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Projects for Volunteers (not finished yet)

The following is a list of some projects that would benefit the herbarium but for which we have no funding and, in most instances, no immediate prospect of funding. The abilities needed for each project are summarized after the project description. They are divided into three categories based on their knowledge requirements. The categories are botanical, computer programming, and miscellaneous.

Some projects are rather large in scope. I am open to suggestions as to how to modify them - or to working with a group of students. I am definitely willing to help find support, but my time for grant writing is rather limited. Suggestions as to funding sources are also welcome.

If any of these projects appeal to you, please contact Mary Barkworth.

Botanical Projects

1. Species pages
There is lots to be known about some species, very little known about other species. We invite students to "adopt a species" of group of species and develop authoritative, well written accounts of species that are found in the Intermountain Region. We shall have some guidelines that must be followed in preparing these pages, including documenting the sources of information used. The first people to volunteer for this project (we could use lots of volunteers - there are nearly 3500 species in Utah alone) will be asked to help design the template for these pages. There are several examples on the Web that can be consulted for suggestions.

2. Interactive identification keys
Several programs exist for creating identification keys. Most work from data stored in "DELTA" format. They can include illustrations, photographic images, and sound bites and any mount of additional information you wish (or such information could be made part of a species page).

3. "Ordering up" a portion of the collection
Ordering up is the term used for checking the identification of each specimen (yes, some of our specimens are misidentified), repairing those that need repair, entering data for all specimens into the database, and then sorting and refiling the specimens.

4. Develop posters for display
There are numerous possibilities here.For instance, a poster of the different kinds of fruits found on our native plants and how they aid in seed dispersal. Changes in plants through the year. A poster on a plant family. The role of plants in the ecosystem. To prepare a good poster you need to have a topic and an audience.

Computer Oriented Projects [5 listed]

1. Documented Fungal Distribution Database
Michael Piep is developing a checklist of the fungi for Utah. No state currently has such a list. He is drawing on a combination of published information and specimen databases in developing the list. It is important that people be able to determine the basis for stating that a particular species occurs, or probably occurs, in Utah. Ultimately, we want to make the information available in a searchable database. The purpose of the database is to increase the efficiency and accuracy for storing and presenting the information gathered.

2. Image Database
The herbarium owns several photographic slides plus numerous line drawings. Some of these have been scanned. We need a database that provides information about the content of the image, its creator, ownership, and filename so that they can more readily be added to a Web page or located by a search.

3. Map locator of floristic references
Floristic references are publications that tell about the plants (or fungi) in a region. A very useful resource would be a Web page that would show a map of a region (North America, both Americas, or ...) and, when a state ir country was clicked on, display a list of the floristic references available for area. We currently use Endnote for storing references but may move to a Web-based program. We would have a special key word for state or country. Some references would apply to several states. A highly desirable add-on would be a form that would allow others to enter information (need to be password protected).

4. Reformatting identification keys
An identification key consists of pairs of choices, each of which leads either to a new choice or the name of an organism. We have several treatments in which the keys are written in indented format. This style has many advantages for print use, but bracketed keys are more appropriate for use on a Web site. We need a program that will take an rtf document with an indented key and convert it to an htm document with a bracketed key.

5. An illustrated, multilingual botanical glossary
Describing plants requires knowing the terms used to describe their structures. Descriptions of frequently encountered terms can be found via google, but we are looking to development of an organized, illustrated, multilingual glossary for plants, particularly grasses. This project would be to develop a database structure for such a glossary. The same illustration could be used by all languages - if a way could be found of attaching labels to illustrations by language. That in itself might be an intersting project - devising a mechanism by which users could select a language in which to view annotated images.

Miscellaneous Projects
1. Web pages for dead botanists
Everyone has heard of Linnaeus, but who knows about Vasey, Lamson Scribner, C.L. Hitchcock, C.V. Piper? These all made major contributions to our knowledge of North American plants but, so far as I know, no one has created a home page for them.

2. History of a botanical concept or idea
We often forget that concepts change over time even when words do not. For instance, the word 'phylogeny' has a much narrower meaning today than 50 years ago. The word evolution had been used before Darwin. What did it mean? Find a concept, idea, or practice that interests you and trace its development over time.