Integration of University of Cincinnati Invertebrate Paleontology Collection with Cincinnati Museum Center

该项目涉及将辛辛那提大学（UC）的无脊椎古生物标本收藏品转移到辛辛那提博物馆中心（CMC），是CMC项目的重要第一阶段，该项目集研究、收藏、展览和教育于一体，被普遍称为“奥陶纪任务”。这个项目利用辛辛那提独特的化石遗产作为工具，向公众介绍4.5亿年前的“辛辛那提”环境，当时建造城市的岩石是海底的泥浆。将UC藏品转移到CMC将产生两个主要方面的影响：1)转移的最好的标本将成为CMC新奥陶纪馆的一部分，该馆目前处于规划阶段；2)对UC的藏品进行适当的整理，这将有利于基于标本的辛辛那提古代生活和环境研究。这项研究之所以重要，是因为它与人类对生物和群落对全球变化的反应的理解直接相关，其次是因为CMC将在这项研究的几个方面涉及强大的当地业余爱好者社区，即“准古生物学家”。这样做将使公众有机会直接参与到自己后院的真正的研究项目中。与展览相关的教育项目将延伸到社区的其他部门，尤其是孩子们，他们将有一种兴奋的感觉：打开一块岩石，发现一块化石，并知道最后看到它的动物是一只生活在4.5亿年前的三叶虫。该项目是由CMC（提供55%）和NSF（通过该奖项提供45%的资金）合作完成的。

9616480 Hughes This project, which involves the transfer of collections of invertebrate paleontological specimens from the University of Cincinnati (UC) to Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC), is the essential first phase of a program of the CMC that integrates research, collections, exhibits, and education, and is popularly known as "Mission Ordovician". This program capitalizes on Cincinnati's unique fossil heritage as a tool for introducing the public to "Cincinnatian" environments of 450 million years ago, when the rocks upon which the city is built were mud on a sea floor. Transfer of UC collections to CMC will have impact in two major ways: 1) the finest specimens that are transferred will form part of the new Ordovician Hall at CMC, which is currently in the planning phase; 2) the UC collection will be properly curated, which will facilitate specimen-based research on the ancient life and environments of Cincinnati. This research is important because it has direct relevance to humankind's understanding organismic and community responses to global change, and secondly because CMC will involve the strong community of local amateurs as "para-paleontologists" in several aspects of this research. Doing this will give the public a chance to become directly involved in a real research program in their own backyard. Educational programs associated with the exhibit will reach out to other sectors of the community-particularly children, who will have the thrill of cracking open a rock, finding a fossil, and knowing that the last animal to look at it was a trilobite, alive 450 million years ago. This project is being accomplished as a partnership between the CMC (providing 55%) and the NSF (providing 45% of the funding by way of this award).