COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH, Restoration of Herbarium Specimens of the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory Damaged by Hurricane Katrina

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A grant has been awarded to the University of Southern Mississippi under the direction of Dr. Mac H. Alford, to repair and re-house approximately 10,000 plant specimens damaged by flood waters caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The grant is a collaborative award with the University of Mississippi, the University of South Alabama, and Louisiana State University. Four senior personnel are involved: Alford, Lucille McCook (Univ. Miss.), Kelly Major (Univ. South Alabama), and Diane Ferguson (LSU). Each institution requests funds for work to repair damage from water and mold to the 10,000 specimens in the herbarium. The investigators have salvaged specimens and frozen them in preparation for repair work. Specimens and labels will be thawed, brushed of mold if necessary, and remounted to new paper. New herbarium cases will be purchased to replace those damaged by flooding, and for supplies to re-mount specimens. All of the institutions will employ undergraduate students to help with the restoration work. Students will be recruited from underrepresented groups.