The Museum of Natural History at the University of Kansas houses an internationally important ethanol research collection of catalogued specimens of fossil and recent vertebrates. This valuable research resource is used by many researchers of systematics, biogeography, and evolutionary biology for their own research as well as for training students in these fields. The current facility is not only out dated but the space is inadequate and in violation of fire codes. This award will allow for a replacement facility which will enable a modern systematic biological research collection to be a computerized information acquisition, storage, and retrieval system as well as serve the general functions of a research resource. This replacement facility will allow for better research and training of students concerned with issues related to biodiversity and ecology.
