CSBR: Natural History: Big Data From Small Fossils: Curation and Digitization of Major Microvertebrate Paleontology Collections at The Florida Museum of Natural History

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The Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) at the University of Florida houses the third largest cataloged collection of vertebrate fossils in the United States. This collection provides a basis for study of vertebrates that occurred in the eastern United States and the circum-Caribbean Basin over the past 65 million years. This project will secure and improve accessibility of material in this collection, with an emphasis on small mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians that are traditionally understudied in museum fossil collections. Data on an estimated 60,000 significant vertebrate fossils specimens will be made available for scientific research, education, and public outreach, including several hundred 3D models (scanned using micro-CT technology).This project will provide new cabinetry and improve storage conditions for many unstudied fossils from the early-to-late Miocene (5-18 million years ago) of Florida, making this material available for accelerated research by scientists studying the evolutionary and ecological history of micro-vertebrates in the circum-Caribbean realm. The project will support a graduate student, five undergraduate assistants, and volunteers, all of whom will receive mentoring in museum methods and scientific research. K-12 teachers from around the US will also be hosted annually for professional development sessions on fossils and paleontology that will include the development of Biology and Earth/Environmental Science lesson plans aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and other equivalent state standards. Fossils images will be posted to an online database (www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/vertpaleo-search/) and iDigBio (www.idigbio.org). The 3D models of fossil specimens can be used in fossil identification keys as well as 3D-printing, which will be publicly available through MorphoSource (www.morphosource.org).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.