Smithsonian
Institution
National
Museum of Natural History
The
National Museum of Natural History (NMNH)
inspires curiosity, discovery, and learning
about the natural world through its pre-eminent
research, collections, exhibitions, and
education. Established in 1910, today
the Museum supports an academic community
of over 1,500 and is the largest Smithsonian
museum and research unit, as well as the
most visited natural history museum in
the world, welcoming over six million
visitors each year. The Museum is increasingly
focused on strengthening the visibility,
value, and impact of its science by integrating
research, collections, exhibitions and
education, providing leadership for the
wider community of natural history museums.
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NMNH
Science Profile
-
Senior Management: 2
- Research Scientists: 100
- Emeritus Scientists: 28
- Adjunct Scientists: 42
- Research Associates: 317
- Collaborators: 99
- Research Students: 40
- Fellows: 50
- Interns: 200
- Volunteers: 400
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NMNH
scientists, alongside staff from U.S.
Government affiliated agencies (U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), U.S.Department
of Agriculture (USDA)) conduct research
to increase understanding of the fundamental
relationships of all living things and
their association with their environment.
Their work is done in laboratories and
field settings around the world with regional
operations in Florida, Alaska, Belize,
and Kenya. NMNH uses a host of molecular
genetics technologies as well as microscopic,
advanced metric, and statistical techniques
for its studies. Currently, museum departments
include anthropology, botany, entomology,
invertebrate zoology, mineral sciences,
paleobiology and vertebrate zoology.
Science at the National Museum of Natural
History contributes to three broad SI
theme areas: (1) The
Formation and Evolution of the Earth and
Similar Planets; (2) Discovering
and Understanding Life's Diversity;
and (3) Study of Human
Diversity and Culture Change.
The
goal of the first theme is to conduct
original research into the origin and
history of Earth and other planets. NMNH
contributes to these studies by innovative
research drawing on invaluable collections
of minerals, rocks, meteorites and data
on global volcanic activity. Some primitive
meteorites represent the earliest solid
matter in the solar system, whereas others
reflect the breakup of Earth-like planets
during gigantic collisions. This work
is now being greatly augmented and extended
through collaboration with NASA missions
to recover material from Mars, the Moon,
and other objects in the solar system.
Earth's own rocks reveal the physical
processes of melting, metamorphism, volcanic
eruption, crystallization, and deposition.
They provide the evidence for earth scientists
to track the global motions of tectonic
plates, the dominant mechanism by which
Earth cools and loses heat to the surrounding
cold outer space. The Global Volcanism
Program provides a unique set of data
on Earth's volcanic activity during the
past 10,000 years and monitors current
eruptions as well as the hazards they
pose to humans. Research on activities
at the interface between minerals, the
environment, and living systems represents
a promising new area of scientific investigation.
Under the second theme, NMNH scientists
discover and interpret the diversity and
history of Life on Earth addressing four
principal questions: What species and
groups of organisms exist or have existed,
and how are they related? What are the
evolutionary relationships among species
and groups of organisms? How do evolutionary
processes determine the various characteristics
of organisms (structure, behavior, development
etc.)? How have ecological, environmental,
and historical factors influenced the
distribution of organisms across the globe
and through time? One of the primary tasks
of NMNH scientists has been documenting
the biological diversity so critical to
intelligent management of Earth's natural
resources and systems. NMNH operates the
largest and most comprehensive program
of basic research in systematic biology
in the world. In addition, the fossil
record provides critical insights on how
the history and diversity of life were
shaped over time and how organisms and
ecosystems responded to countless, often
cataclysmic changes in Earth's physical
environment. It complements information
from studies on present-day organisms
in the discovery and interpretation of
evolutionary innovations and radiations
as well as other mechanisms that generate
patterns of biodiversity.
Under the third theme, Museum anthropologists
work to document the full range of human
cultural and biological diversity, from
the emergence of the first humans to the
present, understanding this diversity
within the framework of broad cultural,
social, linguistic, and biological theories.
Physical anthropologists study long-term
trends in human biology, with emphasis
on health and disease, demography, evolutionary
change, environmental influences on human
biology and evolution, and the biological
correlates of cultural diversity and change.
Archaeologists and physical anthropologists
assess long-term relationships of humans
with their environments and examine evolutionary
ecological relationships over long periods
of time. Cultural anthropologists and
linguists explore the historical and contemporary
diversity of societies and cultures. The
Museum's vast collections of material
culture, ethnographic and linguistic documentation,
and images in various media preserve knowledge
of human behavior that is changing or
disappearing in a transformed world. NMNH
has been, and continues to be, a world
leader in the study of Native American
cultures, languages, and history, working
collaboratively with Native communities
as well as disseminating information about
Native American cultures and individuals.
