RUI: CSBR: Natural History Collections: Modernization and Consolidation of the Natural History Collections at MSU into the Xeric Ecosystem Research Center (XERC)

保持生物多样性的可访问记录非常重要，特别是考虑到当前的生态威胁，如快速变化的气候，入侵物种，栖息地破坏和城市化。 这一记录对于那些物种在生物研究收藏中代表性不足，因此了解较少的生态系统尤为重要。 在美国大陆的这些生态系统中，有中部平原和西南部沙漠。 位于德克萨斯州威奇托瀑布的中西部州立大学（MSU）的收藏品中有大量来自外佩科斯生态区的滚动平原生态系统和奇瓦瓦沙漠的标本。这些收藏目前作为三个分类上分开的实体进行维护。通过将MSU的脊椎动物，陆生无脊椎动物和植物收藏品整合到干旱生态系统研究中心（XERC），使基础设施现代化，并将标本数据数字化，这些收藏品将变得更加有用，并可供科学家和公众使用。 XERC还将通过推广计划和特殊的博物馆展览，增加年轻学习者对干旱生态系统生物多样性的理解和欣赏，并强调植物和动物对曾经占据这些生态系统的美洲原住民的历史意义。 干旱生态系统研究中心将对中西部州立大学自然历史收藏中的所有标本进行整合。 这些标本记录中的许多在历史上被保存为纸质文件，现在将由学生助理和公民科学家进行数字化，由策展人进行验证，并通过iDigBio（http：//www.example.com）向公众提供。www.idigbio.org植物标本馆的标本将被拍照和数字化，以创建一个虚拟的植物标本馆，也将向公众开放。 将对标本柜进行维修和升级，使其达到行业标准，通过升级环境储存来提高维持分子数据的能力，并将制定一项虫害综合管理计划。 中西部州立大学将积极向更广泛的科学界推广XERC，并鼓励广泛使用其中包含的标本和数据。为了提高XERC的教育和文化价值，将制作并广泛提供一个ADA可访问的网站和针对年轻学习者（K-5）的相关教育材料。XERC将与威奇托瀑布艺术博物馆（WFMA）合作，制作两个公共展览，突出德克萨斯州跨佩科斯生态区的生物多样性和中原植物和动物对早期美洲原住民的文化意义。通过这些努力，旱生生态系统研究中心将成为研究中心、生物多样性记录和旱生生态系统重要生物材料的储存库。该奖项反映了NSF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。

Maintaining an accessible record of biodiversity is of great importance, especially given current ecological threats such as a rapidly changing climate, invasive species, habitat destruction, and urbanization. This record is particularly important for ecosystems whose species are underrepresented in biological research collections, and therefore less understood. Among such ecosystems within the continental United States are the Central Plains and the Southwestern Deserts. The collections at Midwestern State University (MSU) in Wichita Falls, Texas holds a robust sample of specimens from the Rolling Plains ecosystem and the Chihuahuan Desert of the Trans-Pecos ecoregion. These collections are currently maintained as three taxonomically separated entities. By consolidating the vertebrate, terrestrial invertebrate, and plant collections at MSU into the Xeric Ecosystem Research Center (XERC), modernizing the infrastructure, and digitizing specimen data, the collection will become much more useful and accessible to scientists and members of the public. XERC will also, through outreach programs and special museum exhibits, increase the understanding and appreciation of xeric ecosystem biodiversity among young learners and highlight the historical significance of plants and animals to the Native Americans who once occupied these ecosystems. The Xeric Ecosystem Research Center will consolodate all specimens currently in natural history collections at Midwestern State University. Many of these specimen records were historically maintained as paper documents that will now be digitized by student assistants and citizen scientists, validated by curators, and made available to the public through iDigBio (http://www.idigbio.org). Herbarium specimens will be photographed and digitized to create a virtual herbarium that will also be publicly accessible. Specimen cabinets will be repaired and upgraded to industry standards, the capacity to maintain molecular data will be enhanced with upgraded environmental storage, and an integrated pest management plan will be instituted. Midwestern State will actively promote XERC to the broader scientific community and encourage broad use of the specimens and data contained therein. To enhance the educational and cultural value of XERC, an ADA accessible website and associated educational materials aimed at young learners (K-5) will be produced and made widely available. XERC will partner with the Wichita Falls Museum of Art (WFMA) to produce two public exhibits that highlights biodiversity of the Trans-Pecos ecoregion of Texas and the cultural significance of plants and animals of the Central Plains to early Native Americans. Through these efforts, the Xeric Ecosystem Research Center will serve as a hub for research, a record of biodiversity, and a repository for important biological materials from xeric ecosystems.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.