Yale University (Peabody Museum of Natural History)

The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History will provide the public access to the museum’s Connecticut butterfly and plant collections using iCBUG, a user-friendly Web application for personal computers and smartphones. With a user’s GPS location, date, and basic description (color and size), iCBUG will provide images of species and associated chrysalises, caterpillars, and host plants that the user is likely to see in his or her immediate area. The user can then locate nearby host plants for egg laying or flowers for nectar-feeding outdoors, fostering the appreciation of the complex web of interdependent species that sustains biodiversity. Using iCBUG, a user can also post questions to museum staff, keep a diary of species sightings, and share experiences on social networking sites. Local high school students will participate in the project by photographing host plants, providing input on design, and helping to evaluate lesson plans that will be developed around the product.