CSBR: Natural History Collections: RUI: Collection Improvement of Marshall University's WV Vertebrate Survey Museum: West Virginia Natural History Updated and Online

该提案的目标是拯救西弗吉尼亚州的主要自然历史收藏品，其中包括70多年来积累的21,000多种哺乳动物，两栖动物和爬行动物。几乎所有在西弗吉尼亚州被描述的物种都包括在内，甚至包括联邦濒危物种。这个收藏比全国任何其他博物馆都要大，因此是一种独特的资源，应该开发用于培训下一代生物学家，他们可以研究、维护和保护阿巴拉契亚的动物。然而，它迫切需要新的设备和管理来确保它的生存。此外，一旦数据库被开发出来，将有可能通过网络使这些集合在全国/全球范围内可访问。马歇尔大学是西弗吉尼亚州西南部的一所主要的本科教学机构。这个收藏对它的学生和当地的阿巴拉契亚社区产生了巨大的影响。它被用来训练学生学习生物学课程，学生们积极地利用这些藏品进行研究、演讲和出版。这些藏品还用于关注当地多样性和保护生态的K-12外展活动。教育推广和早期接触科学对西弗吉尼亚州的科学素养人口的发展至关重要，西弗吉尼亚州是一个教育和社会经济受到挑战的州。

This proposal's goal is to save West Virginia's primary natural history collection which includes over 21,000 mammals, amphibians, and reptiles amassed over 70 years. Almost every species that has been described in West Virginia is included, even federally endangered species. This collection is larger than in any other museum nationally and as so is a unique resource and should be developed for training the next generation of biologists who can then study, maintain, and protect Appalachia's animals. However, it is in urgent need of new equipment and curation to ensure its survival. Additionally, once the database is developed it will be possible to make this collection nationally/globally accessible via the Web. Marshall University is a primarily undergraduate teaching institution in southwestern West Virginia. This collection has tremendous impact on its students and the local Appalachian community. It is used to train students in biology courses and students actively use the collections for research, presentations, and publications. The collections are also used for K-12 outreach focusing on local diversity and conservation ecology. Education outreach and early exposure to science is crucial for the development of a scientifically literate population in West Virginia, an educationally and socioeconomically challenged state.