University of California, Berkeley (University of California Museum of Paleontology)

The Museum of Paleontology at the University of California, Berkeley, will preserve and digitize its collection of early Miocene amber from Chiapas, Mexico. With the assistance of university students, the museum will embed 1,500 specimens in a clear, protective resin in order to seal fractures and stabilize each piece in a solid airtight archival medium. In addition, the project team will create high-resolution digital images of the Chiapas specimens and update their metadata records for posting online via various web-based portals and databases currently providing public access to the natural history collection's digital data. The museum will also upload the collection's associated paper archives to the university database, further documenting the arthropod and plant diversity of the collection through manuscripts, photographs, and maps. The project will improve access for the academic community and support the development of K-16 educational and public outreach materials.