North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will address urgent conservation needs for three marine invertebrate collections acquired from the Charleston Museum, Duke University Marine Laboratory, and the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences. A full-time technician will work with museum collections staff to rehouse, conserve, organize, and catalog an estimated 9,500 high-risk and high-priority specimens which will be incorporated into the museum's Non-Molluscan Invertebrate research collections. Four undergraduate interns from nearby Shaw University and Meredith College will assist with all aspects of the project, gaining knowledge of museum curatorial standards and best practices as well as effective scientific communication with the public through direct interaction with museum visitors. Project results will also be disseminated through the museum's online searchable database and multiple online query platforms, social media, journal publications, and presentations at conferences. In addition, collections activities and specimens related to these acquisitions will be integrated into course curriculums at Shaw University and Meredith College.