Judith SkogBiological Sciences

DirectorateNational Science Foundation

July 11, 2012

The Case for Collection Support: Getting to the “First

Step”

Themes Collections contain information

that is valuable for a variety of purposes

Target audience must be considered

Framing is extremely important for survival of collections

Beginnings Ginkgo biloba known

as a fossil only in west Saved from extinction

in east Chinese trees

venerated by Buddhist monks and preserved in gardens

Medicinal and religious uses of seeds and leaves

People respected old age and long life

Early history Earliest botanical

garden and herbarium at Padua in 1545

Center for scientific research

Medicinal uses of plants not standard in practice

Government of Venice wanted people healthy

Scientists’ case for study

Continues to present day

Continuing exploration Hans Sloan as

successful physician

Supported his botanical collections

Founding collections for British Museum

Mutual cooperation Linnaeus with

patrons Importance of

collecting Medical uses with

understanding of nature

Supported students to collect around the world adding to the growing knowledge of organisms

1800s public science Public middle

classes interested in their world and what was in it

Amateurs collected variety of items

Beginning of societies for natural history

Often pastimes were arranging collections

Public museums Increasing numbers of

public museums for the general interest in the natural world – 1881 Nat. Hist Mus opened to public in London

Growth of cities encouraged people to romanticize the natural world

Science discussed and debated

20th Century Collaboration Ecology proposing large major facility Biodiversity researchers also proposing

large effort Center activities increasing – NCEAS first Taxon-based data resources being

established FishNet and Species Analyst in 1999 HerpNet and MaNIS in 2001

Environmental data integration projects (Ocean Biogeographic Information System, 1997)

Setting the stage in 21st Century

NSF priorities: People, Ideas, Tools Cyberinfrastructure NEON planning began Global organization for

biodiversity information Collections collaboration

increasing Workshops on collection

interactions – at University of Florida, New York Botanical Garden

NSF Strategic Plan for 2006

DiscoveryFoster research that will advance the frontiersof knowledge, emphasizing areas of greatest opportunity and potential benefit and establishing the nation as a global leader in fundamental and transformational science and engineering.Research InfrastructureBuild the nation’s research capability throughcritical investments in advanced instrumentation,facilities, cyberinfrastructure and experimentaltools.

2005 on Research Collections proposals for

collaborations allowed, but underfunded – needed increase of funds in program and new solicitation

Research Coordination Network awarded for Collections Web to bring the community together

Within the Federal Government, there was recognition that the U.S. collections were a heritage needing attention and that they were important for a number of reasons. This concern was expressed in the Office of Management and Budget memos to the federal agencies for consideration of priorities in their budgets.

Administration priorities OMB memo to Federal Agencies

highlighted the importance of scientific collections

“ Two areas requiring special agency attention and focus through the NSTC are Federal scientific collections and R&D assessment.”

“Agencies should assess the priorities for and stewardship of Federal scientific collections and should develop a coordinated strategic plan to identify, maintain and use Federal collections and to further collections research.”

Federal Actions Interagency Working Group on Scientific

Collections began in Fall 2005 All agencies with collections at meeting NSF houses no collections – but was

deemed to be the interface with the non-federal collections that had received funding over many years for improvements to collections

First step was to assess existing collections

NSF had to develop separate assessment for collections not federally owned

NSF Activities Set up a focus group to develop an

appropriate assessment questionnaire for the non federal collections

Held at AMNH in NY with variety of collections represented

Questionnaire was approved by OMB and those collections that had received support from NSF were surveyed

At the end of the survey, about 72% of those surveyed responded with information.

Clear that collections needed additional funds

Summary of NSF survey of collections produced

Major Needs of Research Collections

Enhanced coordination and networking among collections and curators.

Finding and retaining expertise.

Reducing the risk of loss of specimens.

Improving accessibility of collections

Developing new tools to enable exchange of data

Previous NSF Support for Digitization

Primary: Improvements to Biological Research Collections Systematic Biology and Biodiversity Inventories

Other: Advances in Biological Informatics Major Research Instrumentation Long Term Ecological Research Ecology CISE/Information and Intelligent Systems, Computer and

Network Systems

Funding Decisions were Independent, Disaggregated

Defining the NeedScientific collections provide proper validation of species including a wealth of ancillary data such as DNA samples and environment/habitat information.

These data provide the baseline from which to begin further biodiversity studies and provide critical information about the existing gaps in our knowledge of life on earth.

To maximize the use of this information, digitizing scientific collections into a resource that can be accessed by the broadest possible community is vital

Digitization of Images: Bringing dark data to light

September 2009: BIO Advisory Committee discussed collections and

digitization—what is needed?

Development of a focused strategic research agenda

Development of technologies to enhance digitization capabilities

Determination of where to start digitizing

Next StepsDevelop a plan to engage and mobilize the collections community to answer the question:What would a focused, ten-year campaign to digitize existing collections look like?

Held two focus group meetings to develop a community strategic plan

Result from the Focus Group

Strategic plan for digitizing, imaging, mobilizing collections data for the non-federal collections in the USA completed by June 2010 Need a central organization for integration Need for thematic networks based on

research area Need for regional groups or clade based

groups Assess need for new tools and technologies At the core are the collections

New NSF Strategic Plan Transform the

frontiers emphasizes the seamless integration of research and education as well as the close coupling of research infrastructure and discovery.

America Competes Act Office of Science and Technology

Policy (OSTP), in consultation with relevant federal agencies, develop policies for management and use of federal scientific collections to “improve the quality, organization, access, including online access, and long-term preservation of such collections for the benefit of the scientific enterprise.”

Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections

10 year effort to digitize as many of the U.S. owned collections as possible

Invest at least 10 million dollars per year

Establish the central resource Start Thematic Collections

Networks based on major research challenges

Themes again Information is an important

component of collections and emphasizes the need to communicate that information in the form best suited for the century

Know the audience and what they wish to know and understand the political priorities

In that context, framing the issue is critical

Future?

C o s m o s