Enhancement of Research and Education Facilities at the University of Kansas Field Station

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A grant has been awarded to University of Kansas Field Station and Ecological Reserves (KSR) under the direction of Dr. Bryan Foster, to construct a multi-purpose building and modest visitor housing at KSR. The multi-purpose building will enhance the KSR environment in three inter-related areas: 1) research, 2) education, and 3) health and safety. Research space in the proposed building will provide a general-purpose laboratory, a laboratory for wet chemistry, and a commons space (library, station archives/reference materials, computer laboratory) for resident and visiting researchers. The multi-purpose building will provide a physical setting for scientists to undertake innovative research that addresses complex environmental issues. The multi-purpose building will also provide basic accommodations for resident and visiting users of the field station. Improvements include a dedicated kitchen area and ample restrooms/showers. Two small sleeping cabins will accommodate the demonstrated need for housing an ever-increasing use of KSR by visiting scientists and students. Collectively these improvements will provide flexibility to accommodate a wide range of current and future uses, and promote the wellbeing of users by providing a safe and efficient work environment. KSR also supports an active program of teaching and outreach. Teaching initiatives have grown recently and the new multi-purpose building will allow groups of students and visitors to engage in instructional programs in a more appropriate environment. Educational initiatives at KSR reach students of all ages (K-12 short courses, undergraduate classes and individual research experiences [including the NSF program Research Experiences for Undergraduates], graduate research and education, and public workshops). KSR is actively involved in bringing underrepresented groups into science; in particular, faculty and students at Haskell Indian Nations University increasingly use our facilities. KSR also promotes science infrastructure by providing research facilities and archived data sets to scientists both in the region and nationally. Research results produced by these scientists are broadly distributed through the scientific literature, and by novel approaches of public outreach and internet dissemination. Finally, KSR research addresses many topics of societal concern; examples include spread of invasive species, ecosystem restoration, risk assessment of transgenic crops, and pesticide effects on aquatic communities.