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Ser v i ng t he st udents of t he Un iversit y of Hawa i ‘ i at M ā noa si nce 1922
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Volu me 105 Issue 68
Botany department receives National Science Foundation grant R EMINGTON TAUM Contributing Writer The National Science Foundation presented the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa botany department with $1.4 million to develop a Consortium of Pacifi c Herbaria, a digital botany resource. A herbarium (plural herbaria) is a scientifi c collection of plants that have been dried and pressed. The plants will provide physical evidence along with the scientifi c names of each species. The plants that are collected can be compared to those that are found in CPH institutions, explained Tom Ranker, De partment of Botany chairperson. Online access to the collections creates a new window to view this information. The CPH will be available as a free online source to students, administration, faculty and the community. The online access will help workers identify species that are being studied, as well as document where the species can be found. Citizen scientists will have the op tion to research where dif ferent can be found in the Pacif ic Islands and where they are held. “It’s a digital library,” said Dr. Michael B. Thomas, collections manager. As each specimen is collected, it will be dried and mounted on paper. T he plants will also be labeled by name, location found, collector and date collected. Next, the specimens will be recorded in the database and digitally photographed. The species included in the collection will be from Polynesia, Micronesia
CORRECTION The UH Chancellor is named Virginia Hinshaw. The cover article on Friday, y, Feb. 4 article instead referred too her as Victoria Hinshaw.
and Melanesia. Thomas explained that a methodology will be developed while sifting through the paper collections and photographing the plants. A fter this, the information will be brought to the Polynesian Islands where workers will be able to perform this opera tion themselves. The project will last an estimated three years, and
over a million specimens will be recorded. Scaling up the information will take a great deal of labor.
The department created a proposal for funding in collaboration with the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum and the National Tropi - cal Garden over a period of four to six months. The department finally landed the NSF grant after a two-year process and two attempts at securing funding. Any university or research institution can compete for a grant. The university was selected to receive the grant money because Hawai‘i is located in an area with a high diversity rate. This region of the world includes more than 5,000 native plants, and many are at risk. The plants found only in this region are referred to as endemic, according to Thomas. Planning for the CPH project is expected to begin on Friday, Feb. 11. The project will begin with local organizat ions holding a meeting, and will follow with outreach to places like Palau, Samoa and American Samoa. “We’re doing this to increase access to the collections,” Thomas explained. “Historically, it’s been diffi cult to gain access to the specimens.” SHINICHI TOYAMA/KA LEO O HAWAI‘I