Compiled by Olivia Beavers, Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Zoology at World Museum, National Museums Liverpool.
Welcome to the March edition of NatSCA Digital Digest.
A monthly blog series featuring the latest on where to go, what to see and do in the natural history sector including jobs, exhibitions, conferences, and training opportunities. We are keen to hear from you if you have any top tips and recommendations for our next Digest, please drop an email to blog@natsca.org.
Sector News
NatSCA Annual Conference & AGM 2024
Registration is open for the 2024 Annual Conference & AGM of the Natural Sciences Collections Association. Trials and Triumphs: sharing practice across the museum sector will be held on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th April 2024 in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. This practical conference aims to celebrate triumphs and amplify successes in museums, but also highlights pitfalls and lessons learned from situations that didn’t go as planned. Members – please remember to contact membership@natsca.org for your promotional code to release discounted tickets.
The event will be physical/digital hybrid, with attendees able to attend in person or online via Zoom. Follow the link for more details and to register.
Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales Petition
Please consider showing support for Amgueddfa Cymru, and our colleagues around the Welsh heritage sector, by signing a petition to the Senedd to reconsider the extensive cuts they have made to our sector. You can read about what this will mean to our colleagues here:
Petition launched against cuts to Welsh museums and heritage – Museums Association
Please consider signing the petition below: https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/246088
A New Resource for Entomology Collections
National Museums Scotland have launched a new resource for museums: Caring for entomology (insect) collections.
From preservation and storage methods to specimen preparation and conservation, this self-led course developed by their Natural Sciences team will support curating and managing entomological material.
Geological Curators Group 50 Year Anniversary – Call for Abstracts
The Geological Curators Group 50 Year Anniversary will be held from the 17th – 18th of May 2024 at the University of Leicester.
Please send abstracts of up to 250 words to events@geocurator.org and state whether it is for a poster or platform presentation. Abstract deadline is 1st April 2024. Presenters will be invited to submit papers for a special golden anniversary issue of Geological Curator.
Symposium on Toarcian Palaeobiology
The Symposium on Toarcian Palaeobiology takes place June 17th – 20th 2024. It is an opportunity to platform the diversity of global Toarcian palaeontological research by spotlighting underrepresented fields such as the marine benthos, the terrestrial realm, and the ecological impacts of the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event, alongside popular fields including ammonites and marine reptiles. Registration and abstract submission for presenting delegates will close on May 17th 2024. Registration for non-presenting delegates will close on 5th June 2024. To find out more follow this link.
Mammal Photographer of the Year
The Mammal Society’s Mammal Photographer of the Year 2024 competition represents and celebrates the profound impact that wildlife photography can have on inspiring vital conservation efforts. Submit your entries into their online submission form before 22nd March, 2024 and stand the chance to be Mammal Society’s next Mammal Photographer of the Year! For young photographers, enter the Young Mammal Photographer of the Year competition using this submission form!
NatSCA Lunchtime Chats
The new lunchtime chats are for members only and run on the last Thursday of every month.
This series is supposed to be informal, no fancy equipment is needed, it will be put out over the NatSCA Zoom platform and there is no fixed format. For those who want to take part please email training@natsca.org to put forward your idea. All members will have received a link to join via Zoom (the same link works for all sessions) – if you haven’t, get in touch with membership@natsca.org.
Where to Visit
Lost at Sea! Raffles and the Wildlife of Southeast Asia
This is a temporary exhibition exploring Liverpool’s links to naturalist Sir Stamford Raffles, who found fame as the founder of modern Singapore and London Zoo, opened at Central Library on William Brown Street, Liverpool on 1st February. The exhibition, curated by Dr John-James Wilson, Lead Curator of Zoology at National Museums Liverpool, explores the story behind one of the greatest natural history collections ever lost and how some of Raffles’ surviving bird specimens ended up in World Museum’s collections in Liverpool.
Lost at Sea! Raffles and the Wildlife of Southeast Asia, can be seen in the Hornby Library at Liverpool Central Library throughout February to April and is free.
Edinburgh Science Festival 2024
National Museum of Scotland are hosting this year’s Edinburgh Science Festival 2024 running from March 30th until April 14th 10:00 – 17:00 with some events after 17:00. The festival will be packed with science-fuelled exploration, from free interactive exhibits to family workshops and adult talks and events.
This year’s Science Festival explores the theme Shaping the Future, showcasing on some of the cutting-edge science that can help to create a future that is sustainable, accessible and equal for all. Follow this link to see the event line up and book your tickets. You can also check out the brochure here.
Each One Teach One Conversation Series: Allyship and Coalition
Subhadra Das and Miranda Lowe will explore the theme of Allyship and Coalition in the Each One Teach One Conversation Series held at the V&A South Kensington on Friday March 15 at 1 – 2pm. This ‘in conversation’ public talk aims to share knowledge and insight into discussions on Anti-Racism and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion within the Arts, Heritage, and Cultural sector. You can click here to book tickets.
Women in Science Tours
There are a series of free Women in Science Tours taking place at the Natural History Museum London from March through to June. To book your ticket(s) go to https://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/whats-on.html and select ‘Free events’.
Saffron Walden Museum has a new exhibition running from 30th March to 7th July 2024. Explore our relationship with plants that heal or harm, feed us or frustrate us, and uncover secrets of their survival over hundreds of millions of years. From fossil fronds to Victorian collectors and modern roadsides, this is the story of Plants: the struggle for survival.
What to Read
Find out more about A Prize Winning Brown Bear in Sofia and how context is key to museum displays, written by Richard Crawford, who has just completed a PhD thesis at the University of the Arts London.
Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Museums by Henry McGhie, Curating Tomorrow, discusses how to support biodiversity and environmental concerns across museum activities.
The Jamaican Naturalist William Thomas March (1804-1872): a preliminary review of his zoological and botanical collections written by Olivia Beavers, Assistant Curator of Natural Science, World Museum Liverpool is now available to read in the current issue of Living World 2023. You can click here to head straight to the paper.
The latest fascinating NatSCA blog Tails from the Weekly Live Preparation Sessions at Naturalis Museum by Becky Desjardins, Senior Preparateur, Naturalis Biodiversity Center is now available to read online.
Where to Work
There is an opportunity to work in conjunction with the Natural History Division of the National Museum of Ireland, as Documentation Officer, for a five year period. Please take a look at the information booklet here to find out all about eligibility, the role, essential requirements and more. The closing date for applications is 22nd March. https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/About/Careers/Vacancies/Documentation-Officer,-Natural-History-(Assistant/30c5cf65-c0a2-4511-9ed3-e3aba4c186c7
The Natural History Museum of Denmark is looking for a new Deputy Director of Collections. The deadline is March 18th 2024 and you can click here to find out more and apply.
Before You Go…
If you have any top tips and recommendations for our next Digest please drop an email to blog@natsca.org. Similarly, if you have something to say about a current topic, or perhaps you want to tell us what you’ve been working on, we welcome new blog articles so please drop Jen an email if you have anything you would like to submit.
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