A grant has been awarded to the University of Kansas under the direction of Dr. Leonard Krishtalka to acquire a new mobile storage system for re-housing the mammal and entomology collections and to move them from their current scattered distribution on campus to a centralized, recently renovated biodiversity science center. The collections upgrade is part of a long-term strategic plan to provide support for the biodiversity research collections at the university. The collection of mammals is large and has extensive holdings from the New World. The entomology collections contain more than half a million specimens. Both collections are searchable online via the internet, and are used by numerous faculty and students in research and coursework. The new compactor system will improve storage conditions for the mammal skins and skeletons and for the insect specimens. Installing the compactor system will free up space for research on taxonomy and conservation by faculty and students. The new layout of cabinets and research space will provide better facilities to educate and train graduate and undergraduate students, and provide outreach service to the public. Student interns from the nearby Haskell Indian Nation University will benefit from these programs.
