Proposals

Abstract

The Burke Museum houses over seven million artifacts and specimens. These collections are a critical resource for graduate and undergraduate students pursuing collections based research. That group comprises students participating in career internships and graduate research, and for student research from various disciplines such as the Biology, Genome sciences, Psychology, Earth and Space Sciences, Aquatic and Fish Sciences and Oceanography among others. Because of its size and the breadth of its activities the Burke serves roughly 17,500 graduate and undergraduate students per year on average. That breadth and diversity is also reflected in the many different campus locations that students can interact with the Burke and its collections. The Burke Museum comprises ten discipline specific computer labs (Genetic Resources, Ornithology, Mammalogy, Genetic Resources, Herbarium, Ichthyology, Ethnology, Paleontology, Archaeology and Education/Exhibits). Herein we request funding for five of the ten Burke computing labs under Traditional Computing Facilities. This proposal will replace eight year old labs funded by a Student Technology Grant in 2012. Crucial computing lab equipment at the Burke Museum is outdated and becoming increasingly unusable. The computers do not have adequate processing capability to support data collection and research analysis tools. The age and condition of the current computers increases student stress and lack of productivity, thus affecting the quality of their research and their ability to adapt to changing technological advancements required by their anticipated professions. Replacements and additions to the Burke computer laboratories will ensure continued and expanding opportunities for world-class student-conducted research and collections management.