EIU Media Relations

Methven Receives NSF Funding for Role in Major Macrofungi Project

Eastern Illinois University Professor Andrew Methven, biological sciences, is collaborating on a National Science Foundation-funded project, "The Macrofungi Collection Consortium: Unlocking a Biodiversity Resource for Understanding Biotic Interactions, Nutrient Cycling and Human Affairs."

The project's total grant award amount is more than $2.8 million, and EIU will receive more than $50,000 for Methven's role.

The study, led by an employee of the New York Botanical Garden, will digitize and share online data regarding the 1.4 million dried scientific specimens that have been collected over the past 150 years in 35 institutions in 24 states. The resulting database will further the understanding of the diversity of these organisms and the relationships between macrofungi and the other species.