Conserving and Incorporating the Stratigraphic Collection of Brachiopods into the Systematic Collection (the "Schuchert Collection") and Development of an Online Database

Yale University, New Haven CT

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to Yale University under the direction of Dr. Derek Briggs to upgrade the storage conditions for a large collection of fossil brachiopods (lampshells) in the Peabody Museum. Lampshells were once one of the more abundant groups of living organisms but only a few survive today. Because of this rich fossil record, the group is an important source of data for studying trends in diversity and extinction patterns over large spans of time. This unique paleontological collection will be conserved, cleaned, transferred to archival-quality trays and relocated in the Environmental Science Center. Each specimen will be identified and cataloged electronically with locality information and images. A web site of brachiopods will be generated, accessible to researchers and to the wider community. Electronic cataloging of fossils, including images, will allow greater access to the collections through the Internet. The development of a new web site will present data on the collections, as well as an online encyclopedia on all aspects brachiopods, both living and fossil, to K-12 students, graduate and undergraduate students, amateurs, and researchers. During the project, undergraduate students will gain experience in working with paleontological collections in a museum setting. The YPM is located in the diverse urban setting of New Haven, Connecticut and actively promotes public involvement with the museum collections, with educational visits and training of teachers in the earth and biological sciences, in order to promote an understanding of the natural world.