New collaborative project will extend access to the Museum's renowned mineral collection to scientists around the world
HOBOKEN, NJ-Wiley, a global leader in authoritative content and research intelligence for the advancement of scientific discovery, innovation and learning, today announced a new collaborative project with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) that will extend access to the Museum's renowned mineral collection to scientists around the world.
This new project aligns Wiley's strategic commitment to building essential research infrastructure with the American Museum of Natural History's mission to disseminate knowledge about the natural world "through scientific research and education." By creating comprehensive spectral reference data from the Museum's world-class mineral collection, this collaboration will advance discovery and innovation for researchers worldwide.
"This project exemplifies Wiley's commitment to advancing scientific discovery by making high-quality standard reference data accessible to researchers worldwide," said Graeme Whitley, senior director, data science solutions at Wiley. "The AMNH's minerals collection represents an extraordinary scientific resource, and by creating comprehensive spectral libraries, we're enabling researchers everywhere to leverage this knowledge in their work."
"Our mineral collection has been a cornerstone of geological research since the Museum's founding in 1869," said Kate Kiseeva, curator in the Division of Physical Sciences and of the Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals at the American Museum of Natural History. "This project with Wiley will greatly expand access to this valuable scientific collection in new ways, providing scientists worldwide with high-quality spectroscopic reference data that will advance mineral identification and analysis for years to come."
The initiative will create a comprehensive Raman spectral database that will serve as invaluable reference materials for researchers, students and industry professionals working in geology, chemistry, archaeology, forensics, materials science and related fields. These spectroscopic datasets can improve mineral identification and analysis for both academic and commercial uses and may support the development of algorithms and models for examining novel minerals and materials.
Wiley will make the resulting data available to the global research community through two channels: its KnowItAll analytical chemistry software platform and SpectraBase, its online spectral database. This sustainable dual-access approach ensures that both licensed software users and the broader scientific community can benefit from this unique resource. The first installment of data from the collection will be available this spring, with additional data added over time.
The American Museum of Natural History's collection has grown to be one of the world's most important collections of gems and minerals, with more than 120,000 mineral specimens and 5,000 gems. It provides an exceptional foundation for building comprehensive reference spectral libraries spanning diverse mineral types and compositions. This project also advances the Museum's strategic goal to digitize its vast collection to help unlock scientific knowledge, share its benefits more broadly, and open doors to new discoveries.
Wiley's spectral database business provides scientists with critical reference data for identifying and analyzing chemical compounds and materials. Spectral databases contain detailed "fingerprints" of substances captured through various analytical techniques such as Raman spectroscopy, enabling researchers to identify unknown materials by comparing their spectral signatures against authenticated reference standards. This reference data infrastructure is essential for quality control, research verification, and discovery across industries from pharmaceuticals to materials science.
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