Compiled by Ellie Clark, Curator of Fossil Cnidaria at the Natural History Museum.
Welcome to the August 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
Entomological Skills Workshop at National Museums Northern Ireland
Join Buglife Northern Ireland Conservation Officer, Hannah, and National Museums Northern Ireland Curators for a workshop on collecting, preparing, and identifying insect specimens for conservation research.
The workshop is free and taking place on Saturday the 19th of September.
Book via their webpage. Age group 18 and above.
Conference – Beyond drawers and spreadsheets: the journey of object-related data
Are you a professional working with object-related data from scientific collections, looking to interact with fellow data enthusiasts and share project insights?
Then consider registering for the upcoming conference “Beyond drawers and spreadsheets: the journey of object-related data”, organised by the WiNoDa Knowledge Lab and taking place on October 21st, 2026, in Berlin. Due to the international nature of our community, it will be possible to attend some sessions also online.
Whether you’re a collection manager, researcher, student, curator or data steward working with object-related data, we’re looking forward to your contribution!
Head over to their website to learn more and register.
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. 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
Troubled Waters: The Rise of Aquatic Invaders at Ulster Museum
Discover the impact of foreign aquatic invasive species on local biodiversity loss, sometimes with huge economic impacts, in this Natural Sciences display at Ulster Museum.
Opening on 18th August 2026, this free display covers examples in both freshwater and marine ecosystems, both animals and plants, with short descriptions of their effects in Ireland. Find more information here.
Unpacked: From the Stores at Bolton Museum
Bolton Museum’s collection was established in 1852 and through gifts, bequests, and purchases, has now grown to include over 300,000 art, Egyptology, natural history, and local history objects. Unpacked showcases gems from the museum collections, many of which have not been on display for a long time. They have been chosen by museum staff, volunteers, and community partners. This exhibition offers a glimpse into the amazing diversity of the collections.
The display is being held in Bolton Museum’s Temporary Exhibition Gallery and will be open until the autumn.
From the Blog…
Eimear Ashe (Collections Moves Project Manager, National Museum of Ireland) outlines The Past, Present and Future of the NatSCA Conference, including highlights from the most recent conference.
In Beyond the Scientific Record: Using Photography to Inspire Curiosity about Natural History Collections, Photographer Molly Wilders tells us about her time working on a photography project with Ashleigh Whiffin (Curator of Entomology at National Museums Scotland).
Greta Kelly (Conservation Practice MSc Student, Cardiff University) takes us through her process of conserving an Impala specimen from the Collections at Museums NI.
Where to Work
Project Manager, Central England Digitisation Hub – University of Cambridge
The Central England Digitisation Hub brings together four of the UK’s largest university collections to deliver a step-change in the digitisation of natural history specimens. This project is co-led by the Cambridge University Herbarium, the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and the Oxford University Herbaria. Working in partnership, Cambridge and Oxford are establishing a strategic network of coordinated nodes across England’s central belt, supporting 23 museums and herbaria to increase their capacity and readiness for future phases of the nationwide DiSSCo UK digitisation programme.
They are seeking an engaged and flexible Project Manager to oversee the delivery programme across the Central England partnership of hubs and nodes. The Project Manager will work with the project teams within each institution, liaise between stakeholders, collate data on KPIs and report to the Combined Operational Steering Group. The role will coordinate activity across the four hubs and our nodes, act as the key conduit for information between the project partners and DiSSCo UK, oversee appropriate budget allocations, manage risks, support governance, report to DiSSCo UK and AHRC, and lead the delivery of the internship programme. They will also coordinate the preparation of applications for future phases of funding.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 31 March 2028 in the first instance. The role is 0.5 FTE (18.5 hours per week). The post is grade 7 (£35,608-£46,049). In addition to the base salary, the successful candidate will receive an additional 2.5% supplement to their pay. Closing date is 31 August 2026. Find more details 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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