Improving the Storage Conditions and Beginning Digitization of the Paleozoic Stratigraphic Fossil Collections at the Paleontological Research Institution

该项目将对古生物研究所古生代地层化石馆藏进行物理存储升级，并开始数字化的长期进程。目前，由于存储不足和数字化不足，古生代地层化石馆藏存在物理退化和数据丢失的危险。卡尔·布雷特和戈登·贝尔德的泥盆纪藏品将升级到最高的策展标准，其相关数据将数字化，并使研究团体和公众更广泛地了解和在线获取。这个收藏记录了泥盆纪的独特的无脊椎动物化石记录，大约4.18至3.58亿年前，在美国东北部，特别是纽约，被广泛认为是世界上地层学最完整的地区之一。该项目将大大增加这些藏品的可获得性和可发现性，用于研究各种重要的古生物学主题，包括：1)群落水平的停滞和变化，2)响应重大海平面/气候变化和新物种入侵的生态位进化，3)形态停滞，以及4)海洋生物的环境变化和进化/灭绝。这个项目有两个更广泛的影响组成部分：1)建立一个关于纽约常见化石的在线现场指南，2)开发一系列教育视频。这些互补的资源将突出布雷特和贝尔德泥盆纪收集的地质背景和无脊椎动物化石的多样性。为了确保布雷特和贝尔德泥盆纪标本的巨大研究和教育价值得以实现，该项目将1)通过将收集到的约4,000个无脊椎动物化石组合样本转移到新装修的气候控制设施，升级其物理存储；2)通过数据聚集器，如地球样本注册系统和iDigBio，通过数字化和在线公开共享记录，鼓励对这些标本的使用。该项目还将为收集的大约2500个地点提供增值的地理参考数据。除了改善收藏条件和可访问性之外，该项目将建立在古生物学研究所在开发关于古生物学和化石记录的免费在线教育资源方面的强大历史基础上。具体的外展活动包括为公众制作5个短视频（3-5分钟），配有字幕，突出布雷特和贝尔德泥盆纪的收藏。这个系列将被称为“从野外到云端”，并将详细介绍单个化石的旅程，因为它经历了从第一次发现，到策展，再到最终在公众可访问的在线数据库中进行在线展示的步骤。一个新的泥盆纪古生命地图集也将被开发出来，其中包括至少200个来自纽约泥盆纪化石记录的常见物种，以帮助从业余收藏家到博物馆专业人员的每个人识别和了解更多来自该州的化石。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 will upgrade the physical storage and begin the long-term process of digitizing the Paleozoic stratigraphic fossil collections at the Paleontological Research Institution, which are currently in danger of physical deterioriation and data loss due to inadequate storage and lack of digitization. The Carl Brett and Gordon Baird Devonian collection will be upgraded to the highest curatorial standards and its associated data digitized and made more widely known and available online to the research community and general public. This collection documents the unique invertebrate fossil record of the Devonian, ~418 to 358 million years ago, of the northeastern United States, particularly New York, which is widely regarded as one of the most stratigraphically complete in the world. The project will greatly increase the accessibility and discoverability of these collections for studying a variety of important paleobiological topics, including: 1) community-level stasis and change, 2) niche evolution in response to major sea-level/ climatic change and invasion of new species, 3) morphological stasis, and 4) environmental change and evolution/ extinction of marine biotas. The project has two broader impact components: 1) construction of an online field guide to common New York fossils, and 2) development of a series of educational videos. These complementary resources will highlight both the geologic context and diversity of invertebrate fossils in the Brett and Baird Devonian collection.To ensure that the considerable research and educational value of the Brett and Baird Devonian collection is realized, this project will 1) upgrade the physical storage of the ~4,000 invertebrate fossil assemblage samples in the collection by moving them to a newly renovated climate-controlled facility, and 2) encourage use of the collection by digitizing and sharing records publicly online via data aggregators, such as the System for Earth Sample Registration and iDigBio. The project will also provide value-added geo-referenced data to the estimated 2,500 localities in the collection. Beyond improving the storage conditions and accessibility of the collection, this project will build on the Paleontological Research Institution’s strong history in developing free, online educational resources about paleontology and the fossil record. Specific outreach activities include creating a collection of five short (3-5 minute) videos with closed captioning for the public that will highlight the Brett and Baird Devonian collection. This series will be called “From the Field to the Cloud” and will detail the journey of an individual fossil as it travels through the steps from first discovery, to curation, to its final online representation in a publicly accessible online database. A new Devonian Atlas of Ancient Life will also be developed featuring at least 200 commonly encountered species from the Devonian fossil record of New York to help everyone from avocational collectors to museum professionals identify and learn more about fossils from the state.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.