Advancing Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences Through Natural History Samples and Collections

Explore a comprehensive conference session from the AGU Fall Meeting 2019 focused on advancing Earth, environmental, and planetary sciences through the access, accreditation, and use of natural history samples and collections. Delve into discussions about the critical role of physical samples in informing decisions, laws, policies, and future scientific endeavors. Learn about ongoing efforts to make these national assets more discoverable and available for research and reproducibility. Examine the challenges and progress in developing infrastructure and policies for sample preservation and access in the academic community, aligning with FAIR principles. Gain insights into initiatives that increase sample visibility, promote best practices in sample management, and demonstrate the value of physical samples to science and society. Convened by experts from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the US Geological Survey, this two-hour session offers a unique opportunity to understand the importance of natural history collections in advancing scientific knowledge and policy-making.