FSML - Improvements in Facilities and Equipment at the Center for Ecology and Environmental Technology

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This award provides support for improvements in the physical structure of the Center for Ecology and Environmental Technology (CEET). The station, established in 1999, is a multidisciplinary facility for ecological and environmental research and education. Funds provided by the award will support renovation of existing lab and greenhouse space, and the purchase of computers and an emergency power system. Funds will also be used to permit online access to an existing database of information on plants found in the coastal prairie ecosystem in which the station is located. The mission of the station is to provide the tools and services necessary for investigating native and invasive organisms, the interactions between them, and their responses to the abiotic environment. The Center's location in the heart of the coastal prairie and marsh region of Louisiana allows for quick access to remote and diverse natural habitats. CEET promotes collaborations between different disciplines such as biology, mathematics, and engineering, which can lead to novel quantitative and technological approaches for studying populations and communities. Education efforts are directed towards training undergraduate and graduate students by providing mentoring with experienced scientists, independent research projects, and structured classes. In its first six years, the station has participated in training seventeen undergraduates, sixteen Master's, and sixteen Ph.D. students. The Center also hosts groups of K-12 students who visit the restored coastal prairie to learn about valuable native ecosystem and to participate in habitat restoration and breeding bird projects.