Digitization PEN: Critical Central and South American additions to the EPICC TCN from the oldest Invertebrate Paleontology collection in the United States

德雷塞尔大学自然科学院（ANSP）获得了加入东太平洋新生代无脊椎动物群落（EPICC）专题收藏网络（TCN）作为现有网络（PEN）合作伙伴的奖励。EPICC TCN专注于东太平洋沿岸地区过去6600万年的海洋无脊椎动物化石的数字化。这些标本记录了地质历史上几个重要的气候事件，可以帮助研究人员了解海洋无脊椎动物物种和生态系统如何应对过去的气候变化，以及它们如何应对未来的类似事件。学生实习生将通过德雷塞尔大学的合作项目来协助数字化进程的各个方面。带薪实习的学生还将参与研究，并在大学、地方或国家会议上展示他们的工作成果。收集工作人员还将与ANSP的自然科学女性（WINS）项目合作，该项目面向来自费城服务不足家庭的高中女生。两名WINS学生将作为ANSP EPICC团队的一员实习，然后将获得德雷克塞尔大学的奖学金。为高中生举办的夏季地球科学野外夏令营，作为一次顶点体验。在这个项目中，ANSP工作人员将对ANSP无脊椎古生物学部门保存的大约18300个EPICC tcn相关标本进行数字化并提供在线标本和地点数据。ANSP收集工作人员还将为402个与EPICC tcn相关的历史标本拍摄并提供在线图像。这个庞大的历史收藏品大部分没有编目，没有数字化，也没有在线提供。通过EPICC TCN数字化的标本将代表ANSP无脊椎古生物收藏的第一个在线存在，这是北美最古老的无脊椎古生物收藏。此外，该PEN将填补EPICC项目中的关键空白，特别关注来自中美洲和南美洲的标本。根据EPICC的政策，该笔的标本数据和类型标本照片将通过iDigBio （idigbio.org）向研究人员和公众提供。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An award is made to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (ANSP) to join the Eastern Pacific Invertebrate Communities of the Cenozoic (EPICC) Thematic Collections Network (TCN) as a Partner to Existing Networks (PEN). The EPICC TCN focuses on the digitization of marine invertebrate fossils from the last 66 million years from Eastern Pacific rim localities. These specimens capture a record of several important climatic events in geologic history and can help researchers understand how marine invertebrate species and ecosystems have responded to climatic changes in the past, and how they may respond to similar events in the future. Student interns will be hired through Drexel University's co-op program to assist in all aspects of the digitization process. Co-op students will also engage in research and present the results of their work at either a University, local, or national conference. Collections staff will also work with ANSP's Women in Natural Sciences (WINS) program for high school girls from underserved families in Philadelphia. Two WINS students will intern as part of the ANSP EPICC team, and then will receive a scholarship to attend Drexel?s summer geoscience field camp for high school students as a capstone experience. For this project, ANSP staff will digitize and make available online specimen and locality data for approximately 18,300 EPICC TCN-relevant specimens held in the ANSP Invertebrate Paleontology Department. ANSP collections staff will also photograph and make available online images for 402 EPICC TCN-relevant historic type specimens. This large and historic collection is largely uncatalogued, is not digitized, and is not available online. The specimens digitized through the EPICC TCN will represent the first online presence for the ANSP Invertebrate Paleontology collection, the oldest invertebrate paleontology collection in North America. In addition, this PEN will fill key gaps within the EPICC project, with a particular focus on specimens from Central and South America. The specimen data and the type specimen photographs from this PEN will be made available to researchers and the public through iDigBio (idigbio.org) in accordance with EPICC's policy.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.