Here is a view of some of our collection all cleaned and digitized and ensconced in their new cabinets. It is now ready for study or display.
It has been an honor and a privilege to care for these beauties. We have dusted them off, extricated broken fragments, cleaned old labels,
taken their photos, updated their taxonomy and put them to rest in a safe, soft home where they will be easily accessible for decades to come.
It has taken our team three years to accomplish this. We have brought our many talents to the project: conservation, research, negotiating,
computer skills, patience and good old-fashioned hard work. In the process, we have evolved into a close-knit group representing the best
of partnership and teamwork. We are so proud to have had the opportunity to transfer the coral collection from what it was before into
a showpiece of the museum's many collections.
Even more important is the opportunity for scientists to easily access their choice of specimens for study, and for exhibitions to choose
specimens for display. Already we have received multiple requests for both.
Even though we say farewell to the coral specimens, there is still much to do to complete the project. We will write a paper for publication
documenting the digitization process. We are also preparing an interactive digital map of all the locations in which the specimens
originally grew. It is our pleasure to be able to present this collection to the world.