Transfer to a New Facility, Curatorial Upgrade, and Augmenting of an Online Database of the Peabody Museum's Invertebrate Zoology Fluid-Preserved Collection

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A grant has been awarded to Yale University's Peabody Museum under the direction of Dr. Leo Buss for collection improvement and preparation of an online database for the fluid-preserved invertebrate zoology collections. The collection goes back 160 years to early surveys of the Atlantic Coast invertebrates and contains historically important specimens, some of them collected before the use of formalin, which means these older specimens may be valuable sources of DNA for modern research. The project will expand on an earlier award that supported the re-integration of these fluid preserved specimens into the main body of the invertebrate zoology collections in a new facility with improved temperature and humidity controls. Storage containers and preservative will be upgraded for each specimen lot, and selected specimens will be digitally imaged for viewing on the internet. Records of data for the specimens will be available in a searchable online database at the Peabody web site. The renovated storage conditions will render the specimens accessible to visitors, faculty and students. In addition, the Peabody Museum's website will provide specimen data and images for education programs for K-12 students and the several hundred thousand visitors to the museum each year. An Evolutions After-School Program, lectures, and other events will use the collection resources to reach out to underrepresented groups and the interested public.