CSBR: Natural History: Engaging Our Future to Preserve Our Past: Curation and Preservation of Historically Significant Collections Through Student Participation at the Rancho Santa

学生参与保护具有重要历史意义的藏品在牧场圣植物园自然历史收藏品提供了一个镜头到过去和一种手段，展望未来。在预测生物多样性随着气候和土地利用的变化而变化时，收集数据尤为重要。牧场圣安娜植物园(RSABG)的植物标本馆收藏了120多万个标本，大量用于研究、教育和公共宣传。植物标本馆从多种来源获得了30,000份植物标本，这些标本是由20世纪十位重要的植物学家收集的。其中70%来自34个指定的世界生物多样性热点中的15个；30%代表加利福尼亚州弗罗里斯特省生物多样性热点。由于保存条件较差，这些标本急需保存。有几个标本已被确定为描述和命名科学上新物种的关键。这些收藏品的管理将提供对目前无法研究的收藏品的物理访问，促进对科学新物种的发现，并产生新的分布和物候数据。重要的是，管理将确保迫切需要的保护。数字化工作将为研究人员、学生和公众提供对这一丰富的标本数据来源的访问。该项目的组成部分是涉及研究生、本科生和高中生参与的活动。值得注意的是，RSABG将通过聘用来自大洛杉矶大都市区的未得到充分服务的年轻人来扩大一个成功的本科生实习计划。特别针对的是高中阶段的高危和过渡期老年青年，他们将接受为期六周的夏季初级实习生计划的培训。所有实习生将参加五个研讨会，这些研讨会将有助于将学生与收藏、自然历史和生物多样性联系起来。RSABG的一个展览将突出该项目的活动和学生参与。随着草本植物为研究、教育和保护管理服务的不断扩大的需求，至关重要的是对具有历史、分类和地理意义的藏品进行管理和数字化，通过投资于它们的长期安全来确保它们可用于研究。通过各种来源，牧场圣安娜植物园的植物标本馆获得了30,000份具有历史、分类学和地理重要性的维管植物标本，代表了20世纪十位重要植物学家的藏品。由于过去和目前的储存条件不令人满意(例如，非档案报纸)，这些标本有变质的危险。因此，这些收藏品迫切需要进行整理和改进存储，以确保后代能够使用它们。有几个标本被确认为被认为已经丢失的典型材料。这个为期三年的项目的主要目标是通过学生参与来管理和数字化这些标本。一大批不同学术水平的学生干部将参与该项目的所有方面，包括标本准备、数据库、成像和地理参考。标本数据将提供约350科18,000多种维管植物的标本数据。该项目产生的所有数据将与iDigBio、GBIF、加利福尼亚草药联盟和RSABG草药馆网络门户网站共享。如需更多信息，请访问以下网址：http://www.rsabg.org.

Student Engagement in the Preservation of Historically Significant Collections at Rancho Santa Botanic GardenNatural history collections offer a lens into the past and a means to envision the future. Collections are especially important in predicting biodiversity change with shifts in climate and land use. The Herbarium at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (RSABG) houses more than 1.2 million specimens and is heavily utilized for research, education, and public outreach. From multiple sources, the Herbarium acquired 30,000 plant specimens collected by ten significant 20th century botanists. 70% of these were collected from 15 of 34 designated world biodiversity hotspots; 30% represents the California Floristic Province biodiversity hotspot. These specimens are in critical need of curation owing to poor storage conditions. Several specimens have been identified as critical for describing and naming species new to science. Curation of these collections will provide physical access to collections currently unavailable for study, promote discovery of species new to science, and yield new distribution and phenology data. Importantly, curation will ensure critically needed preservation. Digitization efforts will provide access of this rich source of specimen data to researchers, students, and the public. Integral to the project are activities involving the participation of graduate students, undergraduates, and high school students. Notably, RSABG will expand on a successful undergraduate internship program by engaging underserved youth from the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. Especially targeted are at-risk and transitional aged youth at the high school level, who will be trained in a six-week summer junior intern program. All interns will participate in five workshops that will serve to connect students to collections, natural history, and biodiversity. An exhibit at RSABG will highlight the activities and student participation in the project.As herbaria serve expanding needs for research, education, and conservation management, it is critical that collections of historic, taxonomic, and geographic significance are curated and digitized, ensuring their availability for research through investments in their long-term security. Through various sources, the Herbarium at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden acquired 30,000 vascular plant specimens of historic, taxonomic, and geographic importance representing the collections of ten significant botanists of the 20th century. These specimens are in danger of deterioration, owing to unsatisfactory past and current storage conditions (e.g., non-archival newspapers). Thus, these collections are in critical need of curation and improved storage to secure them for posterity. Several specimens have been identified as type material that was thought to have been lost. The principal objective of this three-year project is to curate and digitize these specimens through student participation. A large cadre of students at different levels in their academic career will participate in all aspects of the project, including specimen preparation, databasing, imaging, and georeferencing. Specimen data will become available for more than 18,000 species of vascular plants in ~350 families. All data resulting from this project will be shared with iDigBio, GBIF, the Consortium of California Herbaria, and the RSABG Herbarium web portal. Additional information about RSABG, its outreach activities, and the results of this project is available at http://www.rsabg.org.