Modern cryostorage for zoological collections

In natural history museums, collections of preserved specimens give scientists the ability to study species from around the world and across time. Frozen samples are a key part of modern research collections in zoology. They support genetics, genomics, and other fields of molecular biology for which whole preserved animals, skulls, skins, or other parts cannot be used. Some modern research requires samples to be kept extremely cold, and freezers that use liquid nitrogen (LN2) to store them at −196° C provide the highest quality preservation. These freezers also keep samples cold longer in a power outage or a natural disaster. This project will upgrade the storage of animal tissue samples at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) to LN2. NHMLAC holds one of the largest zoology collections in the country, including both recent and historic specimens of vertebrate and invertebrate animals, and the size and use of the frozen collection is increasing rapidly. Los Angeles is vulnerable to earthquakes, so planning for continued preservation of NHMLAC’s collection in a power outage is necessary. This project includes both purchasing new equipment and developing new approaches to sample management, improving sample storage and making the museum’s procedures more efficient and consistent. Overall, this upgrade ensures high-quality preservation and supports all areas of natural science research, including the study of pathogens and disease, invasive agricultural pests, and potential new biotechnologies. New and existing museum staff and student participants will develop expertise in cutting-edge research infrastructure. NHMLAC’s strength and expertise in public programming, education, and exhibitions will provide opportunities to share these modern scientific techniques and new breakthroughs with visitors and learners of all ages. Many scientific advances have been facilitated by access to cryogenically preserved animal tissues, from whole genome sequencing, to functional transcriptomics, to pathogen discovery. One of the best upgrades to ensure long-term preservation of and access to these valuable resources is liquid nitrogen (LN2) storage, providing much colder temperature (−196° C) than conventional ultracold freezers (−80° C). Because LN2 doesn’t require electrical power for cooling, this upgrade also increases resilience to power outages and natural disasters such as earthquakes, compared to conventional freezers that need uninterrupted electricity. This project will enhance the zoological collections at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) by adding LN2 storage, consolidating freezers in a room with new electrical and HVAC infrastructure, and establishing cross-departmental working protocols for the new facility. The project includes buying new LN2 freezers, moving existing samples to LN2 storage, adding barcoding to consistently link tissue samples from multiple collections to the collections management database, and instituting safe and secure operations for the new facility. Upgrading to a liquid nitrogen system to preserve invertebrate and vertebrate tissues is a critical improvement for ensuring the long-term availability of these samples to further biological investigations globally. The project will also build on NHMLAC’s success in exhibitions and education by developing educational and programming components about genomic research at the museum. This project aligns with the NSF’s biotechnology priority area. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.