Infrastructure and Equipment Improvements for the South Padre Island Field Stations

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The University of Texas at Brownsville has been awarded a grant for infrastructural improvements and equipment for the South Padre Island field stations to include (1)renovating currently unexploited rooms on the 3rd (1,760 sq. ft.) and 2nd (615 sq. ft.) floors of the South Padre Island Center to create a space for accommodating visiting scientists, students, and community groups for extended stays, (2) improving the plumbing and seawater storage systems, and (3) acquiring a 24' outboard vessel to support the research and education programs of both institutions. This project is a joint activity conducted under a memorandum of agreement between the University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College (UTB/TSC) and the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) which covers joint use of the station and collaborations between the two institutions. Research activities at the station include restoration ecology, community ecology, environmental physiology, invasive species biology, remote sensing, sedimentology, geochemistry, and hydrology.The research laboratories of UTB/TSC and UTPA faculty serve as an important bridge between research and educational activities (including outreach programs) in the marine and geosciences for this largely Hispanic region. Therefore, the broader impacts of these proposed improvements will dramatically increase the participation of underrepresented groups in science. The proposed improvements will enable collaborations with larger research institutions, support the current needs of UTB/TSC and UTPA researchers, and thereby contribute significantly to our capacity to offer high-quality research programs and engage underrepresented students in interdisciplinary research projects in STEM related areas.