing the need for similar digitization efforts across all natural history collections, the National Science Foundation established the Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections (ADBC) program and created iDigBio as the central coordinating organization, funding projects to digitize and mobilize data in many botanical and invertebrate collections. Because of the extent of their taxonomic diversity, these collections were prioritized over mammal and other vertebrate collections. As these biodiverse collections began to mobilize their specimen data, attention returned to vertebrate collections as ideas of the “extended specimen” began take hold, leading to ambitious digitization projects, such oVert, that reinvigorated some scientific fields (e.g., anatomy) and expanded collection use in others (e.g., biomechanics). Additional mammal-focused digitization efforts have focused on expanding the availability of x-ray computed tomography (CT) datasets (i.e., FuncQEE and BatPEN!) and lifting trait data (i.e., Ranges). These digitization efforts, along with long-term investments in maintaining rigorous taxonomic and database resources, have positioned mammalogy to be a leader in digital collections. However, as technology continues to develop, more opportunities to expand digitization efforts in mammalogy will arise.

We hope to see you there!
Best,

Gil



Gil Nelson PhD, Director

Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio)

Immediate Past President, Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSCA)

Florida Museum of Natural History

University of Florida

gnelson at floridamuseum.ufl.edu<mailto:gnelson at floridamuseum.ufl.edu>

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