STEM End Users

Special thanks to Dr. Bruce McFadden for the presentation on iDigBio for the Tampa Bay Fossil Club. The main thought that I came away with was the need for public and professional contribution of time that will be needed to achieve the goals already outlined. It is so easy to develop ideas on how individuals and institutions can benefit by using the iDigBio collections, but until it can be populated the end users will most likely focus on what is not available. As a former forensic laboratory supervisor and current science teacher, I am aware of skilled and professional individuals that would be interested in volunteering time once the appropriate protocols and systems are finalized.
I have received grants using STEM guidelines and would encourage the introduction of a class of grants with special requirements for recipients to be active participants in building the collection. It is so easy to be a consumer, but I stress to my classes that they need to find a way to make things better for someone else. iDigBio seems like a place to make a difference in education and nurture the concept of public service from the public instead of just to the public.