The Museum's Repatriation Program oversees
the return of Native American human remains
as well as sacred and funerary objects,
as mandated by legislation.
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Science
Collection Profile
Total
Specimen Count: 126 million
Number of Types: 836,000
Annual New Acquisitions: 260,000
Specimens Loaned: 3.5 million
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At
the center of NMNH research are the Museum's
expertly documented collections: more
than 127 million natural science specimens
and cultural artifacts, the largest of
its kind. The total NMNH collections represent
88% of Smithsonian's 144 million specimens.
The specimens and artifacts serve as a
rich resource for collections use worldwide:
3 ½ million specimens are on loan
during a year; over 15,000 visitor days
spent in the collections; almost 600,000
additional visits to collection data bases
available on the Web, the largest museum
database in the world. Images of the collections
along with results of staff research are
published in journals, Smithsonian publication
series, monographs and books, while communication
to a broader public occurs through exhibits,
popular books, symposia, courses, lectures,
workshops, and numerous websites.
Museum staff actively participate in the
education and mentoring of the next generation
of scientists in the biological, geological,
and anthropological sciences. Several
internship and training programs are hosted
by the Museum to involve undergraduates
in independent research working side by
side with scientists, while fellowship
appointments provide an opportunity for
pre-and post-doctoral students to pursue
independent research topics. The Museum
is especially interested in involving
under represented minorities and persons
with disabilities in its scientific investigations.
Natural
History's Science Units
THEME
I: The
Formation and Evolution of the Earth and
Similar Planets
The goal of this theme is to conduct original
research into the origin and history of
Earth and other planets. NMNH contributes
to these studies by drawing on invaluable
collections of minerals, rocks, meteorites
and data on global volcanic activity found
in the Departments of Mineral Sciences.
Research strategies include: Planetary
Formation and Evolution to advance knowledge
and understanding of how planetary systems
form and evolve; Evolution of Earth-like
Planets to focus research on how Earth-like
planets evolve; and Planetary Habitability
to increase our knowledge and understanding
of what makes planets suitable for life.
DEPARTMENT
OF MINERAL SCIENCES
The
mission of the Department of Mineral Sciences
is to seek answers to questions about
the origin of the solar system, planetary
differentiation, the debate about possible
traces of ancient extraterrestrial life,
insights into crustal and mantle processes
that are linked to understanding volcanism,
earthquakes and plate tectonics, and improved
knowledge of interactions of minerals
with the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and
biosphere.
THEME II:
Discovering and Understanding Life's Diversity
Smithsonian scientists discover and interpret
the diversity and history of life on Earth.
As the focus of five Departments (Paleobiology,
Botany, Entomology, Invertebrate and Vertebrate
Zoology), NMNH researchers contribute
to this effort by drawing on unparalleled
collections of animals, plants, and other
organisms present and past. Research strategies
include: Encyclopedia of Life to discover
and describe the diversity of species;
Forces of Change to understand the evolutionary
and ecological forces that affect diversity;
and Biology of Extinction to understand
the extinction of species and loss of
habitats, whether past or present, and
provide strategies for reversing human
impacts and restoring and protecting species
and habitats.
DEPARTMENT
OF PALEOBIOLOGY
The
mission of the Department of Paleobiology
is discovery, description, and interpretation
of the past history of life on earth and
its context within the surrounding environment.
Research efforts of the department are
driven by important evolutionary and ecological
questions that require the charting of
the patterns and processes of past life.
These endeavors are accomplished by active
field work, examination of collections,
archiving of resulting data, publication
of research results, and sponsoring a
variety of education and outreach activities.
DEPARTMENT
OF BOTANY
The
Department of Botany's mission is to discover
and describe plant life in marine and
terrestrial environments, to interpret
the evolutionary origin of this diversity,
and to understand how humans are affected
by and have altered plant diversity on
the planet. The Department of Botany hosts
events and activities throughout the year
to explore and recognize achievements
in the botanical community, including
the annual Smithsonian Botanical Symposium.
DEPARTMENT
OF ENTOMOLOGY
The mission of the Department of Entomology
is to describe and understand the phylogenetic
and biological diversity of insects and
other terrestrial arthropods through global
field and laboratory research; to care
for and improve the world's largest and
most comprehensive terrestrial arthropod
collection; and to disseminate these discoveries
through scholarly and popular publication,
databases of systematic and collection
information, training at the graduate
and post-graduate level, lectures, teaching
and consulting, and through museum exhibition.
