BCoN at BOTANY 2015
2015-07-27 15:45 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Salon 3, Shaw Conference Center, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN) Advisory Council members, Drs. Barbara Theirs and Anna Monfils, will be at the BOTANY 2015 meetings in Edmonton, Canada. At 3:45 on Monday, July 27th, you can join them in Salon 3 of the Shaw Conference Center for a presentation on “Promoting the Use go Digitized Biocollections Data for Research and Education.”

For more information, please visit http://www.botanyconference.org.

Collections Communications Workshop
2015-09-01 - 2015-09-02 | The Field Museum, Chicago, IL, United States
The Biodiversity Collections Network will convene a workshop at The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois in September 2015. This meeting will bring together institutional leaders, communication experts, and scientists to:

1) Identify opportunities and barriers to communicating the benefits of natural science collections to decision-makers and the public;
2) Explore the opportunities provided by national digitization initiatives to engage new stakeholders;
3) Identify existing communication resources and consider the development of new resources; and,
4) Explore the development of a networked community of communications professionals that could collaborate to deliver a proactive message about biodiversity and natural science collections to the public.

This is an invitation-only working meeting. The outcomes of this workshop will be shared with the broader community, which will have an opportunity to comment on these documents via this website.

Individuals interested in participating in this workshop should contact rgropp@aibs.org by June 15, 2015. Please send your name, institution, contact information, and a 500 word (maximum) description of your experience and interest in communicating biodiversity and natural science collection information to non-technical audiences.

NIBA: A Status Report from BCoN
2018-04-25 14:00 - 15:00
In 2017, the Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN) convened a two-day workshop of biodiversity collections community stakeholders to review community progress toward the goals and objectives outlined in the Strategic and Implementation Plans for a Network Integrated Biocollections Alliance. This webinar will summarize the findings from that workshop.

Collections Communications: A Report from BCoN
2018-05-02 14:00
One goal of the Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN) is the identification of ways for the community to sustainably advance the goals and objectives outlined in the Network Integrated Biocollections Alliance (NIBA) strategic and implementation plans. Among these goals are improved community governance and the development of a community positioned to sustainably advance the digitization efforts associated with biodiversity collections. Toward this end, BCoN recognized that improved communication with various stakeholders within and outside of the biodiversity collections community is essential. BCoN thus organized a workshop to identify communication needs and resources to help advance the goals of the NIBA and the community more generally. This webinar explores the recommendations arising from this workshop.

Data Attribution and Integration
2018-05-23 14:00
This webinar will share insights gained from a BCoN organized workshop held at the University of Kansas in February 2018. The workshop brought together various data providers and users to discuss the biodiversity data pipeline and opportunities to increase integration and attribution.

Using Natural History Collections Data to Address National Challenges
2018-06-13 14:00 - 15:00
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This webinar will share insights from a recent survey conducted by iDigBio and BCoN and will use these findings to stimulate ideas and input from webinar participants about future needs and opportunities for the use of natural history collections data to advance science and contribute solutions to societal challenges. The information captured during this webinar will inform and guide discussions during a BCoN workshop planned for fall 2018.

Addressing Legal Issues Involved in Digitized Collections: The Nagoya Protocol as a Test Case
2018-06-27 14:00 - 15:00
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This webinar will summarize discussions and findings from a BCoN organized workshop held at Harvard University in March 2018 to address legal concerns associated with digitized collections and mitigating these issues using digital means. Participants with practical knowledge of how
biological collections should manage legal issues in regards to changing policy, utilizing cyberinfrastructure, and advising stakeholders used compliance with the Nagoya Protocol as a test case to investigate how U.S. institutions must respond to the need for increased transparency of their biodiversity collections and the required digital tracking.

Biodiversity Collections and Education
2018-09-19 14:00 - 15:00
The Biodiversity Collections Network will convene a series of webinar programs in 2018 to share information about BCoN activities with the community and to receive community input on prior and pending BCoN programs. These webinars will include a formal presentation followed by an opportunity for participants to ask questions and share information. All programs will be recorded and posted to the BCoN website.

