CSBR: Natural History: Essential Improvements for the Vertebrate and Invertebrate Zoology Collections at Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum

伯尼斯·波阿希主教博物馆(BPBM)是世界上最大的夏威夷和太平洋地区生物材料储存库。这一收藏品代表了这一生态敏感地区因灭绝而灭绝的许多物种的历史记录，也是研究剩余的丰富生物多样性资源的宝贵工具。该项目将支持为BPBM的两个自然历史收藏品--脊椎动物动物学(VZ)和无脊椎动物动物学(IZ)--购买现代化的橱柜和容器，这两个收藏品是从老化的橱柜和不足的架子中抢救标本所急需的，科学界仍然无法接触到这些标本，因为没有安全的空间来适当地存放它们。该项目还将提高收藏品电子数据库中标本信息的质量和可及性。在获奖期间，研究人员将为12名STEM本科生实习生和8名高中生提供藏品护理和分类学方面的培训，以及职业指导。这一合作将加强博物馆与当地教育机构的关系，并增加公众对科学、技术和夏威夷独特自然历史的参与。在这个为期两年的项目中，将安装新的柜子，为43,800个标本和9,051个标本批次提供更好的存储。这些改进将缓解危险的过度拥挤，并使长期需要的策展项目得以完成。当编目的标本从旧柜子中取出并放入新柜子时，其相应的数据记录将被清理、更新和扩展。其他材料将重新数字化，包括来自VZ收藏的约10 000件标本和来自IZ收藏的4 000件标本。全球的研究人员和教育工作者将能够通过BPBM的网站和其他在线数据聚合器(包括VertNet、iDigBio和GBIF)访问新的和更新的记录。此外，在此过程中触摸的每个样本都将收到二维码。这些代码将极大地提高工作人员在标本收藏中定位标本和跟踪用于研究和推广的标本的能力。标本从旧设备转移到新设备也为评估每个标本的保存状态提供了一个理想的机会。在BPBM助理保管员的帮助下，这些标本将得到照顾和关注，以保持其完整性，直到未来。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum (BPBM) is the world's largest repository of biological material from Hawaii and the Pacific region. This collection represents a historical record of the many species that have been lost to extinction in this ecologically sensitive region, and also serves as an invaluable tool for research on the rich biodiversity resource that remains. This project will support acquisition of modern cabinets and containers for two of BPBM's natural history collections, Vertebrate Zoology (VZ) and Invertebrate Zoology (IZ), that are urgently needed to rescue specimens from deteriorating cabinets and inadequate shelving, and remain inaccessible to the scientific community because there is no secure space to properly house them. The project will also improve the quality and accessibility of the specimen information within the collections' electronic databases. During the award period, researchers will be providing twelve STEM undergraduate interns and eight high school students with training in collections care and taxonomy, as well as career mentoring. This collaboration will strengthen the museum's relationship with local educational institutions and increase public engagement with science, technology, and Hawaii's unique natural history. During this two-year project, 64 new cabinets will be installed to provide improved storage for 43,800 specimens and 9,051 specimen lots. The improvements will relieve hazardous overcrowding and allow for the completion of long needed curatorial projects. While cataloged specimens are pulled from old cabinets and placed into new ones, their corresponding data records will be cleaned, updated, and expanded. Other material will be digitized anew, including an estimated 10,000 specimens from the VZ collection and 4,000 specimen lots from the IZ collection. Researchers and educators across the globe will be able to access new and updated records via BPBM's website and other online data aggregators, including VertNet, iDigBio, and GBIF. Additionally, each specimen that is touched during this process will receive a QR code. These codes will vastly improve the ability of staff to locate specimens within the collections and track specimens as they are used for research and outreach. The transfer of specimens from old to new equipment also presents an ideal opportunity to assess the conservation status of each specimen. With help from BPBM's assistant conservator, the specimens will receive the care and attention to maintain their integrity well into the future.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.