My work has been a lot more writing-focused and I feel so fulfilled and enthused! The type of work that I have completed in the past week is work that I can see myself doing as a career. Of course with more training, more in-depth knowledge, and more responsibilities, but the perfect mesh of science and writing that I have experienced is exhilarating!
The first thing I did upon my return from my one-week break, was write a protocol on how the Herbarium files its specimens since we have now switched to the APG III system (as stated in previous posts) and I loved every second of it! I think I could really be satisfied doing technical writing.
The rest of my summer will be spent consolidating all of the Herbarium's protocols into one PDF that will be posted. From this PDF I will be developing a sort of "CMC Herbarium Training Manual" that will include an introduction, questions, quizzes, and pictures for each section.
Some Photos I will be using in the Training Manual.
I will also be helping Dr. Monfils develop an educational and promotional poster about the Herbarium, specifically stating why Natural History Collections are so important and why they are relevant.
To address this question, I have been doing some research and have found several wonderful articles on the matter, two of them being:
"The Value of Museum Collections for Research and Society."
Suarez AV, Tsutsui ND. 2004. The Value of Museum Collections for Research and Society. BioScience 54: 66-74.
http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/news/pdf/Suarez-Tstsui2004-MuseumCollections.pdf
as well as:
"Natural History Collections--Why are they relevant?"
as well as:
"Natural History Collections--Why are they relevant?"
Viscardi P. 2011. Natural History Collections - Why are they relevant? The Guardian.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/apr/12/2
Both articles have really helped me understand the true relevancy that Natural History archives have.
These articles describe the current relevancy of Natural History collections and how their specimens can be applied to everyday life. The pertinence of archives lies in the fact that they are a reservoir of information that can be used to study evolutionary phylogeny, climate change and its causes, biodiversity, and even diseases and how they are spread.
I had no idea that Natural History Collections could pertain to so much! Here are some of my findings:
Homeland Security
Believe it or not, biological research and collections of DNA libraries help aid Homeland Security against biological terrorism, a fact that goes largely unnoticed. Suarez and Tsutsui's article refers to the prevention and detection of chemicals like Anthrax which terrorized the U.S. mail system in weeks following 9/11. See? Natural History Collections are relevant. Not only are they relevant, they are extremely important.
Public Health
Museum collections and archives have an outer appearance of being dusty, irrelevant, and boring, but they are actually important facets of cutting-edge research in studying diseases. Scientists use specimens to identify causes of viruses and the vectors that spreads them.
Systemics
Herbariums and Natural History Collections are typically seen as useful for Systematists and Animal Behaviorists. Its true. Scientists often look at extinct animals specimens for morphological comparisons. They are able to extract DNA from the specimens and can now determine evolutionary lineage based off of the concrete facts of DNA sequences and less on opinion-based observations of physical traits to determine ancestral history.
Conservation
In all its uses, Natural History collections create a base-line for comparison against what things were like in the past, and what they are like now. Dr. Rachel Carson made history when she decided to use egg shell specimens from an archive and compared their thickness to those of egg shells in the present to determine whether the use of DDT had an effect on bird populations. (Carson R. 1962. Silent Spring. Houghton Mifflin). Had she not been able to refer to the preserved bird eggs from decades before, she would have no proof to show the harmful, degrading effects of the chemical.
The collection of century-old specimens also gives scientists insight into past habitats, biodiversity loss, and the effect of invasive species.
Argiculture
The study of archives has influenced one of the most integral dependencies we have every day: Food. Scientists use plant specimens to regulate pesticide use and find environmental contaminants that could make people very sick if consumed.
And these, my friends, are the reasons why not only Rachel Carson believes in the power of Herbaria, but even the divas of the lime light can appreciate the resources in public health and safety that archives provide. Who wouldn't want to protect people from diseases and exposure to chemicals? Stars ranging from Liza Minnelli to Patrick Swayze can proudly say,
"Herbariums are Fabulous!"
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