Natural History collections and the mobilization of specimen and occurrence based data has opened new opportunities for education and outreach. This webinar will introduce challenges and emerging opportunities for integrating specimen based data and natural history collections into the k-12 and undergraduate curriculum, citizen science efforts, and broadening participation initiatives.
Host:
Dr. Anna Monfils, Central Michigan University
Dr. Molly Phillips, iDigBio
Dr. Libby Ellwood, La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
Dr. Debra Linton, Central Michigan University
Dr. Lisa White, University of California, Berkeley

Importance of Small Biodiversity Collection Digitization to the Collections Community
2018-10-17 14:00 - 15:00
Smaller, regional biodiversity collections make valuable contributors to the digitization of collections and are uniquely equipped to enhance the quality and quantity of digital data representing global biodiversity. A recent Biodiversity Collections Network survey indicates a community-wide priority is to engage more collections in the national digitization effort. Toward this goal, there is a need to evaluate the role of small and regional collections in quantifying biodiversity and determine best practices for engaging this portion of the biodiversity collections community. In this webinar, we will describe the growing role of small collections in research, education, and outreach. We will discuss some recent data and evidence that show the impact of small collections and some of the success stories for integrating data and engaging curators from these regional museums and herbaria. A discussion with webinar participants will help to inform BCoN deliberations and efforts to articulate future directions for biodiversity collections.
Presenter: Anna Monfils, Central Michigan University

Biodiversity Collections Network Report Release
2019-04-04 09:00 - 12:00
The Biodiversity Collections Network is releasing its new report, Extending U.S. Biodiversity Collections to Promote Research and Education. at 9:00 AM EDT on April 4, 2019, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
This National Agenda is a synthesis of scientific community recommendations from workshops and townhall-style discussions convened by the Biodiversity Collections Network and its partners during the past four-years. This report offers a community-inspired shared vision for next generation uses of biodiversity collections that will inspire new research and education, develop new opportunities for public engagement, and provide new data and information to guide commercial interests and public policy decision-making.

Funding Opportunities for Scientific Collections at NSF
2021-10-04 14:00 - 15:00
Join us for a webinar with program directors from the National Science Foundation (NSF) about structural changes to collections-related funding opportunities at the agency.
Event Partners:

American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS)
Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSCA)
Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN)
Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC)
United States Culture Collection Network (USCCN)

Moderator:

Jyotsna Pandey, AIBS, NSC Alliance, and BCoN

Speakers from NSF:

Reed Beaman, Program Director, Division of Biological Infrastructure
Peter McCartney, Program Director, Division of Biological Infrastructure
Roland Roberts, Program Director, Division of Biological Infrastructure

Discussion:
The National Science Foundation plays an important role in protecting, supporting, and expanding access to our nation’s scientific collections, which include preserved specimens in natural history museums and herbaria; fossilized specimens; living collections in zoos, aquaria, and botanical gardens; tissues, DNA and stock collections; and media collections. NSF supports research that uses existing collections as well as studies that gather new specimens. Importantly, it also provides critical support for national biological research infrastructure that houses biodiversity collections as well as digitization initiatives through the Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections (ADBC), Thematic Collections Networks (TCN), and Partner to Existing Networks (PEN) programs.
The collections community and stakeholders, including collection and data managers, curators, Sponsored Research Officers (SROs), and other administrators are invited to join us for a virtual learning session that will explore recent structural changes to NSF programs that support collections and how these might impact the community. There will also be a discussion of new opportunities that currently exist or may be available in the near future. The program will start with a presentation from NSF program directors responsible for collections-related programs at the agency followed by an opportunity for the community to ask questions.
View the recording.

Kick-off Webinar & Discussion on the Need for a Specimen Management Plan Requirement
2023-02-07 14:00 - 15:00
Please join representatives from the Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN) and the U.S. Culture Collection Network (USCCN) for a joint webinar discussion on the need for a Specimen Management Plan requirement in research proposals that generate living or preserved specimens. Recommended by the National Academies’ report on biological collections in 2020, this requirement is now supported by the CHIPS and Science Act. Join us for a discussion about the elements of a specimen management plan and its benefits to various stakeholder communities.
Location: Online via Zoom (The program will be recorded.)
Date: Tuesday, February 7, 2023
Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET
Hosted by: American Institute of Biological Sciences & Natural Science Collections Alliance
In advance of this program, we encourage you to review the following reading materials:

BCoN & USCCN. November 2022. Specimen Management Plan Draft Proposal.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25592.

