FSML: Improving research and education activities at the Las Cruces Biological Station in Costa Rica

杜克大学获得了一笔拨款，用于完成目前在拉斯克鲁塞斯生物站的设施改造和扩建，这将增强学生和科学家的教育和研究机会。改进将包括：1)对现有实验室进行改造和扩建，增加长期存储空间；2)通过实验室IT大修完成全站网络基础设施升级；3)改造以前的住宅物业，以容纳更多的研究人员，并建造第四个研究人员小屋，以补充2007年NSF-FSML资金建造的三个小屋系列；4)改造植物标本室，以充分容纳当前的标本，并考虑到未来收藏的增长。这些升级将大大改善为访问研究人员和学生提供的设施，并完全重新定位该站，以应付访问研究人员的大量增加，以及课程的数量和停留时间的激增。Las Cruces于1973年被热带研究组织（OTS）收购，OTS是一个总部位于美国的非营利性联盟，由来自美国、拉丁美洲、南非和澳大利亚的60所大学和研究机构组成，致力于在热带地区的教育、研究和负责任地利用自然资源方面发挥领导作用。多年来，拉斯克鲁塞斯已成为一个重要的中高海拔野外观测站，专注于应用研究领域，特别是森林破碎化及其对动植物保护和恢复生态的影响。该站保护了325公顷的原始森林，植物多样性非常高（约2000种）和许多特有物种。该项目的改进将使该站能够继续作为热带生物学国际教育和研究的主要机构。有关拉斯克鲁塞斯的进一步信息可从OTS网站http://www.ots.ac.cr/获得。

Duke University has been awarded a grant to complete the current remodeling and expansion of facilities at the Las Cruces Biological Station that will enhance education and research opportunities for students and scientists. Improvements will: 1) remodel and expand the current laboratory and increase long-term storage space; 2) complete the station-wide upgrade of cyberinfrastructure by overhauling IT in the laboratory; 3) remodel a former residential property to house additional researchers and construct a fourth researcher cabin to complement the series of three cabins built with funds from the 2007 NSF-FSML; and 4) remodel the herbarium to adequately house current specimens and allow for the future growth of collections. These upgrades would considerably improve facilities provided to visiting researchers and students, and fully reposition the station to account for the large increase in researcher visitation, and the surge in the number and length of stay of courses. Las Cruces was acquired in 1973 by the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS), a US-based nonprofit consortium of 60 universities and research institutions from the United States, Latin America, South Africa, and Australia that is dedicated to providing leadership in education, research, and the responsible use of natural resources in the tropics. Over the years Las Cruces has established itself as a key mid-elevational field station focused on applied fields of research, and in particular forest fragmentation and its impacts on the conservation of flora and fauna and restoration ecology. The station protects 325 ha of mostly primary forest with exceptionally high plant diversity (~2000 species) and numerous endemic species. The improvements in this project will allow the Station to continue to serve as a leading institution for international education and research in tropical biology. Futher information on Las Cruces may be obtained from the OTS web site at http://www.ots.ac.cr/.