Building Renovation for New Meeting Facility at Konza Prairie Biological Station

该项目为堪萨斯州立大学康扎草原生物站（KPBS）历史悠久的2层石灰石谷仓底层的主要室内装修提供了部分支持。改造后的建筑将提供会议设施和多功能空间，用于研究、科学教育和公共宣传项目，该保护区占地3500公顷，致力于基础生物学研究、草原生态系统的长期生态研究、科学教育和保护。机构资金将用于改善供暖和制冷系统，改造地板和其他结构特征。由美国国家科学基金会提供的资金将用于建设一个具有现代视听和电信功能的大型会议/演讲厅，以及第二个稍大的灵活使用的会议室，储藏室和厨房空间，以及通往二楼的楼梯。这些和有关的暖气、冷气和电力供应改善所需的额外资金将由该机构和一个私人捐助者提供。KPBS在研究项目、国内和国际合作和学术交流、K-12和高等教育科学教育项目方面取得了显著进展。总的来说，这三个领域的扩展大大增加了对会议、会议、讲座、研讨会以及正式和非正式网络、通信和互动的现场设施的需求。改造后的空间将与车站其他历史悠久的石灰岩建筑很好地融合在一起。KPBS拥有大面积受保护的原生草地、河岸森林和溪流栖息地，为研究各种生物和生态过程提供了机会。目前，有131个已注册的研究项目在该站进行，其中包括35名堪萨斯州立大学的研究人员和58名来自其他机构的访问科学家。现有的站点设施包括Hulbert中心，里面有图书馆、小教室、教学实验室、办公室、植物标本室和昆虫收藏室，以及可容纳13名游客的宿舍。其他的站点建筑包括一个带有计算机室和研究人员商店的实验室大楼，一个消防站和维修大楼，设备存储大楼，两个2卧室的客人小屋，以及一个供现场工作人员使用的小住所。实验设施包括60个流域处理地块，在不同的长期规定的火灾和放牧处理组合下维持，若干围栏和围栏用于放牧研究，一个专门用于小块试验和地下生物和过程研究的区域，以及用于草地恢复研究的几个领域。随着该站研究和教育项目在跨学科广度和参与水平上的扩大，这座新设施将对该站研究和教育项目的持续发展起到重要的支持作用。这一改造将为草地生态系统和环境变化的长期科学研究提供有价值的支持，同时也为环境生物学本科培训项目和高质量的K-12科学教育项目的持续发展提供必要的设施，为高度多样化的区域学生群体提供服务。

This award provides partial support for a major interior renovation of the ground floor of a historic, 2- story limestone barn at the Konza Prairie Biological Station (KPBS) of Kansas State University. The renovated building will provide a meeting facility and multi-use space for research, science education, and public outreach programs at this 3,500 hectare tallgrass prairie preserve dedicated to basic biological research, long-term ecological research on grassland ecosystems, science education, and conservation. Institutional funds will support improvements in heating and cooling systems, and modification of the flooring and other structural features. Funds provided by NSF will be used to construct a large meeting/lecture room with modern audio-visual and telecommunications capabilities, and a second, slightly larger, flexible-use meeting room, storage and kitchen spaces, and stairs to the second floor. Additional funds required for these and related improvements in heating, cooling and electrical supply will be provided by the institution and a private donor. KPBS has experienced significant expansion in research programs, national and international collaborations and scholarly exchange, and K-12 and post-secondary science education programs. Collectively the expansion in these three areas has substantially increased the need for on-site facilities for meetings, conferences, lectures, seminars, and formal and informal networking, communication, and interaction. The renovated space will integrate well with the architecture of the other historic limestone buildings of the station. KPBS has extensive areas of protected native grassland, riparian forest, and stream habitats that provide opportunities for study of a wide range of organisms and ecological processes. Currently, 131 registered research projects are conducted on the station's grounds, involving 35 Kansas State University researchers and 58 visiting scientists from other institutions. Existing station facilities include the Hulbert Center, which houses a library, small classroom, teaching laboratory, offices, herbarium and insect collections, and dormitory housing for 13 visitors. Other station buildings include a laboratory building with computer room and researchers' shop, a fire station and maintenance building, equipment storage building, two 2- bedroom guest cottages, and a small residence for on-site staff. Experimental facilities include 60 watershed treatment parcels maintained under different long-term prescribed fire and grazing treatment combinations, several enclosures and exclosures for grazing studies, an area dedicated to small-plot experiments and studies of below-ground organisms and processes, and several fields used for grassland restoration studies. This new facility at KPBS will be of significant value in supporting the continued development of the station research and education programs as they expand in interdisciplinary breadth and in their level of participation. This renovation will provide valuable support for long-term scientific study of grassland ecosystems and environmental change, and while also providing essential facilities for continued development of undergraduate training programs in environmental biology and high quality K-12 science education programs that serve a highly diverse regional student population.