We will be soliciting community input on the draft proposal linked above after the webinar. Please stay tuned for more information and register for the webinar to receive updates.

View Recording

Webinar: BIOFAIR Data Network Listening Sessions - A Summary
2024-11-13 15:00 - 16:00
The Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN), in collaboration with the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), held a series of domain-focused virtual listening sessions over the summer to engage an expansive set of stakeholders toward Building an Integrated, Open, Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (BIOFAIR) Data Network. The sessions convened stakeholders from the federal agency, genetic and genomic data, One Health, ecological data, climate and environmental data, and biodiversity informatics communities to explore the initiation of a comprehensive biological and environmental data network through the creation of a collaborative and accessible partnership. Brief summaries from each of these sessions are available on the links above.
The final summary report focusing on the areas of unity across the six virtual Listening Sessions is now available. The steering committee will be holding a webinar on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET to discuss this report and to gather additional feedback to inform preparations for the upcoming interdisciplinary workshop (February 2025) to develop recommendations and create a roadmap towards a FAIR, open, and integrated data network.
Intended audience:

Collections and curatorial professionals across natural history disciplines
Biodiversity researchers, students, and individuals working on or interested in issues of data sharing, management, and integration

View presentation slides.

View Recording

BIOFAIR Data Network: Open Mic for Data!
2025-10-30 11:00 - 12:30
The BIOFAIR Team invites you to participate in an online community forum regarding the integration of FAIR biological and environmental data.
Date: October 30, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM-12:30 PM Eastern Time (10:00-11:30 AM Central/8:00-9:30 AM Pacific)
Location: Zoom (Link will be shared upon registration)
View the presentation slides.
View the recording.
Over the past 18 months, the National Science Foundation-funded BIOFAIR Data Network project (Building an Integrated, Open, Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable Data Network) has engaged more than 200 stakeholders to explore the development of an integrated network of genomic, ecological, climatological, geological, biodiversity, behavioral, human health, and other data. Together, we identified five major focus areas that are key elements to the development of an integrated network of biological and environmental data, as seen in the figure below. (Check out our final report, publication and podcast.)

The upcoming Open Mic for Data! is the culminating event of the BIOFAIR Data Network project. We would like to conclude the project by hearing from you. We welcome informal “lightning” presentations (1–5 minutes long) about data integration work that you are doing, actively planning, or contemplating relating to any of these areas. Projects stymied by a lack of integrated data are also of interest. Our goal here is not to recap work that has already been completed, but rather to provide a glimpse into work that is still in a formative stage that could benefit from or contribute to a nascent collaborative effort to create a BIOFAIR Data Network.
If you are interested in trying out new ideas about the technical or social aspects of data integration, or potential uses of integrated data, this could be a great opportunity to obtain feedback or connect with potential collaborators!
Register at the link below to attend. Submissions have now closed for lightning talks.
REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED

The program will feature the following lightning talks:

Macrostrat as an integration point for biological and geochemical data – Shanan Peters, University of Wisconsin-Madison

A taxonomic name is the key to the knowledge about a specimen – Donat Agosti, Plazi

The use of Wikidata for recording identifiers for Collecting Expedition for Open Linked Data – Robert Cubey, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Community science can bring together natural history collections and historical survey data – Randy Singer, Augusta University

Integrating ancient environmental DNA with the Neotoma Paleoecology Database – Jack Williams, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Exploring Wikibase as a platform for the Sherwin Carlquist Extended Specimen Network – Jason Best, Botanical Research Institute of Texas

Eco-evolutionary analyses of Global South biodiversity need better data – Israel Borokini, Montana State University, Bozeman

FAIRy: Upstream, Cross-Repo Submission-Readiness Checks (GEO/Zenodo) – Jennifer Slotnick, Datadabra

ZooMu Network Data Updates – Amanda Mazza, Duke University Lemur Center

Building the culture of data stewardship: an ocean data case study – Rachael Blake, Intertidal Agency