The Department hosts staff from three
government agencies: the Smithsonian Institution;
the U.S. Department of Agriculture Systematic
Entomology Laboratory (USDA-SEL); and
the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research,
Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU).
This combine community represents, by
far, the greatest concentration of entomological
expertise in the world.
DEPARTMENT
OF INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY
The
Department of Invertebrate Zoology is
dedicated to the study of invertebrate
animals and enhancing the scientific value
of the National Collection to understand
the natural environment. The Department
of Invertebrate Zoology supports original
research on all 30 major invertebrate
animal groups (phyla) of the world (except
insects). Research efforts focus on systematic
studies, phylogeny, morphology, distribution
and ecology. Most research topics are
collections oriented and often include
a field component with established sites
in the Caribbean Sea off Belize and in
the Indian River Lagoon in Florida. Traditionally,
research programs have dealt with invertebrates
from terrestrial, freshwater and marine
environments, including caves, with a
major emphasis on marine forms. Several
scientists are studying material caught
by the deep submersibles, especially from
the dives of the ALVIN. Of special interest
are studies showing how the distribution
of spring snails in the US and Mexican
deserts can be used to track current and
past water-courses. Recent studies by
visiting scientists and post doctoral
fellows have focused efforts on such diverse
groups as corals and gorgonians, tardigrades,
nematodes, nemerteans, polychaetes and
oligochaetes, ostracods (both free living
and parasitic copepods), various crab
groups, gastropod mollusks, nudibranchs,
cephalopods, and members of the various
echinoderm groups.
DEPARTMENT
OF VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY
The mission of the Department of Vertebrate
Zoology is to discover, describe and classify
the world's species of vertebrates and
interpret the evolutionary history of
this high profile diversity to meet the
needs of science and society.
- More
about the Department of Vertebrate Zoology
- RTP
Advisors in Vertebrate Zoology
THEME III:
Study
of Human Diversity and Culture Change
Smithsonian anthropologists seek to understand
humanity in all of its complexity. NMNH
researchers in the Department of Anthropology
work to document the full range of human
cultural and biological diversity. Research
strategies include: Human-Environmental
Interactions Through Time to explore human
origins and adaptations, human dispersals
into new environments, and the emergence
of agriculture; Human Impacts on the Environment
to advance understanding of how humans
have shaped the planet in recent times;
and Cultural Responses to Globalization
to increase our knowledge of the maintenance,
transformation and loss of cultural and
linguistic diversity in the face of globalization.
DEPARTMENT
OF ANTHROPOLOGY
The
mission of the Department of Anthropology
is to record, study, collect and preserve
artifacts representative of world societies
and disseminate that knowledge widely
through publications, exhibits, lectures,
teaching, and by providing opportunities
for research and study within the department.
Natural
History's Central Programs
Consortium
for the Barcode of Life
The Consortium for the Barcode of Life
(CBOL) is an international initiative
devoted to developing DNA barcoding as:
an accurate and reliable tool for scientific
research on the taxonomy of plant and
animal species; a practical, cost-effective
tool for assigning unidentified specimens
to their correct species; and a system
for expanding interest and activity in
taxonomy. CBOL was created to foster and
direct the development of DNA barcoding.
Established in 2004 with the support of
the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, CBOL is
an alliance of specimen collection institutions
(e.g. natural history museums and herbaria),
research organizations (e.g. genetic sequencing
labs and bioinformatics groups) and private
sector partners (e.g. technology developers)
who are involved in building specimen-based
DNA barcoding resources. The group also
includes government agencies that will
benefit from the application of rapid
species identification. The classification
and identification of living organisms
is perhaps the oldest and most universal
of the human sciences. Over the past 250
years, more than 1.7 million species of
animals, plants, and other organisms have
been described. Nevertheless, this represents
only a small segment of the estimated
10-100 million species of eukaryotes alive
today. Although traditional taxonomy and
taxonomic identification methods have
provided a wealth of information about
the organisms around us, the rate of progress
is greatly exceeded by our growing need
for fast and economical species identification
and new species discovery. The Solution:
DNA barcoding. DNA barcoding is the use
of a short gene sequence from a standardized
region of the genome that can be used
to help discover, characterize, and distinguish
species, and to assign unidentified individuals
to species. Barcoding provides a rapid,
accurate, automatable, and globally accessible
procedure for species delimitation and
identification. With the advent of efficient
DNA amplification and sequencing methods,
combined with advances in computing and
information technology, DNA barcoding
uses a DNA-based system of species identification
that is compatible with the taxonomic
infrastructure that has been assembled
over the past 250 years. The CBOL Secretariat
is hosted by the Smithsonian Institution's
National Museum of Natural History in
Washington, DC. Contact: David Schindel.
