Caring for the MCZ’s Collections with Breda Zimkus

Breda Zimkus, Director of Collections Operations, is featured in the latest HMSC connects! podcast. Breda coordinates all the activities among our ten zoological collections, which support the work of hundreds of scientists and their groundbreaking science.

They talk about Breda’s pivotal semester abroad in ecologically diverse Ecuador and her work on a herpetological survey in Batéké Plateau National Park, Republic of Congo. They discuss her expertise in managing biological collections, as well as taxidermy, taxonomy, morphology, DNA sequencing, and cryogenic storage.

“The Director of Collections Operations is a role that connects staff to the resources they need and make sure that various departments … are moving in the direction of best practices. Every day is a new challenge. People don't think of natural history museums as modern centers for scientific research and education, but many, like the MCZ, are doing cutting edge research, and that's dependent on specimens in the collections. I'd like people to understand that they're not just full of taxidermy. There may be things on display that we can learn about and there is a lot going on behind the scenes.”

Listen: https://hmsc.harvard.edu/2022/11/16/caring-mcz-collections-breda-zimkus-harvard/