CSBR: Rehousing of the Mammal Collection at the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute

该项目确保了堪萨斯大学生物多样性研究所哺乳动物研究藏品的长期保存和安全。堪萨斯大学生物多样性研究所的哺乳动物收藏在国际上具有重要意义，在北美排名第六，在世界上排名第三。该项目用最新的不锈钢外壳取代了陈旧的木制标本柜，从环境不足的条件下拯救了不可替代的标本，并将它们永久保存在理想的、气候可控的、无虫害的房屋中。保护堪萨斯大学生物多样性研究所的哺乳动物收藏，确保这些资源继续为生物多样性科学、正式的本科和研究生教育、K-12学生、教师和堪萨斯大学生物多样性研究所自然历史博物馆的公众节目做出贡献。这个项目让一些本科生和研究生参与到基于收藏的研究项目和主动策展中。生物多样性研究所保存的实物标本为DNA、气候变化、进化、保护和新出现的病原体的研究和教育提供了重要的基础，并可供全球研究人员借阅。堪萨斯大学生物多样性研究所的哺乳动物收藏在332个橱柜中收藏了279,936个干标本，其中185个是20世纪50年代和60年代的陈旧和受损的木柜，其接缝，门和密封不足以保护干标本免受害虫侵扰。标本将被抽真空并在-40ºC冷冻2周以消除害虫，然后转移到不锈钢盒中长期保存。在转移过程中，标本标签的数据将被验证并以数字方式记录在指定博物馆数据库中，并通过GBIF、iDigBio、BISON和VertNet向社区提供服务。随着标本的处理，表型特征将被记录下来，包括每个标本的生殖状态或蜕皮过程，这些数据将用于测试哺乳动物生活史事件随时间的变化。学生们将与堪萨斯大学生物多样性研究所的展览人员合作，构思和建造一个新的公共展览，重点关注科学收藏的重要性。这次展览将重点介绍一些研究故事，说明收藏对解决社会感兴趣的问题是多么重要，包括识别新出现的病原体和追踪入侵物种的起源。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。

This project ensures the long-term preservation and security of the mammalian research collections housed at the University of Kansas (KU) Biodiversity Institute. The KU Biodiversity Institute’s mammal collection is of international importance, ranked as the sixth largest in North America, and the third largest university holding in the world. This project replaces antiquated wooden specimen cabinets with updated stainless steel casing to rescue irreplaceable specimens from environmentally deficient conditions and preserve them in ideal, climate-controlled, pest-free housing in perpetuity. Safeguarding the KU Biodiversity Institute’s mammal collection ensures the continued contribution of these resources to biodiversity science, formal undergraduate and graduate education, and public programming for K–12 students, teachers, and public audiences of the KU Biodiversity Institute’s Natural History Museum. This project engages several undergraduate and graduate students in collections-based research projects and active curation. The physical specimens preserved at the Biodiversity Institute provide a critical foundation for research and education on DNA, climate change, evolution, conservation, and emerging pathogens, and are available for loan by researchers across the globe.The KU Biodiversity Institute’s mammal collection houses 279,936 dry specimens in 332 cabinets, 185 of which are antiquated and compromised wooden cabinets that date to the 1950s and 1960s, and whose joints, doors, and seals are inadequate for protecting dry specimens from pest infestations. Specimens will be vacuumed and frozen at -40ºC for 2 weeks to eliminate pests, then transferred to stainless steel cases for long-term preservation. During the transfer, data from specimen tags will be verified and digitally recorded in the Specify museum database, and served to the community through GBIF, iDigBio, BISON, and VertNet. As specimens are processed, phenotypic characters will be recorded, including the reproductive status or molting progress of each specimen, and these data will be used to test for shifts in mammalian life history events overtime. Students will collaborate with Exhibits Staff at the KU Biodiversity Institute to conceive and build a new public exhibit focused on the importance of scientific collections. The exhibit will highlight research stories that illustrate how critical collections are for solving problems of societal interest, including recognizing emerging pathogens and tracing the origins of invasive species.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.