First IHerbSpec Symposium

The Harvard University Herbaria hosted an international meeting May 1-3, bringing together researchers from the world’s leading herbaria for the first IHerbSpec Symposium. The goal of the event was to develop standardized protocols and metadata standards for next-generation spectral digitization of herbarium specimens and featured morning talks and afternoon sessions focused on methods and protocol development. The initiative aims to enable global aggregation of spectral reflectance data, a rich source of phenotypic and functional trait information, by addressing variability in instrumentation, optical setups, and measurement practices. Establishing consistent, replicable approaches will facilitate large-scale modeling of plant traits, integration with ecological and remote sensing data, and deeper understanding of plant evolution and function.