Published on 16 May 2012
The NSF-funded iDigBio project is seeking applications for its 2013 Visiting Scholars Program. This program is directed towards early-career collections and informatics-based professionals with demonstrated interest in digitization, particularly those who broaden representation within this academic and professional community.
Published on 16 May 2012
On 5 June 2012, the Natural Science Collections Alliance will host a science briefing for policymakers in Washington, DC. Natural science collections are research facilities and infrastructure that house irreplaceable specimens and data. This program, “Digitizing Science Collections: Unlocking Data for Research and Innovation,” will explore how new technologies and technique make it possible to move this information from the shelves of a science collection to a computer in a research laboratory, classroom, or home. This briefing will explore how scientists and natural science collection managers are working to digitize the nation’s natural science collections to press forward the frontiers of research, spur new technology, and provide information to answer pressing societal problems.
Please take a few moments to send an invitation to your members of Congress to encourage them to attend this important science briefing.
Take action at http://capwiz.com/aibs/issues/alert/?alertid=61339071.
Published on 15 May 2012
A new national initiative promises to improve college biology education by engaging faculty members in an effort to change how post-secondary life sciences departments approach education. PULSE, which stands for Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education, is a collaborative effort funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Program organizers also announced today that they are accepting applications from faculty members interested in becoming Vision and Change Leadership Fellows – individuals who will lead a national effort to stimulate systemic change in how post-secondary educational institutions approach biology education. The intent of the program is to develop a strategy to implement the findings from a 2011 report.
Published on 09 May 2012
The House of Representatives is scheduled to begin debating legislation on 8 May 2012 that would fund the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other federal agencies in fiscal year 2013. Importantly, this bill (H.R. 5326) will determine how much funding will be available for NSF’s scientific research and education programs in the coming year.
The legislation, as approved by the House Appropriations Committee, is supportive of NSF. The agency would receive $7.3 billion, $299 more than this year. The budget line that funds NSF’s research directorates would receive a 4 percent increase. Education funding would increase by 5 percent. The Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction account would remain essentially flat at the fiscal year 2012 level. Funding for agency operations and grant administration would also remain flat.
It is important that members of Congress are reminded by their constituents of the importance of sustained federal investment in our nation’s scientific research enterprise. Please take a few moments now to send a prepared letter to your Representative to urge his/her support for NSF.
Take action at http://capwiz.com/aibs/issues/alert/?alertid=61299141.
Published on 07 May 2012
On Tuesday, 5 June 2012, the Natural Science Collections Alliance will sponsor a science briefing for congressional lawmakers in Washington, DC. The briefing, which will take place in room 2325 of the Rayburn House Office Building from 2:00-3:00 p.m., will provide policymakers with information about how digitization of specimens and associated data are increasing access to natural science collections for research, education, and other societal benefits.
All interested individuals are welcome to attend this public event.
Program speakers:
RSVP for the briefing at http://www.aibs.org/rsvp/digitization.html.
Published on 02 May 2012
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded six new grants as part of the Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections program. The program aims to increase accessibility of biological collections and associated data. The latest round of funding will support four major grants and two smaller projects.
According to a press release by NSF, the new awards will increase the diversity of organisms to be digitized and enhance the development of techniques to digitize specimens.
“The collections being digitized are unprecedented in their worth to research and education, and hold huge potential for future development and integration with other biological data from genomes to phenomes,” said Dr. John Wingfield, NSF assistant director for Biological Sciences. “With the diversity of information digitized, these projects are addressing issues of interoperability, access and analysis–’big data.’ The benefits will be felt for many generations to come.”
Four new Thematic Collections Networks (TCNs) will be funded. Last year, NSF announced funding for the first three TCNs, as well as for a national entity. The new TCNs are:
Additionally, two new Partners to Existing Networks were announced. These smaller grants will enhance existing TCNs by adding their collections to fill gaps identified in the original network proposals. The new partner awards will focus on digitization of subtropical bryophytes and lichens, as well as high altitude lichens.
Published on 01 May 2012
After several years of negotiations, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) was formally established. The new independent body will be hosted in Bonn, Germany.
IPBES aims to address the accelerating loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystem services around the globe by bridging the gap between accurate and impartial science and policymakers.
“Today, biodiversity won,” said Sir Robert Watson, Chief Scientific Advisor of the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs in a statement on 23 April. “Over 90 governments successfully established the science-policy interface for all countries. Biodiversity and ecosystem services are essential for human wellbeing. This platform will generate the knowledge and build the capacity to protect them for this and future generations.”
IPBES will provide four core functions: 1) identify and prioritize key scientific information needed for policymakers and catalyze efforts to generate new knowledge; 2) perform regular and timely assessments of knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem services; 3) support policy formulation and implementation by identifying policy-relevant tools and methodologies; and 4) prioritize key capacity-building needs to improve the science-policy interface.
IPBES is “critically important to support implementation of the new Strategic Plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity and to promote global sustainable development,” stated Helen Clark, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. “We believe that IPBES can help ensure that developing countries and communities have access to sound scientific information to inform development policies, protecting biodiversity and ecosystem services in a way that addresses poverty alleviation and promotes growth with equity.”
Published on 01 May 2012
Cultural institutions are invited to plan for emergencies and enter for a chance to win disaster preparedness supplies. Museums, archives, and libraries are holding fire safety drills, updating disaster plans, and mapping emergency routes as part of the annual MayDay event. Organizations are encouraged to submit their plans to Heritage Preservation by 31 May 2012 for the chance to win a prize package that includes a collections protection kit, leak alert water detectors, and more. Enter the drawing at http://fd7.formdesk.com/heritagepreservation/MayDay2012.
Published on 30 Apr 2012
Representatives Chaka Fattah (D-PA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA) are the recipients of the 2012 Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition (BESC) Award. The honor is given to congressional leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing science policy and research.
“Our community of biological scientists greatly appreciates the years of leadership by Representatives Wolf and Fattah in advocating for the research dollars needed to address national challenges, help our nation to remain globally competitive, and equip our young people for the science and technology jobs of the future,” said Nadine Lymn, co-chair of BESC and director of public affairs for the Ecological Society of America.
Representatives Wolf and Fattah have led the effort in recent years to sustain federal investments in critical research programs. Representative Wolf, a Republican representing the 10th district of Virginia, chairs the House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. Representative Fattah, a Democrat from the 2nd district of Pennsylvania, is the senior Democrat on the subcommittee. Last year, they worked together to press for and secure federal support for the National Science Foundation and other science agencies.
Published on 24 Apr 2012
The Department of the Interior is proposing several minor changes to the regulations that implement the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAPGRA). The proposed changes would correct minor inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the regulation.
One example of a proposed revision is adding known lineal descendents to the list of parties who are to be notified of an inadvertent discovery of Native American human remains, funerary objects, and sacred objects on federal land. Another revision would clarify the exceptions to the requirements for repatriation.
More information is available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-04-18/html/2012-9228.htm. Comments on the proposed changes will be accepted through 18 June 2012.
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