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

东肯塔基大学获得一笔赠款，用于制定一项全面的战略计划，将肯塔基州东部两个独立的自然区--梅伍兹和利利·科内特森林(LCW)的业务联系起来，形成一个统一的生物野外站(BFS)，支持广泛的研究、教育和外联活动。该计划将在专业协调员的指导下，由外地站业务和行政方面的一系列利益攸关方和专家提供意见。梅伍德靠近校园，有森林、林缘和湿地环境，而莉莉·科内特森林(约140英里外)包括40多年来支持生态学研究的老森林。这两个自然区域目前都是作为野外站点运营的，但新的战略计划旨在最大限度地发挥它们的潜力，并将它们与联网的数字信息系统结合起来，从而扩大EKU和我们服务区域以外的研究人员和教育工作者的使用。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、主校园和其他地方之间创建网络基础设施网络所需的必要参数、设备、设施和协作。目前设施有限，长期的改善计划将使这些自然区域不仅能够在我们传统的教育和学生研究领域中得到充分利用，而且还可以通过利用区域和国家合作扩大和深化研究工作。有关这两个研究地点的更多信息，请访问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/.