CSBR: Natural History: Development of a Liquid Nitrogen System for the Genetic Resources Collection, Natural Science Research Laboratory, Museum of Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University, Lubbock TX

Investigators

Abstract

An award is made to the Genetic Resources Collection (GRC) of the Natural Science Research Laboratory (NSRL), Museum of Texas Tech University to improve the security of its holdings through replacement of 16 mechanical -80oC freezers with a Liquid Nitrogen (-190oC) system. The samples housed at NSRL-GRC are used by researchers from around the world to address questions vital to science and society, such as advancing understanding of global biodiversity, the impact of humans on the natural world, and the transmission of disease between wildlife and humans. Each tissue sample is unique and irreplaceable, as it represents an individual at a specific point in time and space, and the samples are of unlimited actual and potential value to the science community in terms of on-going and future research. Outcomes of this project include: expanded storage capacity of the GRC, allowing for growth of the collection; education and training of graduate and undergraduate students in collection management practices; a public exhibit highlighting the significance of genetic resource collections to science and society; outreach materials for high school educators; development of a newsletter and a feature page on the NSRL website; refinement of curatorial standards; and reduced energy consumption by the transition to a green technology. The primary goal of this project is to replace the GRC's current storage system of 16 mechanical freezers with five vapor-phase liquid nitrogen (LN) freezers that preserve samples at -190°C. The lower temperature will ensure the integrity of the samples and preserve the entire spectrum of genomic data they contain, including molecules (RNA, viruses, bacteria, etc.) ensuring their potential to inform future research efforts. This will broaden the usage of the GRC beyond traditional disciplines, such as biodiversity and systematics, to include genomics and other developing fields of genetic, molecular, and environmental research. The project will also enable enhanced data accessibility by researchers and NSRL staff and allow for implementation of new curation procedures for GRC samples. This will be accomplished by: 1) annotating the NSRL database with genetic sequence database numbers and making those data available via data portals such as iDigBio and VertNet; 2) annotating the NSRL's internal database to indicate samples obtained from virus-positive vouchers and designate those samples with color-coded labels; and 3) identifying symbiotype and holotype genetic samples with color-coded labels. Overall, this project seeks to preserve the integrity and information content of the specimens while engaging the wider community by highlighting issues of relevance to their lives.