Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) Museum Improvements and Modernization

博物学研究收藏为动物、植物和其他自然物的分类、系统发育、生态、自然灾害、入侵物种、发育、遗传和生物多样性研究提供了重要的参考和资源。这些收藏品使研究人员能够从地理上和时间上研究更广泛的材料，而且成本大大低于必须由科学家独立获取样本的成本。这些藏品还有助于培养下一代研究生和本科生，为他们提供实践研究经验和对当前博物馆实践的理解，并通过参观，研讨会和演讲向公众，K-12学生及其教师展示这种类型的研究。然而，为了最好地服务于科学界，这些收藏必须有精心维护、环境控制的住房，并且必须保持更新，以满足社区正在进行的研究需求。南密西西比大学的墨西哥湾沿岸研究实验室（GCRL; http://gcrl.usm.edu）是GCRL博物馆的所在地，该博物馆收藏了大量可以追溯到1958年的鱼类学和无脊椎动物收藏品。博物馆收藏了超过36,500件鱼类标本，代表270科的3,400种，以及6,536件无脊椎动物标本。该设施是GCRL和其他机构正在进行的地方、国家和国际研究项目中获得的标本的主要储存库，并为地区和联邦项目提供支持，如NOAA的东南地区监测和评估项目（SEAMAP）。博物馆目前的基础设施和设备已经过时，无法有效维护或利用这些庞大的藏品。对博物馆的改进将包括翻新现有设施：(a)容纳现代的、节省空间的紧凑型搁架单元；(b)集成升级的安全和密封系统。经过翻新的博物馆设施和相关的存储效率将允许完全集中收集鱼类和无脊椎动物标本，这将有助于更好地进行内部管理，并促进收藏用于学术和研究目的的增加。

Natural history research collections provide vital references and resources for taxonomic, phylogenetic, ecological, natural disaster, invasive species, developmental, genetic and biodiversity research on an extraordinary diversity of animals, plants and other natural objects. Those collections allow researchers to examine a broader range of material, both geographically and temporally, at a substantially lower cost than would be possible if samples had to be obtained independently by the scientist. Such collections also contribute to the training of the next generation of graduate and undergraduate students, providing them with hands-on research experience and an understanding of current museum practices, and expose members of the public, K-12 students and their teachers to this type of research via tours, workshops and presentations. To best serve the scientific community, however, such collections must have carefully maintained, environmentally-controlled housing and must remain updated with the potential for expansion to meet the ongoing research needs of the community. The University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL; http://gcrl.usm.edu) is home to the GCRL Museum, which houses extensive ichthyological and invertebrate collections dating back to 1958. More than 36,500 lots of fish specimens, representing 3,400 species from 270 families, are catalogued within the Museum, as are 6,536 lots of invertebrate specimens. The facility serves as the primary repository for specimens obtained during ongoing local, national, and international research programs conducted at GCRL and at other institutions and provides support for regional and federal programs such as NOAA's SouthEast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP). Current infrastructure and equipment for the Museum are outdated and do not support efficient maintenance or utilization of this vast collection. Improvements to the Museum will include renovation of current facilities: (a) to accommodate modern, space-efficient compactorized shelving units and (b) to integrate upgraded safety and containment systems. Renovated Museum facilities and associated storage efficiency will allow for a completely centralized collection of fish and invertebrate specimens that will aid in better internal management of the collection and foster increased use of the collection for academic and research purposes.