Developing a Strategic Plan for Expansion and Renovation of Research and Training Facilities at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Ocean Springs, Mississippi

该奖项支持南密西西比大学墨西哥湾沿岸研究实验室（GCRL，位于密西西比州的Ocean Springs）的战略规划，用于扩大和翻新现有的研究和培训设施，以获得海洋科学本科生的研究经验。我们的目标是提供最好的海洋科学本科教育，这意味着在指定的实验室环境中开发和提供研究项目的空间，学生可以在一个不受干扰的区域进行实验。自1950年首次开设夏季课程以来，GCRL服务的研究生和本科生数量以及实地和研究经验的质量不断增长。访问教授和学生继续享受独特的实地经验，研究机会和实验室的理想位置在戴维斯河，面对密西西比海湾。在过去的十年里，越来越多的人担心本科生研究项目缺乏研究空间。我们认为需要对该设施进行阶段规划，以确保访问研究教师和本科生研究人员的总体愿景和需求得到明智的满足。该奖项将提供资金前往其他最先进的海洋科学设施，以获得第一手资料，使我们的本科生研究设施成为示范性的网站。我们的奖项还为建筑师提供资金，以指导我们通过规划的各个阶段，以确保我们符合我们的校园和研究设施的最佳管理计划。教师、研究人员和建筑师将定期会面，研究教学教室与实验室空间的分离，以及将教室移动到校园的不同位置。目前用于教学的建筑将被开发为研究中心和全职湿实验室，包含流动的海水。

This award supports the strategic planning by The University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL, located in Ocean Springs, Mississippi) for the expansion and renovation of existing research and training facilities for undergraduate research experience in marine science. Our goal of providing the best undergraduate education in marine sciences means developing and providing space for research projects in a designated laboratory setting where students can run their experiments in an uninterrupted area.Since its initial summer course offerings in 1950, GCRL has continued to grow in numbers of graduate and undergraduates served and in the quality of the field and research experiences. Visiting professors and students continue to enjoy the unique field experience, research opportunities and the ideal location of the laboratory on Davis Bayou, facing the Mississippi Sound. In the last 10 years there has been a growing concern for lack of research space for undergraduate research projects. We believed a phase planning for this facility was needed to ensure the overall vision and needs of visiting research faculty and undergraduate researchers are wisely met. This award will provide funds to travel to other state-of-the-art marine science facilities to obtain first hand information on making our undergraduate research facility an exemplary site. Our award also provides money for an architect to guide us through all phases of planning to ensure we comply with the best management plans for our campus and research facility.Faculty, researchers and the architect will meet regularly and investigate the separation of the teaching classrooms from the laboratory space as well as moving the classrooms to a different location on campus. The current buildings utilized for instruction will then be developed as the research center and full time wet lab, containing running sea-water.