School of Marine Sciences

在过去的六年里，缅因大学对其海洋实验室达令海洋中心进行了前所未有的投资，以使大学教师和访问研究人员及其学生受益。设施改进包括许多新的实验室和办公空间，更多的研究仪器，以及基本的支持设施，如食堂和新教室。1991年访问调查计划的启动，教育产品的扩大，以及大型本科实习计划的增长，导致了人口爆炸，而且没有减弱的迹象。为了确定改进的优先事项，该大学在设施规划方面邀请了访问调查员和访问州外大学。根据他们的建议，住房被列为最大的设施弱点。该中心的住房简陋，拥挤，严重不足，这种不足限制了教育和研究项目的发展，影响了越来越多的访问教师和学生。大学的环境健康和安全部门发布了对中心大部分住房状况不利的报告，主要是由于消防和ADA准入不足。大多数房屋都是平房式建筑，仅限夏季使用。有些住房既没有暖气也没有自来水。为了暂时满足住房需求，每个可用的空间都被转换成铺位，遍布11个独立的建筑。由于许多这些结构的年代和状况，现代化将在很大程度上成本过高。虽然该中心现在在温暖的天气里有60人的床位，但全年的住房目前只能容纳18名学生。由于住房短缺，中心不断增长的教育和访问调查员计划受到严重阻碍，导致日程安排混乱，个人和访问大学班级的数量受到限制，可以随时在现场工作。此外，建于1992年的餐厅设计一次可容纳35人，但现在必须容纳两倍于此的人数。将建造有20个房间的宿舍，全年为来访的教师和学生提供住宿。前两次颁发给该大学的FSML设施改善奖，刺激了访问达令中心的研究人员的数量，并使他们的访问更有成效。此外，这些奖项还极大地鼓励了大学和通过私人捐款支持该中心的当地公民的额外投资。

Over the last six years, the University of Maine has made an unprecedented investment in its marine laboratory, the Darling Marine Center to benefit both University faculty and visiting researchers and their students. Facility improvements include many new laboratory and offices spaces, more research instrumentation, and basic support facilities such as a dining hall and new classrooms. The inauguration of a Visiting Investigation Program in 1991, the expansion of educational offerings, and the growth of a large undergraduate internship program, have resulted in a population explosion that shows no sign of abating. To set priorities for improvements, the University has involved visiting investigators and visiting out-of-state colleges in facility planning. Based on their recommendation, housing has been targeted as the greatest facility weakness. The Center's housing is primitive, overcrowed, and woefully inadequate and this deficiency is restricting the growth of both educational and research programs that impact a growing community of visiting faculty and students. The University's Department of Environmental Health & Safety has issued unfavorable reports on the status of much of the Center's housing, mostly due to inadequate fire protection and ADA- access. Most housing is of cottage construction and is restricted to summer use. Some housing lacks both heat and running water. In order to temporarily meet housing demand, every available space has been converted to bunk space throughout 11 separate building. Due to the age and condition of many of these structures, modernization would be largely cost prohibitive. While the Center now has beds for 60 people during the warm weathers months, year-round housing will currently accommodate only 18 students. The Center's growing educational and Visiting Investigator programs are being severely hindered by this housing shortage, resulting in schedule juggling and restrictions on the number of individual s and visiting college classes that can work on site at any given time. In addition, the dining hall, built in 1992, was designed to feed 35 people at a time but now must accommodate twice that number. 20-room dormitory to house visiting faculty and students year round will be constructed. Two previous FSML facility improvements awards to the University have been responsible for stimulating the number of visiting investigators to the Darling Center and making their visits more productive. In addition, the awards have helped immeasurably to encourage additional investments by the University and by local, citizens who support the Center through their private donations.