Modernization of Computer, Communications, and Data Management Equipment at the Nantucket Field Station

在Sarah Oktay-Quigley博士的指导下，马萨诸塞州波士顿大学获得了一笔赠款，用于部分支持南图克特野外站（NFS）设施获得宽带互联网能力。此外，拨款将用于购买急需的计算机和数据传输设备，以丰富研究和教学计划，存档数十年的环境和生物数据，提供实时网络数据源，并扩大设施的使用。这笔赠款将显着提高NFS的能力，以支持研究使用，并保持其高质量的教学。 NFS支持的课程的多学科性质反映在现场教授的当前课程的主题中：沿海生态学，盐沼生态学，海洋无脊椎动物生态学，环境地质学，海洋学，水文地质学，艺术，鸟类学，语言学，教学设计和医疗咨询。研究和教育计划，将受益于此赠款的例子包括：NFS参与全岛生物多样性评估倡议，水质调查与南图克特，公民海滩剖析项目，并资助调查沿海流通，渔业管理，地下水流和盐沼整治镇的合作项目。NFS还为许多通过NSF资助的访问科学家提供实验室空间，研究范围从灰海豹再种群调查到美国埋葬甲虫的重新引入。麻省大学波士顿分校的生态学和保护生物学本科生（REU）项目的研究经验将他们的年度夏季项目推向高潮，并将其撤退到野外站，以展示他们的夏季研究项目并进行实地考察。该研究设施可供南图克特的所有科学、地方政府和环境组织使用。NFS在南图克特的独特位置使研究能够解决广泛的环境问题，如濒危物种的栖息地保护，如北方鹞，以确定对唯一水源含水层的污染威胁。NFS与南图克特镇、当地环境和土地保护非政府机构、公民科学家和自然学家、艺术界和教育系统密切相关。因此，我们有很大的责任来激励环境管理，并提供可用于环境管理决策的科学数据。该奖项将有利于一个快速发展的研究社区，使大量的数据在地区生态站之间的传播，并提供一个教育材料库提供给社区。NFS向公众开放，并通过解释性的自然小径和互动研究演示提供教育推广。主办学校团体，老年人旅行，有机景观论坛，诗歌表演和美洲原住民遗产计划是其对社区的许多贡献。

A grant has been awarded to the University of Massachusetts Boston under the direction of Dr. Sarah Oktay-Quigley for partial support for the acquisition of broadband internet capability for the Nantucket Field Station (NFS) facility. In addition, funds granted will be used to purchase much needed computer and data transfer equipment to enrich research and instructional programs, archive decades of environmental and biological data, provide real-time web data feeds, and expand the usage of the facility. This grant will significantly increase the NFS' ability to support research use and to maintain its high quality of instruction. The multidisciplinary nature of the programs supported by the NFS is reflected in the topics of current courses taught on site: coastal ecology, salt marsh ecology, marine invertebrate ecology, environmental geology, oceanography, hydrogeology, art, ornithology, linguistics, instructional design, and medical counseling. Examples of research and educational programs that will benefit from this grant include the following: NFS participation in an island-wide Biodiversity Assessment Initiative, collaboration on water quality surveys with the Town of Nantucket, a citizen beach profiling project, and funded projects investigating coastal circulation, fisheries management, groundwater flow, and salt marsh remediation. The NFS also provides laboratory space for many visiting scientists funded through the NSF on studies ranging from gray seal repopulation surveys to the reintroduction of the American Burying Beetle. The Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program in Ecology and Conservation Biology at UMass Boston culminates their annual summer program with a retreat to the Field Station to present their summer research projects and conduct field trips. The research facility is available for use by all scientific, local government, and environmental organizations on Nantucket. The NFS' unique location on Nantucket enables research addressing a wide range of environmental concerns such as habitat protection of endangered species like the northern harrier to identification of pollution threats to sole source aquifers. The NFS is closely linked with the town of Nantucket, local environmental and land conservation non-governmental agencies, citizen scientists and naturalists, the arts community, and the educational system. As such, we have a great responsibility to inspire environmental stewardship and provide scientific data that can be used in environmental management decisions. This award will benefit a rapidly growing research community, enable the dissemination of large amounts of data between area ecological stations, and provide a storehouse of educational materials available to the community. The NFS is open to the public and provides educational outreach through an interpretive nature trail and interactive research demonstrations. Hosting school groups, senior citizen trips, organic landscaping forums, poetry performances, and Native American Heritage programs are among its many contributions to the community.