Integrated
Taxonomic Information System
The Integrated Taxonomic Information System
(ITIS) provides authoritative taxonomic
information on more than 400,000 accepted
scientific names, synonyms, and common
names for terrestrial, marine, and freshwater
species from all biological kingdoms (animals,
plants, fungi, protists, and monera).
It presents the names in a standard classification
that contains author, date, geographic
(native vs. non-native), and bibliographic
information related to the names. The
system currently focuses on North American
species, but also includes worldwide treatment
of many groups of birds, fishes, reptiles,
mollusks, corals and others. In addition,
common names are available through ITIS
in several languages, including English,
French, and Spanish. ITIS is fast becoming
the standard for nomenclature used by
other databases. The ability to refer
to standardized taxonomic nomenclature
is a prerequisite for biological data
sharing and comparison among different
agencies and organizations. Standardized
names of organisms let users look at synonyms
or alternative names that have been used
to describe the same species in different
geographic regions or at different times.
Similarly, taxonomic data and information
are necessary to support all types of
biological inventory, monitoring, and
research. The ITIS database is made available
for broad, continual use by government
agencies, scientists, and the public by
linking an advanced relational database
to Web technology. Contact: Michael Ruggiero.
Ocean
Science Initiative
The Ocean Science Initiative is a multi-faceted
new endeavor to build upon the distinguished
history of the Museum in marine science.
The initiative will engage, educate, and
inspire the public through state of the
art displays in the Museum's new Ocean
Hall; extend the research of the exhibitions,
collections, and research through the
integrated and dynamic Ocean Web Portal;
and expand understanding of our oceans
through the scholarly, multi-disciplinary
Center for Ocean Science.
Natural
History's Central Facilities
Laboratories
of Analytical Biology
The Laboratories of Analytical Biology
(LAB) is a consortium of facilities that
support the research of scientists at
the NMNH. LAB serves the research community
of the NMNH in the pursuit of focused,
first class science with an experienced
staff, shared instrumentation, support
and training. The aim of LAB is to enhance
the research environment and contribute
to the general scientific literacy by
providing current technological resources
in the areas of molecular biology, microscopy
and scientific computing. LAB welcomes
all NMNH researchers, affiliated staff
and other SI researchers. Any NMNH researcher,
with the approval of their department
chair, can use a bench space, computer
facilities, and all equipment at the LAB.
Contact: Lee Weigt
Laboratories
of Analytical Biology - Genomics Core
Currently housed at the Museum Support
Center in Suitland, Maryland, the genomics
facilities include an 8,000 square-foot
laboratory and office complex. Lab space
and equipment provide the capability of
performing a full range of comparative
modern molecular methods and include separate
DNA extraction facilities and areas. Automated
capillary DNA sequencing, multiple PCR
machines, including a real-time PCR capability,
microfluidic separation technology for
DNA, RNA and proteins, automated robotic
liquid handlers, and cloning areas are
housed within the genomics core. Computer
facilities include UNIX workstations,
Macintosh and PC compatible computers
and a parallel computing cluster connected
in a network to facilitate the collection
and analysis of molecular data in a phylogenetic
context. Contacts: Instruments: Jeff Hunt
Computers: Amy Driskell
Laboratories
of Analytical Biology - Scanning Electron
Microscopy Core
The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
Lab is one of the core facilities of the
Laboratories of Analytical Biology (LAB)
providing microscopy and imaging services
for NMNH researchers and visiting fellows,
including the preparation and examination
of biological samples for scanning electron
microscopy. The SEM Lab supports the research
interests and conservation efforts of
NMNH scientists by providing state-of-the-art
instrumentation, training in its use,
and assistance in preparing samples for
study. The SEM Lab is equipped for conventional
preparation, cytochemical and immunocytochemical
localizations, whole mount preparations
and high resolution scanning microscopy.
The laboratory has 2 conventional SEM's
plus an environmental SEM enabling research
on difficult, uncoated, or hydrated materials.
The recently purchased stereo microscope
allows researchers to overcome the lack
of depth of field typically encountered
in light optics. The SEM core facilities
also include a vacuum evaporator, high-resolution
sputter coater, critical point dryer and
all other ancillary support equipment
for specimen preparation and examination.
Contact: Scott Whittaker.
Natural
History Libraries
The NMNH Library was formed as an administrative
entity in 1981 and is one of 20 libraries
within the Smithsonian Institution Libraries.
