Small Collections Grant
This page is used to provide assessment scores for each grant application assigned to you. Please use the rubric below the grant details to enter your assessment scores and any notes you wish to include.
Please note that all scores entered must be whole numbers (no decimals), or you will be unable to save this form.
Stoneworts of the BEOU – starting digitization of charophytes wet collection
Serbia
Database, Digitally image
Cost (USD):
2000
BEOU
University of Belgrade, Faculty of Biology
Objective:
This project aims to:
1. To start digitization process of the charophyte wet collection in the BEOU, by establishing adequate imaging station – table with camera with macro objective, stand, light equipment, dish for wet samples. Additional equipment needed is: laptop for remote control, imaging and image processing and external hard drive for storing images (backup).
2. To make our charophyte collection visible and accessible to the scientific community and public, by creating online database where specimen images and label data info will be uploaded.
Timetable:
1 month - Collecting offers and buying needed equipment - installing image station, optimization of the equipment and imaging process. Starting development of the online database, structuring database to be user friendly and comprehensive. Optimization of the database.
2 month - Start imaging of the specimens at the image station, along with the check of the microscopic features at the stereomicroscope equipped with camera, to provide additional micrographs suitable for the revision. Each specimen needs to be previously prepared by washing and deploying and arranging in the dish at the station. Subsequently all images should be processed, label info typed and all data consolidated and uploaded to the database. Working with the wet collection specimens will require wearing mask with filter approved against formaldehyde. 5 samples in average can be processed daily, with 2 persons working. It will take at least 560 working days to digitize existing wet collection, which is at least two and a half years of committed every day work. Students and available stuff will be engaged in this process.
3 - 12 month - Processing in average 100 samples per month.
To be continued.
Scoring Rubric
Reviewer's name:
Collection Improvement (max. 120 points)
-
Facilitating access to the physical collections by digitization (e.g., data entry, setting up database structure with an outline of the platform to be used, purchasing equipment, and imaging specimens) – up to 30 points.
-
Enhancing physical collections by improving the conservation status of specimens in the herbarium (e.g., better folders, protecting covers, mounting paper, labeling, etc.) – up to 30 points.
-
Curating specimens (e.g., updating families, species identification, identifying types) – up to 20 points.
-
Increasing our understanding of the flora or funga by making new herbarium specimens available, such as processing of backlog or collecting and mounting of new specimens from understudied sites – up to 20 points.
-
Securing collections by distribution of duplicates (or orphan collections) to other regional or international herbaria or shipping endangered collections to another herbarium – up to 20 points.
This proposal scores:
/120
Methods & Funding (max. 40 points)
-
Match between the proposed budget and methods for the aims described – up to 10 points.
-
Perceived need, the extent to which the project will benefit from IAPT funding: e.g., due to active floristic work or contribution to poorly collected sites, due to threatened conditions of collections, and for the degree of involvement of others (outreach and education). We give more points for herbaria in low- and middle-income countries – up to 20 points.
-
Sharing duplicate specimens with other herbaria – up to 10 points.
This proposal scores:
/40
Broader Impacts (max. 40 points)
-
Degree of regional importance of the collection or the taxonomic importance of the targeted collection – up to 10 points.
-
The project will yield durable benefits (specimens, digitized metadata, databases, websites) – up to 15 points.
-
The project involves outreach/mentoring and broad dissemination – up to 15 points.
This proposal scores:
/40
Year of last successful SCG application:
Has applicant applied for SCG before?:
Plan:
Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, has long institutional tradition of charophytes studies, and the first specimens of charophytes ever deposited in BEOU were collected by Josif Pančić in 1851. Systematic and continuous studies of charophytes in Faculty of Biology started in the 1970s, and were primarily focused on their phenetic taxonomy and biogeography within the Balkan Peninsula, but existing wet collection contains representatives of charophytes from 19 countries and four continents (Europe, Asia, Australia and South America) - almost from all around the world. The collection contains representatives of all extant genera: Nitella, Tolypella, Nitellopsis, Lamprothamnium, Lychnothamnus and Chara and consists of about 2800 labeled and named specimens in wet collection (conserved mainly in 4% formaldehyde). Wet collection handling and keeping demands special conditions as formaldehyde is volatile carcinogen, which also makes it difficult to frequently check and revise the material. Nevertheless, our experience showed that formaldehyde is absolutely the best choice for the morphological features of taxonomic importance to be well preserved. This project will allow us to make our wet collection specimens accessible for all interested parties, through making and uploading high resolution images and if needed additional micrographs (we already have stereomicroscope equipped with camera) along with label info of each specimen into publicly available online database.
Institution:
IH Code:
Country:
Target areas:
Applicant First Name/s:
email:
"Other" target:
Ivana Trbojević
Applicant Last Name/s: