EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Nearly 2,500 vertebrate specimens will have better preservation and curation thanks to a grant awarded to the Michigan State University Museum.
The Museums for America Collections Stewardship grant allocated $92,129 for the MSU Museum.
The money will go toward specimens that are more difficult to curate.
“These specimens are a critical resource for MSU and the global scientific infrastructure. Every
day, our specimens and their online data are accessed by scholars and students both locally and
globally. We are grateful to the IMLS for supporting our work to preserve these irreplaceable
collections” said MSU Museum Vertebrate Collections Manager Laura Abraczinskas.
Many specimens include rare, endangered, threatened, and extinct species from the Great Lakes Region, as well as North, Central and South America, providing a record of biodiversity extending back to the 1860s.
“Hands on experience solving real problems is a powerful tool for engaging students and
stimulating their interest in the discipline,” according to the MSU Museum Curator of Mammalogy and
Ornithology Barbara Lundrigan.
The grant will additionally help undergraduate students with moving, imaging and rehousing specimens.