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

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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.