MSI PI Andrew Simons (professor, Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology) was featured recently on the Bell Museum’s blog. Professor Simons is the curator of the fishes collection at the Bell, and the interim curator of the mollusk and crustacean collection. The fishes collection contains specimens collected since the late 19th century. Researchers use the collection to learn about fish distributions, habitats, and interactions over the years. You can read the story about the collection and Professor Simons on the Bell Museum’s website: Reeling in the Centuries.
Professor Simons uses MSI for phylogenomic studies of unionid mussels, which are freshwater mussels with great ecological and conservation concern. MSI partnered with the Bell Museum to create the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas, a searchable, public map showing where Bell Museum animal, plant, and fungal specimens have been found and collected.