Final Report (PDF format):

Workshop: Curation of Terrestrial Scientific Cores, Samples, and Collections, by Shirley P. Dutton and Steven L. Goldstein


NSF Workshop:
Curation of Terrestrial Scientific Cores, Samples, and Collections
The University of Texas Houston Research Center
May 27, 2004
The goal of the workshop was to bring together academic researchers to discuss the needs of the geologic community for storage of terrestrial scientific cores, samples, and other collections. The Houston Research Center is a public-sector core and sample repository that currently has space to house a substantial quantity of research cores, samples, and paleontologic collections. Participants from the academic research community were invited and asked to provide advice to NSF about logical approaches for curation, metadata management, and future accessibility of geologic samples.

The workshop focused on three central issues: (1) determine the type of facility, equipment, and policies that would best curate, and provide access to, important geologic rock materials; (2) develop standards for which samples merit curation and which do not; (3) discuss what metadata are necessary to accompany the material and the best ways to manage the metadata.

 
Workshop Agenda
 
Scott Tinker, Steve Goldstein, and Shirley Dutton: Welcome and overview of the workshop: rationale, goals, and tasks. Steve Goldstein: "Why do we need a Terrestrial Sample Repository?" (Presentation in PDF format)
 
Chris Maples, Review of NSF workshop, January 2003: "A Report from the Indiana University Workshop “Preservation of Geoscience Research Cores and Collections: the View from Academic Researchers”" (Presentation in PDF format)
 
Beverly DeJarnett and Laura Zahm: Tour of HRC.
 
Curation needs of researchers from scientific drilling programs: presentations by representatives of the geoscience community.
 
  Stephen Hickman: "The San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD): Testing Fundamental Theories of Faulting and Earthquake Mechanics through Drilling" (Presentation in PDF format)
 
  Ken Miller
  "Introduction to DOSECC: Drilling Observation and Sampling of the Earth’s Continental Crust, Inc." (Presentation in PDF format)
  "The Rutgers/NJGS Core Library" (Presentation in PDF format)
  
Curation needs of researchers working with other geologic data: presentations by representatives of the geoscience community.
  
  Paul Renne: Hard-rock, geochemical samples: "Curation of Terrestrial Scientific Cores, Samples and Collections" (Presentation in PDF format)
 
  Don Mikulic: Paleontologic collections. (presentation not available)
 
Curators of cores and other collections (facilities, metadata management, and policies for acquisition and deacquisition)
 
  Rusty Lotti Bond: Lamont-Doherty Deep-Sea Sample Repository, Columbia University: "55 Years of Coring the Ocean Floor" (Presentation in PDF format)
 
  John Firth, TAMU: ODP Cores: "The Gulf Coast Repository of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program" (Presentation in PDF format)
 
 

Emi Ito: LacCore: "National Lacustrine Core Repository LacCore" (Presentation in PDF format)

 
  Sorena Sorensen: Smithsonian: "158 Years of Rocks at the Smithsonian: The Rock and Ore Collections, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution" (Presentation in PDF format)
 
  Ed Mathez: American Museum of Natural History. (presentation not available)
 
Database Perspectives: handling metadata for cores, samples, and paleontologic collections; Geoinformatics.
 
  Kerstin Lehnert: Databases: "Sample Curation as Part of the Geoscience Cyberinfrastructure" (Presentation in PDF format)
 
  Walt Snyder: Geoinformatics. (presentation not available)

Breakout sessions

1. Design of a geologic sample repository
a. Space and shelving needs
b. Equipment needs
c. Sampling needs

2. Geologic sample repository Advisory Committee
a. Maximizing scientific usage and results
b. Policy on acquisition and deacquisition
c. Review of facility operations and usage

3. Storage of Metadata
a. What data should accompany the rock material?
b. How should the metadata be stored and made available?
c. What is the best way to be in step with Geoinformatics initiative?

Report of breakout sessions and summarize recommendations for NSF.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0331241 and Grant No. 0435812. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.