CSBR: Natural History: Development of a Liquid Nitrogen System for the Genetic Resources Collection, Natural Science Research Laboratory, Museum of Texas Tech University

得克萨斯理工大学博物馆自然科学研究实验室(NSRL)的遗传资源收藏(GRC)获奖，以改善其藏品的安全性，方法是用液氮(-190摄氏度)系统替换16台机械-80摄氏度的冰柜。来自世界各地的研究人员使用NSRL-GRC保存的样本来解决对科学和社会至关重要的问题，例如增进对全球生物多样性的了解，人类对自然界的影响，以及疾病在野生动物和人类之间的传播。每个组织样本都是独一无二的，不可替代的，因为它代表了一个人在特定的时间点和空间，样本对科学界正在进行的研究和未来的研究具有无限的实际和潜在价值。该项目的成果包括：扩大GRC的存储容量，使藏品得以增长；对研究生和本科生进行藏品管理实践方面的教育和培训；举办公开展览，突出遗传资源收藏对科学和社会的重要意义；为高中教育工作者编写宣传材料；在NSRL网站上开发时事通讯和专题页；完善馆藏标准；该项目的主要目标是用5台气相液氮(LN)冷冻机取代GRC目前的16台机械冷冻机，将样品保存在-190°C。较低的温度将确保样品的完整性，并保存它们所包含的整个基因组数据谱，包括分子(RNA、病毒、细菌等)。确保它们有潜力为未来的研究工作提供信息。这将扩大GRC的用途，使其超越生物多样性和系统学等传统学科，包括基因组学和其他正在发展中的遗传、分子和环境研究领域。该项目还将使研究人员和NSRL工作人员能够更好地获取数据，并允许对GRC样本实施新的整理程序。这将通过以下方式完成：1)用基因序列数据库编号注释NSRL数据库，并通过iDigBio和VertNet等数据门户网站提供这些数据；2)注释NSRL的内部数据库，以指示从病毒阳性凭单获得的样本，并用彩色编码标签指定这些样本；以及3)用彩色编码标签识别共生型和正型遗传样本。总体而言，该项目力求保持标本的完整性和信息内容，同时通过突出与其生活相关的问题来吸引更广泛的社区。

An award is made to the Genetic Resources Collection (GRC) of the Natural Science Research Laboratory (NSRL), Museum of Texas Tech University to improve the security of its holdings through replacement of 16 mechanical -80oC freezers with a Liquid Nitrogen (-190oC) system. The samples housed at NSRL-GRC are used by researchers from around the world to address questions vital to science and society, such as advancing understanding of global biodiversity, the impact of humans on the natural world, and the transmission of disease between wildlife and humans. Each tissue sample is unique and irreplaceable, as it represents an individual at a specific point in time and space, and the samples are of unlimited actual and potential value to the science community in terms of on-going and future research. Outcomes of this project include: expanded storage capacity of the GRC, allowing for growth of the collection; education and training of graduate and undergraduate students in collection management practices; a public exhibit highlighting the significance of genetic resource collections to science and society; outreach materials for high school educators; development of a newsletter and a feature page on the NSRL website; refinement of curatorial standards; and reduced energy consumption by the transition to a green technology.The primary goal of this project is to replace the GRC's current storage system of 16 mechanical freezers with five vapor-phase liquid nitrogen (LN) freezers that preserve samples at -190°C. The lower temperature will ensure the integrity of the samples and preserve the entire spectrum of genomic data they contain, including molecules (RNA, viruses, bacteria, etc.) ensuring their potential to inform future research efforts. This will broaden the usage of the GRC beyond traditional disciplines, such as biodiversity and systematics, to include genomics and other developing fields of genetic, molecular, and environmental research. The project will also enable enhanced data accessibility by researchers and NSRL staff and allow for implementation of new curation procedures for GRC samples. This will be accomplished by: 1) annotating the NSRL database with genetic sequence database numbers and making those data available via data portals such as iDigBio and VertNet; 2) annotating the NSRL's internal database to indicate samples obtained from virus-positive vouchers and designate those samples with color-coded labels; and 3) identifying symbiotype and holotype genetic samples with color-coded labels. Overall, this project seeks to preserve the integrity and information content of the specimens while engaging the wider community by highlighting issues of relevance to their lives.