CSBR: Emergency Rescue of the Orphaned Fish Collection of the University of Puerto Rico and Capacity Expansion of the Ichthyology Collection at the Sam Noble Museum

生物收藏品是了解地球生物多样性的主要信息来源。它们不仅记录了现有的多样性，还提供了跟踪时间和地理变化的基线，以及在地方和全球范围内的预防措施。该项目旨在拯救马亚圭斯波多黎各大学海洋科学系的孤儿鱼收藏品，改善标本和相关信息的获取，并扩大萨姆诺布尔博物馆鱼类学收藏品的货架容量。两个鱼类集合的整合和可访问性有可能在多个科学学科中使用，包括生态学，保护生物学，分类学，遗传学，渔业管理，解剖学和生理学。本提案的拟议活动围绕三个主要目标组织-救援、整合和长期重建-每个目标都与实现总体提案目标的具体时间表相关。该团队结合了研究生和本科生的专业知识，以及在俄克拉荷马州和波多黎各不同层次的博物馆经验的志愿者，为研讨会提供了丰富的背景，并为下一代科学家制定了综合培训计划。自然历史收藏品作为生物多样性的储存库发挥着重要作用，并提供了关于野生动物和过去环境条件的可核实的永久记录。该项目将拯救和保护UPR-M鱼类学收藏馆，这是加勒比地区最大的海洋鱼类生物多样性生物储存库之一，包括13，000个标本的历史数据，包括805个物种，392个属和123个濒临灭绝的科。将UPR-M鱼类学收藏品纳入SNOMNH将通过改善物理访问、标本贷款、收藏品数字化以及通过博物馆网站和其他网络门户共享数据，大大增加科学家和其他用户的可访问性。该项目将加强SNOMNH鱼类学收藏的基础设施，并提高其科学价值和科学家，教育工作者和公众的可访问性。SNOMNH鱼类学收藏是大平原下游的重要科学资源和生物遗产，约占美国鱼类多样性总量的20%。它主要是淡水鱼类（尽管其范围最近已扩大到包括海洋鱼类）的多样化组合，以及来自俄克拉荷马州溪流和水库的地方性区域鱼类动物群。该项目将为将研究纳入学习和教育活动提供多种机会。在UPR-M和UPR的学生将参加收集为基础的活动，作为他们的学术和实践经验和夏季讲习班的一部分在波多黎各。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

Biological collections are a primary source of information to understand Earth’s biodiversity. They not only document existing diversity, but also provide the baseline to track changes across time and geography, as well as extinctions at local and global scales. This project aims to rescue the orphaned Fish Collection of the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez (UPR-M), improve access to specimens and associated information, and expand the shelving capacity of the Ichthyology Collection at the Sam Noble Museum (SNOMNH). Integration and accessibility of the two fish collections have the potential to be used across multiple scientific disciplines, including ecology, conservation biology, taxonomy, phylogenetics, fisheries management, anatomy, and physiology. The proposed activities for this proposal are organized around three primary goals—rescue, integration, and long-term preservation—each associated with specific timelines to achieve the overarching proposal goals. The team combines expertise of graduate and undergraduate students, and volunteers with museum experience at different levels in Oklahoma and Puerto Rico to provide a rich context for workshops, and for the development of an integrative training program for the next generation of scientists. Natural history collections play a fundamental role as repositories of biodiversity and provide verifiable and permanent records of wildlife and past environmental conditions. This project will rescue and safeguard the UPR-M Ichthyology Collection, one the largest biorepositories of marine fish biodiversity in the Caribbean, encompassing historical data from 13,000 specimens, comprising 805 species, 392 genera, and 123 families in imminent danger to become lost. Integration of the UPR-M Ichthyology collection into the SNOMNH will greatly increase its accessibility to scientists and other users through improved physical access, specimen loans, digitization of the collection, and sharing of data via the museum website, and other network portals. This project will enhance the infrastructure of the SNOMNH Ichthyology Collection and increase its scientific value and accessibility for scientists, educators, and the general public. The SNOMNH Ichthyology Collection is an important scientific resource and biological legacy for the lower Great Plains representing about 20% of the total fish diversity of the United States. It hosts diverse assemblages of mostly freshwater fishes (although its scope has recently expanded to include marine fish species as well), and endemic regional fish fauna from streams and reservoirs in Oklahoma. This project will provide multiple opportunities for integrating research into learning and education activities. Students at UPR-M and OU will participate in the collections-based activities as part of their academic and practical experiences and summer workshops at Puerto Rico.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.