{"id":215233,"date":"2025-05-05T16:11:39","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T02:11:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=215233"},"modified":"2025-05-21T15:47:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T01:47:00","slug":"grant-termination-seed-digitization-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/05\/05\/grant-termination-seed-digitization-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Grant termination threatens Lyon Arboretum\u2019s seed digitization project"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

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A federal grant that helped digitize Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s rarest plant seeds was abruptly terminated in April, dealing a major blow to the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa\u2019s Lyon Arboretum<\/a> Seed Conservation Lab and its efforts to preserve endangered flora.<\/p>\n

The $250,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS<\/abbr>) was awarded three years ago to fund high-resolution imaging and online access to the lab\u2019s seed collection, one of the largest tropical seed banks in the world. The project was in its final months and nearing completion when researchers were informed of the funding cut.<\/p>\n

The decision came after federal agency staff were placed on administrative leave, following a meeting between IMLS<\/abbr> leadership and officials from the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency.<\/p>\n

“We were blindsided,” said Nate Kingsley, manager of the Seed Conservation Lab. “We had no warning. The project was scheduled to wrap in August, and most of the digitization work is done. But we lost our imaging technician, and we now must find alternative ways to maintain the website that houses this collection.”<\/p>\n