Renovation of Gunter Hall Environmental Science Center

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Frostburg State University (FSU) is the recipient of ARI funds for the renovation of Gunter Hall. FSU, a rural Comprehensive I institution, is located in mountainous western Maryland serving Appalachian residents from Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and minority students from the Baltimore-Washington, DC metropolitan area. As part of the eleven member University of Maryland System, FSU has the distinction of being second in the proportion of its students who succeed in doctoral studies. The administration, recognizing the need to maintain its position, is committed to provide modern laboratories to facilitate the professional development of science faculty, and enhance training programs for the next generation of scientists. FSU, with assistance from the National Science Foundation, will provide resources to renovate Gunter Hall. Constructed in 1960, the facility originally housed the university's dining hall and student center. As part of the overall facilities improvement plan, Gunter Hall when refurbished will become home to the Geography Department and the focus of environmental science programs that are currently dispersed among five buildings. Renovations will encompass: reconfiguring space, improving ventilation and utility systems, and installing fixed equipment. Upon completion the following research programs will be enhanced: Environmental Geology and Hydrology, Soils Research, Environmental Chemistry, Engineering and Cartography, Forest Ecology, Mammalian and Avian Ecology, Aquatic Ecology, and Aquaculture and Toxicology. This project will unify students and faculty engaged in environmental science studies, establish research collaborations, and increase the number of students pursuing environmental science as a career.