CSBR: Natural History Collections: Equipment for The Field Museum's Fossil Mammal Collection Range for the Accommodation of Nonmammalian Synapsids and the Turnbull Collection

Field Museum Of Natural History, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

The Field Museum of Natural History's fossil mammal collection is an invaluable resource for paleontological, paleoecological, and evolutionary research. Two components of this collection require urgent attention. Several thousand specimens collected by W. D. Turnbull during his nearly 70 year career have never been accessioned; many of the specimens, which can elucidate the early histories of modern mammal groups against the backdrop of a rapidly warming climate, have never been unpacked. The non-mammalian synapsid collection was built by iconic paleontologists and continues to provide key information about the earliest ancestors of mammals. Yet this collection is stored in overcrowded facilities with no room for anticipated expansion. Specimens from these collections will be packaged in archival storage materials and housed in new cabinets and shelving that take advantage of existing infrastructure in the fossil mammal collection space (funded by a previous grant). Uncataloged specimens will be accessioned and cataloged. Collections data for all Field Museum fossil vertebrates will be made available online. These steps will increase the utility and accessibility of the specimens to the research community, while guaranteeing their long-term preservation for future generations. A postdoctoral researcher and two undergraduates will be trained in collections management and curation during the grant; a third undergraduate will produce podcasts describing the work and its rationale.