[Editors note: apologies for the late publication of this month’s newsletter which was due to the blog editor being poorly!]
Compiled by Ellie Clark, Curator of Fossil Cnidaria at the Natural History Museum.
Welcome to the February edition of NatSCA Digital Digest.
Digital Digest is 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
24th Conference of the International Federation of Operational Research Societies – Abstract Submissions Open
IFORS is now accepting abstract submissions in preparation for the upcoming conference Decision Support for a Sustainable World. The conference will be held July 12th through 17th at the University of Vienna, Austria. Details on the conference and access to the submissions portal can be found on their website, along with program details and information on registration.
Abstract submissions are open now and close March 15th. Registration opens April 25th.
Fixing Our Broken Planet Community of Practice Gathering: Northern England
Date: Tuesday 17th March 2026 10:00 – 17:30 + Opt-in dinner
Location: Manchester Museum
The Fixing Our Broken Planet (FOBP) Community of Practice supports museum and cultural sector practitioners to connect, share best practice, and explore how organisations can respond to the planetary emergency.
This free, in-person gathering is for CoP members across the North of England and will focus on the shared question: What are we going to do about the planetary emergency? Responding to member feedback, the event will use Open Space Technology, a hands-on, participant-led approach where attendees shape the agenda on the day, encouraging collaboration and diverse perspectives around complex challenges.
Join to exchange ideas, develop practical solutions, and gather inspiration to take back to your organisation. Lunch is provided and spaces are limited to 50, with priority given to those working, volunteering, or studying in the Northern England museums sector. For more information and to register, follow this link.
Transmitting Science: “Care and Management of Natural History Collections”.
Using a combination of lectures, discussions, demonstrations, and readings, this course will teach participants how to better care for and manage all natural history collections (including botany, geosciences, and zoology). Rather than the traditional discipline-based approach, the course teaches collections care based on collection material and preparation type – dry preparations, wet preparations, and documentation (including paper-based and electronic media).
The course will benefit individuals who already have experience in caring for natural history collections, as well as those who intend to work with natural history collections. The live sessions will combine lectures, hands-on computational exercises, and guided examples.
For more information on fees and how to register visit the course webpage: https://www.transmittingscience.com/courses/museums-and-collections/care-management-natural-history-collections/
NatSCA Lunchtime Chats
The 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. There will be shaky walks through stores by mobile, demos, plain pieces to camera or traditional PowerPoints if that’s the best way to share images and info. For those who want to take part please email training@natsca.org to put forward your idea; if a stable internet connection for what you want to achieve is tricky, we can put up a pre-recorded video and then speakers can jump in at the end for the discussion.
Bring your sandwiches and a cuppa and we hope to see you on the day! 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
Wildlife Wonders: A Gardeners’ Calendar at RHS Garden Wisley
The newest exhibition Wildlife Wonders: A Gardeners’ Calendar in the Old Laboratory at RHS Garden Wisley runs in parallel with the Science and Collections year of ‘Bringing Nature Home’. To illustrate themes, illustrations from the Lindley Library will combine with dried and preserved plant specimens from the RHS’s herbarium collection and preserved insects from the RHS Entomology collection.
The exhibition runs from 28th February until 6th September 2026. Find more information here.
What to Read
Interested in finding out about the collections held in the National Museum of Ireland?
Nigel Monaghan (former Keeper of Natural History) has two articles about the fossil collections of Sir Richard John Griffith and the mineral collection of Nathanael Gottfried Leske in the National Museum of Ireland.
Eimear Ashe (Collections Moves Project Manager) has written a blog Reviving the Past: Restoring Historic Display Cases for a New Generation, detailing the restoration of the National Museum of Ireland, Merrion Street.
From the Blog…
John-James Wilson (Lead Curator of Zoology, World Museum), Jude Piesse (Senior Lecturer in English Literature, LJMU) & Alyssa Grossman (Senior Lecturer in Communication and Media, University of Liverpool) have collaborated on a blog that brings together reflections on recent workshop held at World Museum, Liverpool in October 2025: Liverpool, Natural History and Extinction: The Case of a Real Liver Bird.
Where to Work
Curator, Invertebrates (non-insects) – Natural History Museum, London
The Natural Museum is seeking a Curator of Invertebrates (non-insects). This is an opportunity for a scientific collection specialist or early career researcher with strong curatorial experience to take up an important and dynamic role working with the NHMs world-class invertebrate collections. Applications for the post of Curator of Invertebrates (non-insects) are welcome in the field of invertebrate zoology (except insects and molluscs). The post is ideal for a zoologist with experience in managing wet-preserved and dried collections, and with knowledge of frozen tissue collections and molecular biology techniques/applications.
The closing date is the 1st of March. Find more information here.
Digital Coordinator (Maternity Cover) – Horniman Museum and Gardens
The Horniman are looking for a Digital Coordinator to support the creation and distribution of creative, engaging and accurate digital content to support our widening audiences, decolonising and environmental priority objectives. You will generate or edit content (written, imagery, video), liaising with colleagues and communities on curatorial projects, events and exhibitions, and learning and engagement programmes, as well as coordinate the integration, delivery and evaluation of digital activity to meet corporate and funders’ objectives.
The closing date is 10am on Monday the 2nd of March. Find more information here.
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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