Renovation, digitization, and integration of the Kansas State University mammal collection within national collaborative collections management for enhancing biodiversity research

自然历史收藏品是从现在和过去的时间范围内对全球生物多样性的长期记录，如果妥善储存，可能会在未来几十年甚至几个世纪内保存下来。这些生物资源有助于在许多方面推进科学认识，包括物种如何应对气候变化，物种如何随着时间的推移而进化，以及野生动物和人类的疾病如何出现和传播。此外，标本可以用来加强各级公众教育，并有一天可以用来回答后代提出的问题。堪萨斯州立大学（KSU）的哺乳动物标本是过去100年来大平原上出现的代表性物种。然而，它们目前的储存条件很差，与之相关的信息无法为科学或公众所用。该项目将确保：1）所有现有标本都妥善储存在安全稳定的箱子、架子和冰柜中; 2）所有数据都进行数字化处理，并在网上公开提供，以供多种用途; 3）KSU哺乳动物收藏品将成为加强科学和教育的积极资源，并有能力持续增长和增加公众使用。许多现有的哺乳动物标本与附近的Konza长期生态研究（LTER）计划有关，因此KSU哺乳动物标本集将代表数十年生态生态保护规模实验系统的标本材料遗产。在第一年，将购买新的和安全的储存箱和货架，现有的哺乳动物标本将被重新安置。代表堪萨斯哺乳动物多样性的标本子集将被指定为KSU课程的教学收藏，并将开发一个用于教育目的的单独收藏，并将其安置在Konza LTER野外站。与所有标本相关的数据将包括物种信息、地理参考采集地点和日期、身体测量、寄生虫、冷冻组织以及可能的多种其他种类的标本部分。所有数据将上传到Arctos在线多采集数据库，并在其他活跃的标本数据门户网站（包括iDigBio）之间共享。积压标本的策展和处理将在整个项目期间继续进行，并将用作向本科生教授策展方法的资源。这项工作将在三年内雇用多名学生和技术人员。学生通过学习策划标本和相关数据的过程中的经验，将有助于发展下一代博物馆为基础的科学家和教育工作者。翻新后的收藏将加强K-12教育和多个本科课程，包括哺乳动物学的实地方法课程。相关的标本资源将推动项目PI和研究生正在进行的新的研究方向。这个项目将导致一个更新和扩大公开搜索，和相关的标本数据流。该项目由能力：生物收藏和刺激竞争性研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。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。

Natural history collections constitute long-term records of global biodiversity from present and past timeframes that might, if properly stored, be preserved many decades or even centuries into the future. These biological resources help to advance scientific understanding in many ways, including how species respond to climate change, how species evolve through time, and how diseases of wildlife and people emerge and spread. Additionally, specimens can be used to enhance public education at all levels, and one day can be used to answer questions asked by future generations. The collections of mammals at Kansas State University (KSU) are representative of species occurring through the Great Plains from roughly the last 100 years. However, their current storage conditions are poor and the information associated with them is not usable by science or the public. This project will ensure that 1) all existing specimens are properly stored in secure and stable cases, shelving units and freezers, 2) all of the data is digitized and made publicly available online for multiple uses, and 3) the KSU mammal collection will become an active resource for enhancing both science and education, with capacity for ongoing growth and increasing public use. Many of the existing mammal specimens are associated with the nearby Konza Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) Initiative, and as such the KSU mammal collection will represent a legacy of specimen materials from a multi-decade ecological landscape-scale experimental system. In the first year, new and secure storage cases and shelves will be purchased, and existing mammal specimens will be re-housed. A subset of specimens representative of Kansas mammal diversity will be designated as a teaching collection for KSU classes, and a separate collection for educational purposes will be developed to be housed at the Konza LTER field station. Data associated with all specimens will include information on species, georeferenced collection localities and dates, body measurements, parasites, frozen tissues, and potentially multiple other kinds of specimen parts. All data will be uploaded to the Arctos online multi-collection database and shared across other active specimen data portals including iDigBio. Curation and processing of back-logged specimens will continue through the duration of the project and will be used as resources for teaching curatorial methods to undergraduate students. The work will employ multiple students and technicians over three years. Student experience through learning the process of curating specimens and associated data will help to develop the next generation of museum-based scientists and educators. The renovated collection will enhance K-12 education and multiple undergraduate classes including a field-based methods course in mammalogy. Associated specimen resources will fuel ongoing and novel research directions by the project PI and graduate students. This project will result in a renovated and expanding publicly searchable, and relational specimen data stream. This project is jointly funded by Capacity: Biological Collections and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.