By University Relations<\/b><\/p>\n
After two years of work, the Sternberg Museum of Natural History has launched for the first time a database showcasing pictures and information about the fossils that are housed at the museum.<\/p>\n
\u201cMuseum paleontology specimen data are now available to educators, students, researchers and the general public around the world,\u201d said Dr. Laura Wilson, curator of paleontology at the Sternberg Museum and an associate professor of geosciences at Fort Hays State University.<\/p>\n
Funding came from a National Science Foundation grant awarded to Wilson.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaking specimen data easily and openly accessible is a huge push in the museum community,\u201d said Wilson. She said data accessibility is one of the main goals of the National Science Foundation.<\/p>\n
Christina Byrd, paleontology collections manager at the Sternberg Museum, and students from FHSU worked with Whirl-i-Gig, \u201ca software developer who designed the database CollectiveAccess, to customize the database to fit our data and needs,\u201d said Wilson.<\/p>\n
Sternberg Museum\u2019s database is known as a relational database, meaning each specimen\u2019s data is stored in tables, and those tables are linked together by common information. This is helpful when researching because with one search you can pull more relevant information. Wilson said, \u201cOverall, a relational database is more easily searchable and makes data more accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n
A STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workshop in June allowed educators from different parts of the state to interact with the database as well as create activities for the classroom. Students involved in these lessons will have the opportunity to \u201cbuild big datasets, analyze actual data to test ideas, collect their own data, ask questions, and explore images of Kansas fossils\u201d said Wilson.<\/p>\n