Support for the AMNH Fossil Mammal Collection: An Integrated Program to Rehouse Types and Perissodactyla, and Enhance On-Line Collections Data and Web-Based Educational Resources

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A grant has been awarded to the American Museum of Natural History under the direction of Dr. Jin Meng to upgrade the storage facilities and the database for the fossil mammal collection. The collection is one of the largest for fossil mammals and is heavily used by scientists. Many of the specimens were new to science when they were discovered. The project will allow the Museum to acquire new cabinets and heavy-duty shelving for the collection of Perrisodactyls (e. g., horses and rhinos) and other fossil mammals. The current cabinets and storage facilities consist of older equipment that does not adequately protect the specimens from temperature and humidity changes. The data associated with the specimens will be entered into the AMNH database and become available to researchers and educators worldwide. Several teacher fellows will be recruited from New York public high schools to collaborate with research staff to prepare educational K-12 modules. The project will also support several undergraduate student interns, who will work with curators to re-house specimens and enter information into the database.