Improvements of storage facilities and communications at the Kessler Farm Field Laboratories

俄克拉荷马州大学获得了一笔赠款，用于在凯斯勒农场野外实验室（KFFL）建造一个30 x 60的储存设施，以及修复道路和停车场，并在这个场地建造一个Wi-Fi通信网络，这是一个使用频繁的草原野外站。 该结构将允许研究人员和教师安全地存储他们的材料，并改善与田间地块和教育工具的无线通信。 这也将改善KFFL的一些研究项目的网络存在，并提高其教育潜力。 KFFL是一个独特的野外站，具有强大的跨学科焦点，生物学家，生态学家，气象学家，地理学家，地貌学家和气候变化专家之间正在进行的互动。 位于只有25分钟从主校区的ESTA 350英亩的设施是草地结构和功能的研究，以及如何这些可能会受到各种气候和天气驱动程序的重要资源。 此外，KFFL还主持了两项长期的全球气候变化实验，以及几个联邦大气测量设施，包括大气辐射测量站点，国家大气沉积计划站点和NOAA Profiler Network站点。 KFFL主持的其他项目包括大陆尺度磁强计研究（McMaC）的一个站点、边界层雷达、俄克拉荷马州Mesonet中剩下的两个超级站点之一、KFFL Piconet、风廓线仪和视频测距仪以及长期小型哺乳动物围栏。此外，还对位于KFFL的草地、小溪和池塘进行了大量研究。事实上，已经有数百篇论文使用了KFFL收集的数据。 随着新项目的提出，预计未来将在许多不同领域开展更多引人注目的研究。 没有资金的研究工作也在继续增加。 所有这些努力都将受益于安全、有保障和卫生的储存设施、修复的道路和停车场以及无线网络通信能力。 当地学区的一些K-12团体表示有兴趣使用KFFL。由于他们的位置，许多这些方案包括来自代表性不足的群体的学生人数众多。 KFFL基础设施的改善将提高我们与当地学区建立网络的能力，并将更多的学生和更多代表性不足的群体纳入实地工作。Wi-Fi通信功能将使科学家和教育工作者能够使用KFFL通过网络让学生参与进来，并将有助于吸引更多来自俄克拉荷马州的学生参与实地研究。 为了帮助更广泛地传播有关该设施活动的信息，KFFL现在有一个新的门户网站（http：kffl.ou.edu），用于宣传农场的活动，并向有兴趣使用农场的研究人员或学校团体张贴和分发信息。此外，所有KFFL用户现在都必须在KNB知识库（http：//www.example.com）登记其元数据。knb.ecoinformatics.org

The University of Oklahoma is awarded a grant for the construction of a 30 x 60 storage facility at the Kessler Farm Field Laboratory (KFFL) as well as for the repair of roads and parking areas and to construct a wi-fi communications network at this site, a heavily-used grassland field station. The structure would allow researchers and teachers to store their materials safely as well as improve wireless communication with field plots and educational tools. This will also improve the web presence of a number of research projects at KFFL and enhance their educational potentials. KFFL is a unique field station with its strong interdisciplinary foci, ongoing interactions occurring amongst biologists, ecologists, meteorologists, geographers, geomorphologists, and climate change experts. Located only 25 minutes from the main campus of OU, this 350-acre facility is a great resource for research on grassland structure and function and how these may be affected by various climate and weather drivers. In addition, KFFL hosts two long-term global climate change experiments, and several federal atmospheric measurement facilities including an Atmospheric Radiation Measurement site, National Atmospheric Deposition Program site, and NOAA Profiler Network site. Additional programs hosted by KFFL include a site in a continental scale magnetometer study (McMaC), a boundary layer radar, one of two remaining super-sites in the Oklahoma Mesonet, the KFFL Piconet, wind profilers and video disdrometers, and long-term small mammal exclosures. Further, numerous studies have been conducted on the grasslands, creeks and ponds located at KFFL. Literally hundreds of papers have been written using data collected at KFFL. With new projects being proposed, more high-profile research is expected in the future in a number of different fields. Unfunded research efforts continue to increase as well. All of these efforts would benefit from the presence of a safe, secure and sanitary storage facility, repaired roads and parking areas and wi-fi communication capabilities. A number of K-12 groups in the local school districts around have expressed interest in using KFFL. By virtue of their location, many of these programs comprise significant numbers of students from underrepresented groups. Improved infrastructure at KFFL will increase our ability to network with these local school districts and to include more students and more under represented groups in field work. Wi-fi communication capabilities will enable scientists and educators using KFFL to involve students via the web and would help attract additional students from across Oklahoma to participate in field research. To aid in wider dissemination of information about activities occurring at the facility, KFFL now has a new web portal (http://kffl.ou.edu) that is being used to advertise events at the farm as well as post and distribute information to researchers or school groups interested in using the farm. In addition, all KFFL users are now required to register their metadata with the KNB knowledge base (http://knb.ecoinformatics.org).