Improving the Storage Conditions and Beginning Digitization of the Paleozoic Stratigraphic Fossil Collections at the Paleontological Research Institution

改善古生物研究所古生代地层化石藏品的储存条件并开始数字化

• 批准号: 2127427
• 负责人: Gregory Dietl
• 金额: $ 37.73万
• 依托单位: Paleontological Research Institute
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-15 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2127427&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Improving; Storage; Conditions; Beginning; Digitization

This project will upgrade the physical storage and begin the long-term process of digitizing the Paleozoic stratigraphic fossil collections at the Paleontological Research Institution, which are currently in danger of physical deterioriation and data loss due to inadequate storage and lack of digitization. The Carl Brett and Gordon Baird Devonian collection will be upgraded to the highest curatorial standards and its associated data digitized and made more widely known and available online to the research community and general public. This collection documents the unique invertebrate fossil record of the Devonian, ~418 to 358 million years ago, of the northeastern United States, particularly New York, which is widely regarded as one of the most stratigraphically complete in the world. The project will greatly increase the accessibility and discoverability of these collections for studying a variety of important paleobiological topics, including: 1) community-level stasis and change, 2) niche evolution in response to major sea-level/ climatic change and invasion of new species, 3) morphological stasis, and 4) environmental change and evolution/ extinction of marine biotas. The project has two broader impact components: 1) construction of an online field guide to common New York fossils, and 2) development of a series of educational videos. These complementary resources will highlight both the geologic context and diversity of invertebrate fossils in the Brett and Baird Devonian collection.To ensure that the considerable research and educational value of the Brett and Baird Devonian collection is realized, this project will 1) upgrade the physical storage of the ~4,000 invertebrate fossil assemblage samples in the collection by moving them to a newly renovated climate-controlled facility, and 2) encourage use of the collection by digitizing and sharing records publicly online via data aggregators, such as the System for Earth Sample Registration and iDigBio. The project will also provide value-added geo-referenced data to the estimated 2,500 localities in the collection. Beyond improving the storage conditions and accessibility of the collection, this project will build on the Paleontological Research Institution’s strong history in developing free, online educational resources about paleontology and the fossil record. Specific outreach activities include creating a collection of five short (3-5 minute) videos with closed captioning for the public that will highlight the Brett and Baird Devonian collection. This series will be called “From the Field to the Cloud” and will detail the journey of an individual fossil as it travels through the steps from first discovery, to curation, to its final online representation in a publicly accessible online database. A new Devonian Atlas of Ancient Life will also be developed featuring at least 200 commonly encountered species from the Devonian fossil record of New York to help everyone from avocational collectors to museum professionals identify and learn more about fossils from the state.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.

该项目将升级物理存储，并开始长期在古生物学研究机构数字化古生代地层化石收集的过程，该机构目前处于由于存储不足和缺乏数字化而导致物理确定和数据丢失的危险。卡尔·布雷特（Carl Brett）和戈登·贝尔德（Gordon Baird Devonian）系列将升级到最高的策展标准及其相关数据数字化，并使研究社区和公众在线上更广为人知，并在线获得。该系列记录了泥盆纪独特的无脊椎动物化石记录，〜418至3.58亿年前，美国东北部，尤其是纽约，被普遍认为是世界上地层上最完整的。该项目将大大提高这些收藏的可访问性和可发现性，以研究各种重要的古生物学主题，包括：1）社区水平的停滞和变化，2）针对新的海平面/气候变化和新物种的重大变化和新物种的壁niche进化，3）3）形态静态，以及4）海上生物群的环境变化和进化/扩展。该项目具有两个更广泛的影响组成部分：1）构建通用纽约化石的在线现场指南，以及2）开发一系列教育视频。 These complete resources will highlight both the geologic context and diversity of invertebrate fossils in the Brett and Baird Devonian collection.To ensure that the consideration research and educational value of the Brett and Baird Devonian collection is realized, this project will 1) upgrade the physical storage of the ~4,000 invertebrate fossil assemblage samples in the collection by moving them to a newly renovated climate-controlled facility, and 2）通过通过数据聚合器公开在线将记录进行数字化和共享记录，例如“地球样本注册系统”和IDIGBIO，鼓励使用该集合。该项目还将为估计的2500个地方提供增值地理参考数据。除了改善收藏品的存储条件和可访问性外，该项目还将基于古生物学研究机构在开发有关古生物学和化石记录的免费在线教育资源方面的悠久历史。特定的外展活动包括创建五个简短（3-5分钟）的视频，并为公众封闭字幕，以突出布雷特和贝尔德泥盆纪收藏。该系列将被称为“从字段到云”，并将详细说明单个化石的旅程，因为它通过从第一个发现，策展到策划，再到其在公共可访问的在线数据库中的最终在线表示的步骤。 A new Devonian Atlas of Ancient Life will also be developed featuring at least 200 commonly encountered species from the Devonian fossil record of New York to help everyone from avocational collectors to museum professionals identify and learn more about fossils from the state.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed precious of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.