IOWA CITY, Iowa (9/1/25) — The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History has received a grant award of over $1 million from the National Science Foundation—the largest ever awarded to the Pentacrest Museums—to preserve and digitize more than 140,000 irreplaceable insect and invertebrate specimens, some of which are more than a century old.
A central focus of the grant is the rescue and integration of the Iowa Insect Survey collection, about 50,000 specimens collected from all 99 counties in Iowa from the 1920s to 1960s. The collection was recovered from Iowa Wesleyan University following its 2023 closure and has since been housed in a temporary environment. The NSF award enables its full preservation, digitization, and use by future researchers.
“These collections are vital records of Iowa’s changing landscape,” said Cindy Opitz, director of research collections at the museum. “They support studies on climate, land use, invasive species, water quality, and habitat—and they also represent our shared natural heritage.”
In addition to research benefits, the grant provides 30 paid internships over the next three and a half years for UI undergraduates. Also, it will support a new bilingual educational exhibit and outreach programming celebrating the ecological role of invertebrates in Iowa.
“This project not only secures these specimens, it brings them to life—on screens, in exhibitions, and in the hands of students and scientists,” said Liz Crooks, director of the Pentacrest Museums. “It’s a win for research, education, and museum access.”
The grant, awarded through the NSF’s Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research program, is a milestone for the university and for natural history research in the Midwest. The project will allow the museum to modernize its storage, expand research access, and protect Iowa’s historic biodiversity data for future generations. The project will replace outdated and chemically unstable wooden cabinetry with sealed steel storage in an environmentally controlled facility. All invertebrate specimens—including those from the Iowa Insect Survey—will be cataloged, digitized, and made globally available for educational and research purposes through online data portals such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and iDigBio.
The initiative also supports the UI’s Strategic Plan by advancing excellence in teaching and learning, fostering student experiences, and expanding the university’s societal impact across the state and beyond.
“Efforts like this illustrate how the University of Iowa brings its mission to life,” says Executive Vice President and Provost Kevin Kregel. “We are preserving a vital piece of Iowa’s natural history, expanding access to an important research resource, and creating meaningful, hands-on learning experiences for our students."