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

该项目确保堪萨斯大学(KU)生物多样性研究所收藏的哺乳动物研究藏品的长期保存和安全。KU生物多样性研究所的哺乳动物收藏具有国际重要性，在北美排名第六，在世界大学收藏数量排名第三。该项目用最新的不锈钢外壳取代陈旧的木质标本柜，将不可替代的标本从环境欠佳的条件下拯救出来，并将它们永久保存在理想的、受气候控制的、无虫害的住房中。保护KU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、正规的本科生和研究生教育以及KU生物多样性研究所自然历史博物馆的K-12学生、教师和公众观众的公共编程做出贡献。这个项目吸引了几个本科生和研究生参与基于收藏的研究项目和积极的策展。生物多样性研究所保存的物理标本为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，并可供全球的研究人员借阅。KU生物多样性研究所的哺乳动物标本收藏在332个橱柜中，279936个干标本，其中185个是可以追溯到20世纪50年代和60年代的陈旧和受损的木柜，其关节、门和封条不足以保护干燥标本免受虫害。标本将被抽真空并在-40°C下冷冻2周以消除害虫，然后转移到不锈钢箱中长期保存。在转移过程中，来自标本标签的数据将被核实并以数字方式记录在指定的博物馆数据库中，并通过GBIF、iDigBio、Bison和VertNet提供给社区。随着标本的加工，表型特征将被记录下来，包括每个标本的繁殖状态或蜕皮进度，这些数据将被用来测试哺乳动物生活史事件的变化。学生将与昆士兰大学生物多样性研究所的展品工作人员合作，构思和建立一个新的公共展品，重点是科学收藏的重要性。展览将突出研究故事，说明收藏对于解决社会关注的问题是多么关键，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NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.