CSBR: Natural History: Essential Improvements for the Vertebrate and Invertebrate Zoology Collections at Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum

Bernice P Bishop Museum, Honolulu HI

Investigators

Abstract

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum (BPBM) is the world's largest repository of biological material from Hawaii and the Pacific region. This collection represents a historical record of the many species that have been lost to extinction in this ecologically sensitive region, and also serves as an invaluable tool for research on the rich biodiversity resource that remains. This project will support acquisition of modern cabinets and containers for two of BPBM's natural history collections, Vertebrate Zoology (VZ) and Invertebrate Zoology (IZ), that are urgently needed to rescue specimens from deteriorating cabinets and inadequate shelving, and remain inaccessible to the scientific community because there is no secure space to properly house them. The project will also improve the quality and accessibility of the specimen information within the collections' electronic databases. During the award period, researchers will be providing twelve STEM undergraduate interns and eight high school students with training in collections care and taxonomy, as well as career mentoring. This collaboration will strengthen the museum's relationship with local educational institutions and increase public engagement with science, technology, and Hawaii's unique natural history. During this two-year project, 64 new cabinets will be installed to provide improved storage for 43,800 specimens and 9,051 specimen lots. The improvements will relieve hazardous overcrowding and allow for the completion of long needed curatorial projects. While cataloged specimens are pulled from old cabinets and placed into new ones, their corresponding data records will be cleaned, updated, and expanded. Other material will be digitized anew, including an estimated 10,000 specimens from the VZ collection and 4,000 specimen lots from the IZ collection. Researchers and educators across the globe will be able to access new and updated records via BPBM's website and other online data aggregators, including VertNet, iDigBio, and GBIF. Additionally, each specimen that is touched during this process will receive a QR code. These codes will vastly improve the ability of staff to locate specimens within the collections and track specimens as they are used for research and outreach. The transfer of specimens from old to new equipment also presents an ideal opportunity to assess the conservation status of each specimen. With help from BPBM's assistant conservator, the specimens will receive the care and attention to maintain their integrity well into the future. 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.