CSBR: Natural History: Compactorized Shelving for the Wet Collections of the Auburn University Museum of Natural History

Auburn University, Auburn AL

Investigators

Abstract

Biological Research Collections are important resources for understanding our changing planet. Researchers use specimens to describe new species, understand the relationships between taxa, explore the environment, and conserve our natural resources as well as to train the next generations of biologists. Collections in the Auburn University Museum of Natural History span plants and animals, with particularly strong holdings from the very diverse Gulf of Mexico coast region, and important collections from the rest of the world. Auburn University completed a new, state-of-the-art facility for their collections in 2013. Since moving to the new facility, the collections have seen remarkable growth, not just in terms of the number of specimens, but in the outreach that the museum is able to perform for people in the state and region. The museum absorbed collections from other university units and orphaned collections from other institutions in the area, putting strain on the space available. The collections stored in alcohol (fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates) have grown at a particularly fast rate, and the alcohol storage area is limited because of needed safety measures for the proper storage of flammable liquids. This project will provide compactorized shelving that will dramatically increase the amount of space within the alcohol collections. Moving invertebrate specimens from an area not currently rated for storage in ethanol into the compactors will also allow growth of the dry collections (particularly insects), which are also approaching capacity. This project will demonstrate the complexity of managing collections and as an opportunity to teach a class in museum curation techniques to graduate students and upper level undergraduate students, and to further engage students to assist in the project. Open house events at the Wehle Center are planned to provide programs to underserved children in the area. Social media will be utilized to keep the public apprised of the project and the resources that the collections represent. Digitization of the collections will be completed, and all data will be available on the museum site (aumnh.org) as well as data aggregators such as iDigBio (idigbio.org). 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.