Strengthening the Research and Educational Capabilities of the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station, St. John US Virgin Islands

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Strengthening the research and educational capabilities of the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station, St. John, USVI. (FSML #0331552)AbstractA grant has been awarded to the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) under the direction of Dr. Richard S. Nemeth to upgrade the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS) located on St. John, US Virgin Islands. VIERS is located at the center of the Virgin Islands National Park, the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and the Coral Reef National Monument, making VIERS uniquely situated to provide researchers with reference sites for ecosystem level studies in both marine and terrestrial habitats. Although VIERS has provided 35 years of continuous service as a center for environmental education and research, the outdated laboratory facilities has limited use of this facility for teaching and especially for research to very low levels. Most of the instrumentation in the laboratory is over 20 years old and has been severely degraded due to the corrosive tropical environment. The VIERS lab also has no internet access or computer facilities available for visiting scientists and major equipment, which support field activities, have been damaged by a series of severe hurricanes. Through an extensive planning process, UVI identified the essential needs of current and potential users of VIERS. The primary goal of this project will be to modernize the VIERS facility to stimulate usage by researchers and educational groups from local, national and international institutions. Funding from the National Science Foundation will allow UVI to purchase major research instrumentation, renovate existing buildings and modernize the communication systems. The acquisition of modern laboratory instrumentation and major field equipment will expand research capabilities of VIERS from very basic ecological observations to more sophisticated measurement and experimentation, and will increase research capabilities at both spatial and temporal scales. The proposed renovations will provide for a research laboratory facility with functional and complementary workspaces including a computer lab, analytical lab, dry lab and wet lab with running seawater system. UVI will also modernize the information technology, communications and data management systems which will foster greater collaboration among researchers and strengthen the linkages between research, education and outreach programs. The close proximity of all representative tropical environments around VIERS will provide significant opportunities for researchers to make substantive comparisons among adjacent terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Improving the facilities at VIERS will facilitate teaching and research and, through community interaction with VIERS' outreach activities, will increase public interest and involvement in their natural resources. The broader impacts of modernizing this field biological station will also include a greater level of collaboration and an increase in the exchange of information and ideas between visiting scientists, educators, and students. Finally, increased activities at VIERS will provide more opportunities in education and research for the culturally diverse student body at UVI and K-12 students and teachers in the USVI.