Digitization PEN: GalapaGateway: Unlocking Model Evolutionary Systems for Research and Education

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The California Academy of Sciences (CAS) is home to the largest and most complete collection of scientific research specimens from the Galápagos Islands, the majority of which can only be accessed by a small number of researchers able to visit the museum. GalapaGateway is a Partnership to Existing Networks (PEN) award that compliments the Open Vertebrate Thematic Collections Network (oVert TCN). This PEN will produce and disseminate high resolution three-dimensional (3D) imagery of approximately 1300 vertebrate specimens of reptiles, birds, and mammals from the Galápagos Islands, thereby increasing accessibility to these historical specimens. Resulting 3D scans will be available free of charge on multiple platforms, including iDigBio, MorphoSource, SketchFab, and a dedicated CAS portal that links scans to specimen data, fieldnotes, and images. Physical 3D models of selected specimens, such as giant tortoises and Darwin’s finches, will be printed for use in education and public outreach at the CAS and at the Charles Darwin Foundation in the Galápagos Islands. While the oVert TCN aims to scan a single representative of each vertebrate genus, this PEN will image multiple specimens per species to capture within-species variation. Variation within species of Galapagos animals was central to Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection and continues to serve as a textbook example for explaining these foundational concepts to students and the general public. Through a combination of computed tomography (CT) and structured light surface scanning, the GalapaGateway project will create morphological data and 3D models of multiple series of closely related taxa from across the Galápagos Archipelago, allowing for in-depth analysis of vertebrate morphology, variation, adaptation, and speciation. 3D surface scanning will be used on specimens too large for traditional CT-scanning machines. Producing these scans of iconic historical specimens from the Galápagos will facilitate a wide variety of academic inquiries, including research into morphology and allometry, development, taxonomy, and adaptive ecology and evolution.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.