Increasing the research and educational capabilities of EKU's natural areas: Crafting a comprehensive strategic plan to create, equip, and maintain a Biological Field Station

东肯塔基州大学被授予一笔赠款，以制定一项全面的战略计划，将连接两个独立的自然区域，梅伍兹和莉莉科内特伍兹（LCW），在东肯塔基州到一个统一的生物野外站（BFS）支持广泛的研究，教育和推广活动的操作。该计划将在专业主持人的指导下，根据一系列利益攸关方和外地台站运行和行政管理专家的意见制定。Maywoods靠近校园，拥有森林，森林边缘和湿地环境，而Lilley Cornett Woods（约140英里远）包括四十多年来支持生态研究的古老森林。这两个自然区域目前都是作为野外工作站运营的，但新的战略计划旨在最大限度地发挥其潜力，并将其与网络化的数字信息系统相结合，从而将研究人员和教育工作者的使用范围扩大到EKU和我们的服务区域之外。特别是，目标将是评估自然区域在研究和教育中的最佳作用，并确定在BFS，主校区和其他地区之间创建网络基础设施网络所需的必要参数，设备，设施和合作。设施目前有限，长期改善计划将使这些自然领域不仅在我们的传统教育和学生研究领域得到充分利用，而且还通过利用区域和国家合作来扩大和深化研究工作。有关这两个研究地点的更多信息，请参阅http://www.naturalareas.eku.edu/。

Eastern Kentucky University is awarded a grant to develop a comprehensive strategic plan that will link the operations of two separate natural areas, Maywoods and Lilley Cornett Woods (LCW), in eastern Kentucky into a unified Biological Field Station (BFS) supporting a broad range of research, educational, and outreach activities. The plan will be created with input from a spectrum of stakeholders and experts in field station operations and administration under the guidance of professional facilitators. Maywoods is proximal to the campus with forest, forest-edge, and wetland environments, whereas Lilley Cornett Woods (~140 miles distant) includes old-growth forest that has supported ecological research over four decades. Both natural areas are currently operated as field stations, but the new strategic plan aims to maximize their potential and unite them with networked, digital information systems thus expanding their use by researchers and educators beyond EKU and our service area. In particular, the goal will be to asses the optimal role of both natural areas in research and education, and to identify the necessary parameters, equipment, facilities, and collaborations needed to create a cyberinfrastructure network between the BFS, main campus, and beyond. Facilities are currently limited and a long-term plan for improvement will enable full use of these natural areas not only in our traditional arenas of education and student research, but also by tapping into regional and national collaborations that broaden and deepen research efforts. For more information about these two research locations please see http://www.naturalareas.eku.edu/.