FSML: Improving infrastructure to facilitate research at the Pymatuning Lab of Ecology

匹兹堡大学获得一笔赠款，用于改善Pymatuning生态学实验室（PLE-http：//www.biology.pitt.edu/facilities/pymatuning）的基础设施，该实验室是生物野外站组织的七个创始成员之一。有了这个奖项，在20世纪60年代建造的现有建筑将被一个将包含三个新的实验室和多个教师研究办公室取代。第一个实验室将扩大空间，供教师和学生研究鸟类行为，并提供额外的空间适合动物研究。另一个大型实验室将致力于分子和微生物生态学的研究，这是一个重要的和不断增长的研究领域，而PLE目前没有能力。几个PLE研究小组进行的研究包括分子和微生物元素，但他们必须回到自己的家乡机构完成这项工作。这个实验室将包括空间来容纳高压灭菌器，玻璃洗碗机，离心机，制冰机和其他设备。第三个实验室将是两个新的PLE研究人员和他们的学生的无脊椎动物实验室。自2007年以来，PLE经历了一次振兴，并在其所有的许多任务经历了巨大的增长;研究使用增加了40%，本科生入学率增加了76%，外展增加了556%，会议使用增加了45%。在研究出版物方面，从1981年到2000年，PLE平均每年出版3份出版物;从2007年到2011年，这一数字增加到每年21份出版物。在此期间，六名PI已开始在车站工作，预计2012年还会有三名PI。与此同时，该大学致力于通过投资于整个设施的无线通信来改善PLE设施，翻新几栋建筑并建造两栋新建筑。虽然新大楼的建设是出于扩大内部和外部NSF资助的研究人员的研究能力的需要，但它也将为新课程和扩大外展提供机会。由于PLE经历了本科入学率的大幅增长，包括最近加入PLE教育联盟的五所地区本科大学。PLE的分子/微生物实验室将支持协同活动，包括分子生态学，分子进化和微生物生态学的新课程。同样令人兴奋的是，有机会大幅增加外联机会。虽然PLE外展在过去5年中增长强劲，但增加一个分子/微生物实验室将立即用于生物科学部的外展办公室，该办公室每年在整个宾夕法尼亚州西部达到320多个初中和高中班级（8，300名学生）。新实验室将允许外联办公室使用PLE（位于主校区以北2小时）作为第二个操作基地，在秋季和冬季研究人员不居住的月份为区域高中进行分子和微生物外展模块。外展办公室保守估计，在巴勒斯坦权力机构西北部，每年至少有25所学校（750名学生）可以开展以公共教育为基础的行动。这一精心规划的扩大外联工作也延长了传统季节性外地工作站数月的生产力。

The University of Pittsburgh is awarded a grant to make infrastructure improvements to the Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology (PLE - http://www.biology.pitt.edu/facilities/pymatuning), one of the seven founding member of Organization of Biological Field Stations. With this award, an existing building constructed in the 1960s will be replace with one that will contain three new labs and multiple faculty research offices. The first lab will expand the space available for faculty and student research on bird behavior, and provide additional space suitable for animal research. Another large lab will be devoted to research in molecular and microbial ecology, an important and growing area of research for which PLE currently has no capacity. Several PLE research groups conduct research that includes molecular and microbial elements, but they must return to their home institutions to complete this work. This lab will include space to house an autoclave, glass dishwasher, centrifuge, ice machine, and other equipment. The third lab will be an invertebrate lab for two new PLE researchers and their students. Since 2007, PLE has undergone a revitalization and experienced tremendous growth in all of its many missions; research use has increased by 40%, undergraduate enrollment by 76%, outreach by 556%, and conference use by 45%. In terms of research publications, PLE produced an average of 3 publications/yr from 1981 to 2000; this has increased to 21 publications/yr from 2007 to 2011. During this time, six PIs have begun work at the station with three more expected in 2012. At the same time, the University has dedicated itself to improve the PLE facility by investing in wireless communication throughout the facility, renovating several building and constructing two new buildings. Although the construction of the new building is strongly motivated by a need to expand research capacity for internal and external NSF-funded researchers, it will also provide opportunities for new courses and expanded outreach. As PLE has experienced substantial growth in undergraduate enrollment, including the recent addition of five regional undergraduate universities to the PLE education consortium. The molecular/microbial lab at PLE will support synergistic activities including new courses in Molecular Ecology, Molecular Evolution, and Microbial Ecology. Equally exciting is the opportunity to dramatically increase outreach opportunities. While PLE outreach has grown strongly during the past 5 yrs, the addition of a molecular/microbial lab will be of immediate use to the Department of Biological Sciences' Outreach Office which reaches more than 320 middle and high school classes (8,300 students) annually throughout western PA. The new lab will allow the Outreach Office to use PLE (located 2 hrs north of Main Campus) as a second base of operations to conduct molecular and microbial outreach modules for regional high schools during the fall and winter months when researchers are not in residence. The Outreach Office conservatively estimates that a PLE-based operation could reach at least 25 schools (750 students) annually in northwestern PA. This carefully planned expansion of outreach efforts also extends the months of productivity for a traditionally seasonal field station.