The National Science Foundation has recently funded a collaborative project between Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC) and Purdue University in West Lafayette to update the specimen storage and data archive systems of the Purdue Entomological Research Collection (PERC).

The project is spearheaded by Luke Jacobus of IUPUC, and Jennifer Zaspel and Eugenio Nearns of Purdue. The work, involving IUPUC and Purdue students, started in August 2016 and is anticipated to run through the end of 2019, with a budget of over $450,000.

PERC houses the largest and most important collection of arthropods in Indiana, estimated at two million specimens. The project will not only preserve scientifically significant specimens, but it also will make images of these specimens, and data associated with them, available to everyone online.

Both efforts are important for the future of research and education throughout Indiana and the world. This project will raise awareness of the importance of insects and natural history collections, as well as issues associated with preserving our freshwater resources through various public engagement activities, aquatic ecosystem workshops, and rural community youth programs throughout the state of Indiana.

The PERC's holdings include one of the world's largest and most comprehensive collections of mayflies (Ephemeroptera), as well as several important historical collections, including damselflies and dragonflies (Odonata), aquatic beetles (Coleoptera), and North American bees (Hymenoptera) and other important pollinator species. Thus, the PERC is an important resource worldwide, and global access to the collections will be improved through this project, increasing its importance further.

PERC's mayfly data will be made available through the Mayfly Central website (www.entm.purdue.edu/mayfly/). Additional information can be found at the official PERC website (www.entm.purdue.edu/perc/).