CSBR: RAPID: NATURAL HISTORY: Securing the safety of critical Great Lakes alcohol preserved specimens

该奖项授予中密歇根大学（CMU），以支持文化和自然历史博物馆（MCNH），该博物馆收藏了储存在酒精中的鱼类，爬行动物和两栖动物标本，对校园构成重大和紧迫的安全风险。这些收藏品目前存放在一座建筑物内的一间前教室里，该建筑物不适合存放易燃物质，也没有灭火系统和行业标准的易燃储存柜。 这些标本在五大湖生态区及其周围进行的研究具有重要意义，特别是在支持理解和减轻环境威胁方面。这个重要的生态系统包含了美国90%的淡水，对该地区的经济、健康和福祉有着巨大而直接的影响，因此有必要对其进行保护。该系列的研究和教学价值使MCNH在校园内确定了具有灭火功能的专用空间，在那里他们可以放置适当的易燃安全柜，以减轻火灾或爆炸风险，同时保持最高的专业博物馆标准。这份合同将使MCNH能够在一年内购买设备并雇用人员包装、移动、重新安置在橱柜中，并重新清点收藏品。 MCNH是一个实验室博物馆，支持密歇根州最古老的实用博物馆培训计划。 该项目还将支持CMU博物馆研究项目的学生获得解决安全隐患问题的实际经验，并了解存储在酒精中的自然历史收藏品的安全处理实践。该奖项将允许中密歇根大学（CMU）的文化和自然历史博物馆（MCNH）通过消除对校园的易燃性威胁，同时保持安全和安保，来保存关键的乙醇保存标本。 这些收藏品记录了劳伦特五大湖（本地和入侵物种）的鱼类学和爬虫学历史，并由当前的研究人员使用和开发，包括CMU五大湖研究所（IGLR）的研究人员。 该项目的完成还将使MCNH能够恢复接受鱼类，爬行动物和两栖动物标本捐赠，目前由于安全问题而受到阻碍。该项目将进一步增加对这些收藏品的访问，使海洋和生物多样性部能够通过iDigBio（idigbio.org）和全球生物多样性信息设施（GBIF）门户网站保持在线存在，增加对海洋和生物多样性部收藏品的访问。 MCNH最终将这些藏品安置在一个连续的空间中，但是由于目前这种奋进的成本过高，该项目通过将易燃储存柜中的藏品分散到一系列控制区域来解决当前的问题，同时仍然允许在接受的博物馆标准内对标本进行安全和物理控制。 这个项目将证明CMU的博物馆研究项目的学生的宝贵经验，以及使这些标本更容易为未来的研究，教学，教育规划，和展览。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

An award is made to Central Michigan University (CMU) to support the Museum of Cultural and Natural History (MCNH), which holds a research collection of fish, reptile, and amphibian specimens stored in alcohol, posing a significant and urgent safety risk for the campus. These collections are currently housed in a former classroom in a building not rated to hold flammable substances and lacks a fire suppression system and industry standard flammable storage cabinets. These specimens are of research significance conducted in and around the Great Lakes Ecoregion, particularly in support of understanding and mitigating environmental threats. This vital ecosystem, which contains ninety percent of the fresh water in the United States, has large and direct economic, health, and well-being impacts on the region, necessitating its protection. The research and teaching value of the collection has led MCNH to identify dedicated space on campus with fire suppression where they can place proper flammable safety cabinets that will mitigate fire or explosion risks while maintaining the highest professional museum standards. This award will allow MCNH to acquire equipment and hire personnel to pack, move, rehouse in cabinets, and re-inventory the collection during the course of one year. MCNH is a laboratory museum supporting Michigan's oldest practical museum training program. This project will also support CMU's Museum Studies Program students to gain real-life experience in resolving safety hazard issues and to understand safe handling practices for natural history collections stored in alcohol. This award will allow The Museum of Cultural and Natural History (MCNH) at Central Michigan University (CMU) to save critical ethanol-preserved specimens by eliminating a flammability threat to campus while maintaining safety and security. These collections document the ichthyological and herpetological history of the Laurentian Great Lakes (both native and invasive species) and are used and developed by current researchers, including those working with CMU's Institute for Great Lakes Research (IGLR). Completion of this project will also enable MCNH to resume accepting fish, reptile, and amphibian specimen donations, which is currently impeded due to safety concerns. The project will further increase access to these collections for research by allowing MCNH to maintain an online presence through the iDigBio (idigbio.org) and Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) web portals, increasing access to MCNH collections. The MCNH will eventually house these collections in one contiguous space, however due to the currently prohibitive cost of such an endeavor, this project addresses an immediate concern by dispersing the collections in flammable storage cabinets to a series of control areas while still allowing security and physical control of the specimens within accepted museum standards. This project will prove invaluable experience for CMU's Museum Studies Program students, as well as making these specimens more accessible for future research, teaching, educational programming, and exhibits.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.