Development of a Longitudinal Strategic Plan for Research and Education at The Cayo Santiago Field Station, Puerto Rico

该奖项将支持为卡约圣地亚哥野战站(CSFS)制定一个十年战略总体计划，这是波多黎各大学的一个校外研究和教育设施，为科学界服务了75年以上。CSFS为专注于行为、认知、人口学、生活史、生理学和遗传学的研究项目提供了一个自由放养的猕猴种群(Macaca Mulatta)。最近购买了一栋新建筑，为发展足够的生物野外站设施提供了理想的空间，包括开发一个住房单元、实验室区域、会议空间和计算机实验室，可以支持CSFS目前正在进行的研究，并扩大社区外联计划。资金将允许一组具有相关背景的研究人员和专业人员进行实地考察，并提供必要的建议，以确定必要的翻修范围。总而言之，现在是我们与其他专业人员一道努力改进外地站的理想时机。该项目将有助于开发最先进的基础设施和实验室环境，以改善CSFS，这将增强CSFS S在为教育和研究社区提供宝贵服务的使命中砥砺前行的能力，包括促进科学领域中代表性不足群体的进步。作为美国唯一一所拥有灵长类中心的少数族裔高等教育机构，CSFS通过支持当地波多黎各学生和研究人员，是增加科学多样性的独特场所。拟议的规划活动包括成立一个咨询委员会，该委员会将在CSFS为期两天的会议后帮助设计一个总体计划，该委员会有三个具体目标：i)确定CSFS研究的增长潜力，并建立实现这一目标所需的技术、通信和设施翻新；ii)制定计划，为本科教学和培训制定学术计划；iii)启动针对在校学生和普通公众的外展计划，并确定如何最好地将社区外展与正在进行的研究和教学相结合。有关野外空间站的更多信息，请访问加勒比灵长类动物研究中心关于圣地亚哥卡约的网页，网址为http://cprc.rcm.upr.edu/?q=cayodesc.

This award will support the creation of a ten-year strategic master plan for the Cayo Santiago Field Station (CSFS), an off-campus facility for research and education of the University of Puerto Rico that has served the scientific community for over 75 years. CSFS provides a free-ranging population of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) for research projects focused on behavior, cognition, demography, life history, physiology and genetics. A new building has been recently acquired and offers the ideal space to develop adequate biological field station facilities, including the development of a housing unit, laboratory area, meeting space, and computer lab that can support the research currently done at CSFS and expand the community outreach program. Funding will allow a group of researchers and professionals from relevant backgrounds to perform a site-visit and offer advice needed to determine the extent of renovations necessary. In summary this is the ideal time to gear our efforts in conjunction with other professionals toward the improvement of the field station. This project will help direct efforts towards developing state-of-the-art infrastructure and laboratory settings for the improvement of the CSFS, which will enhance CSFS?s ability to forge ahead in its mission of providing an invaluable service to educational and research communities, including the advancement of underrepresented groups within science. As the only minority U.S. institution of higher education that hosts a primate center, the CSFS represents a unique place to increase diversity in science by supporting local Puerto Rican students and researchers. The proposed planning activity consists of the formation of an Advisory Committee that will help design a master plan following a two-day meeting at CSFS with three specific aims: i) to determine the potential for growth of research at CSFS and to establish the technological, communication, and facility renovations that would be necessary to accomplish such a goal, ii) to create a plan to develop an academic program for undergraduate teaching and training, and iii) to initiate the development of an outreach program for school students and the general public and to determine how best to integrate community outreach with on-going research and teaching. For more information about the field station, please visit the Caribbean Primate Research Center webpage for Cayo Santiago at http://cprc.rcm.upr.edu/?q=cayodesc.