Jason Best

Jason develops enabling technologies and processes to streamline the research activities at BRIT. He received his B.A. in Mass Communications from Trinity University in San Antonio, then began his career as a graphic artist and designer for print and web but eventually focused on software interface and interaction design. Jason left the technology sector for a while but when he joined BRIT in 2005, he found a new opportunity to apply his love for technology solutions to challenges of information management in natural history collections. His work at the intersection of technology, botanical collections, and biodiversity data led him to pursue an M. S. in Information Science at the University of North Texas. Jason explores innovative applications for technologies like natural language processing and computer vision to help improve the efficiency of digitization workflows and to extract critical biodiversity data from natural history collections.