It consists of a main location plus 15
specialized collections. The library features
scholarly, highly technical and research-oriented
materials in cross-disciplinary topics
within the general areas of interest to
the NMNH. It contains about 120,000 items
on general science, biology, ecology,
evolution, biodiversity, geology, paleontology,
conservation and other subjects. There
are over 500 journal subscriptions and
a large number of journals received on
exchange. The NMNH Main Library and its
satellite locations all have strong collections
of 19th- and 20th-century literature.
In addition, the National Agricultural
Library, the Library of Congress, the
National Library of Medicine, and the
Geological Survey Library make the Washington
area one of the best in the country for
bibliographic research. Contact: Ann Juneau.
Natural
History Libraries - Joseph F. Cullman
3rd Library of Natural History
The Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural
History holds a world-class collection
of rare materials in the history of anthropology
and the natural sciences, with over 10,000
rare books dating from the 15th to the
19th centuries. Opened in 2002, the facility
brings together subject-specific collections
previously scattered across twelve separate
locations in three buildings. The collections
span the range of research interests in
the museum: physical and cultural anthropology,
ethnology, Native American linguistics,
and archeology; botany; ornithology, mammalogy,
herpetology, ichthyology, entomology,
malacology, and other zoological fields;
paleontology; and geology and mineralogy.
The Library provides cross-disciplinary
strengths in the narratives and reports
of early voyages of exploration and scientific
expeditions, catalogues of natural-history
collections from the Renaissance into
the modern era, and publications on field-collecting
and museum preservation techniques in
the 18th and 19th centuries. In addition,
the Cullman Library holds the personal
library of founder James Smithson, the
Deshayes (mollusks) taxonomic card file,
and a collection of decorated 19th-century
bindings from the Institution's former
Horticulture Library. Contact: Leslie
Overstreet.
Smithsonian
Marine Station at Fort Pierce
701 Seaway Drive, Fort
Pierce, Florida 34949
The Smithsonian Marine Station (SMS),
located in Fort Pierce on the east coast
of central Florida, is a center for research
and education in the marine sciences.
SMS is a facility of the NMNH and serves
as a field station that draws up to 100
top scientists and students each year
from the Smithsonian and collaborating
institutions around the world. The facility
is situated in a biogeographical transitional
zone where there is access to both tropical
and temperate biota, and the Gulf Stream
is easily accessible with its abundance
of long-distance larvae and rich plankton.
A diverse fauna is found in the variety
of habitats from the mangroves, seagrass
beds, and mud flats of the Indian River
Lagoon to the sandy beaches and worm reefs
of the oceanic coast and the various substrata
of the offshore continental shelf including
coquinoid limestone ledges, oculinid coral
reefs, and shell hash plains. The SMS
specializes in studies of marine biodiversity
and ecosystems of Florida.
Research focuses on the Indian River Lagoon
and the offshore waters of Florida's east
central coast, with comparative studies
throughout coastal Florida. Ongoing research
programs include the systematics, ecology,
and functional morphology of algae; life
histories of meiofaunal organisms, sipunculans,
polychaetes, and gastropods; ecology of
foraminiferans; systematics, reproduction,
and ecology of several groups of echinoderms
and crustacea; and studies of mangrove
ecosystems. The resident science program
concentrates on life histories of marine
invertebrates, benthic ecology of the
Indian River Lagoon and near shore reefs,
marine plant-animal interactions, and
chemical ecology of seaweeds and invertebrates.
The facilities at the SMS include an 8,000
square-foot laboratory/office building
and a residence for visiting scientists
on an 8-acre campus. Available for use
by visiting scientists are laboratories
for histology, electron microscopy, electrophoresis,
DNA studies, biochemistry, a photographic
darkroom, small industrial shop, and offices
and laboratories for individual scientists.
Specialized equipment includes recirculating
sea water systems, equipment for preparing
tissues for light and electron microscopy,
a scanning and a transmission electron
microscope, confocal microscope, centrifuges,
an ultra-cold freezer, equipment for electrophoresis
studies, a thermocycler for DNA analyses,
high-performance liquid chromatographs,
a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer,
and a UV-visual spectrophotometer. There
is also a wide variety of light microscopes
and photographic, video and computer equipment.
The SMS owns four boats for use in field
studies: a 17-foot Boston Whaler and 21-foot
Carolina Skiff for research within the
Indian River lagoon, a 21-foot center-console
boat to access near-shore waters, and
a 39-foot boat, the R/V SUNBURST, for
work on the nearby continental shelf.
Contact: Valerie Paul.
