Award Abstract # 2210415
Research Infrastructure: Moving and Improving the Florida Museum of Natural History Fish Collection

NSF Org: DBI
Division of Biological Infrastructure
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Initial Amendment Date: July 22, 2022
Latest Amendment Date: June 4, 2025
Award Number: 2210415
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: John Steven C. De Belle
jcdebell@nsf.gov
 (703)292-2975
DBI
 Division of Biological Infrastructure
BIO
 Directorate for Biological Sciences
Start Date: August 1, 2022
End Date: July 31, 2026 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $695,316.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $695,316.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2022 = $253,050.00
FY 2023 = $442,266.00
History of Investigator:
  • Robert Robins (Principal Investigator)
    rhrobins@flmnh.ufl.edu
  • Megan Ennes (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Zachary Randall (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Lawrence Page (Former Principal Investigator)
  • Robert Robins (Former Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Florida
1523 UNION RD RM 207
GAINESVILLE
FL  US  32611-1941
(352)392-3516
Sponsor Congressional District: 03
Primary Place of Performance: University of Florida
1 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
GAINESVILLE
FL  US  32611-2002
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
03
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): NNFQH1JAPEP3
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): Capacity: Bio Collections
Primary Program Source: 01002223DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01002425DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1197
Program Element Code(s): 167Y00
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.074

ABSTRACT

The collection of preserved fish specimens at the Florida Museum of Natural History is the second largest and one of the fastest growing in the U.S. It serves as a vital source of information on the diversity and distributions of fishes for national and international researchers, as well as local scholars, students, natural resource managers, and government agencies. A new building on the University of Florida campus built to house the collection and associated scientists and students will provide state-of-the-art storage and research facilities. This award will support the movement of the collection to the new facilities and will provide the opportunity to make several improvements to collection management that will better serve the research and education communities. Enhancements include reordering the massive collection into a more space-efficient container-size arrangement, rather than grouping specimens by type, and barcoding specimen containers so individual specimens are easier to locate. A large-scale imaging program will be conducted for improved online access to the collection. The enhancements to collection data and a more cost-efficient physical reorganization of one of the world's most important collections of fishes will serve as a model for future collection management. The project also will improve the public interface of the Museum through increased opportunities for professional development of K-12 teachers. Teachers will be paired with project scientists through the Thompson Earth Systems Institute?s (TESI) flagship program, a Scientist in Every Florida School (SEFS), and a series of professional development opportunities on best practices in science communication will support teachers as they collaborate with scientists and prepare scientists for in-person or virtual classroom visits with students.

The new facilities and improved management will guarantee preservation and increased accessibility of specimens of exceptional value to science. Additionally, a more trouble-free replacement of problematic taxonomic and other data will allow researchers, staff, and other users to access specimens and information more easily. Ecology and evolutionary biology rely on natural history collections to provide resources for answers to questions of fundamental importance, and through this project more accurate and updated online specimen-based data will be linked to genomic and phenomic data, mapped to show distributions and changes over time, and contribute to analyses related to environmental change. Upon completion of the project, the collection will share only current names for fishes with data aggregators, greatly improving the utility of the data. Locating individual specimen lots will be simplified, whether the work is done by staff or a visiting researcher. This project will assure the integrity of specimens and data, better serve the scientific community and public, and through its success, serve as a model for improvement of other large and important collections.

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.

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