Uncovering the Secrets of Digitizing 8 Million Plant & Fungi Specimens

How do you get 8 million plant & fungi specimens online?

British Science Week 2023 is all about connections, so we picked the brains of our Senior Curator Botanists to discover what goes into getting 8m specimens online to connect scientists with our collections 🌍🍁#BSW23🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/7Htq173khC

— Kew Science (@KewScience) March 13, 2023

Alison Moore, Clare Drinkell, Priscila Reis & Carmen Puglisi are the ultimate ball jugglers of our Digitisation Project. From repairing ancient plant specimens to swiftly dealing with pests & training new staff, this dream team ensure the project runs smoothly pic.twitter.com/XGZwgd0d79

— Kew Science (@KewScience) March 13, 2023

What's the best part of being a Senior Curator Botanist?

Carmen: “It's a great opportunity to systematically go through the entire collection & open folders that no one’s touched for decades. We find odd specimens and interesting photos & letters, and these make our day! pic.twitter.com/h48DLUvSM4

— Kew Science (@KewScience) March 13, 2023

"...For example, recently I checked 2 specimens collected by Darwin; an adorable postcard-sized specimen of minute Irises from Sable Island, Canada; and my first-ever folder from Antarctica. I’m a tropical botanist so, to me, finding material from Antarctica is a big deal!"

— Kew Science (@KewScience) March 13, 2023

What's a typical day like in your role?

Clare: “Well, it’s quite a hands-on role & we often have new starters on Mondays, so I start by training them. Much time after this is spent tackling the Digitisers' queries, but this is a great way to get around & see everyone.” pic.twitter.com/1fTuuA0RYK

— Kew Science (@KewScience) March 13, 2023

Why did you decide to pursue this career?

Alison: “I’ve been a Curator at Kew for 18 years so I knew how daunting it would be to suddenly have a large team of digitisers processing millions of specimens.

— Kew Science (@KewScience) March 13, 2023

“...I knew that I would be a great buffer between the Curators and the Digitisation team, and seeing such an incredible project from the ground up was too much of an exciting prospect to not be a part of!” pic.twitter.com/73MCfCQPwV

— Kew Science (@KewScience) March 13, 2023

Any tips for someone pursuing this career?

Priscila: “It helps to be fascinated by plants, research & collections as all three are heavily intertwined with this job. But overall, it’s a great career for someone who loves variety as every day there’s a new challenge to overcome!” pic.twitter.com/bLH5JODZnb

— Kew Science (@KewScience) March 13, 2023