VIERS the next 50 years: rebuilding resilient research infrastructure at the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS)

维尔京群岛环境资源站（VIERS）位于维尔京群岛国家公园（VINP）的中心地带，归维尔京群岛大学（UVI）所有（位于圣托马斯）。VIERS拥有50年的历史，为几代具有科学素养的公民，教育工作者和研究人员提供服务。VIERS的研究为影响加勒比海珊瑚礁的变化提供了最长的见解之一。VIERS遗产的核心重要性是其位于东加勒比地区美国国家公园的独特位置，以及完全保护的流域的新奇。国家科学基金会通过不断支持珊瑚礁研究，包括最近通过快速赠款量化飓风影响的努力，确认了这些好处。VIERS通过一个重要的HBCU（即，UVI）。具体而言，这些优势是通过以下方式获得的：（a）在急需这类设施的时候，确保具有历史重要性的野外站的寿命具有全球效益，（B）保持通过真实世界的自然历史经验指导和培训下一代生物学家的能力，（c）支持对美国具有国家重要性的研究，以管理美国沃茨内为数不多的具有海洋保护区地位的珊瑚礁地区之一的珊瑚资源，以及（d）提供教育、研究、为长期在科学和教育方面代表性不足的美国加勒比岛民提供培训机会。两次5级飓风（2017年的伊尔玛和玛丽亚）造成的破坏严重影响了在圣约翰进行研究和教育的能力。许多小木屋和相关建筑物被洪水淹没，并与电力和管道基础设施切断。已制定了一个分两个阶段的恢复计划。第一阶段将由这笔赠款支持，将在与幸存下来的实验室大楼直接相邻的位置建造新的访问科学家住房和工作空间。第二阶段将恢复被飓风破坏的小屋，重建它们并将它们重新安置在地基上。第一阶段的投资将尽快恢复研究活动。 一旦第二阶段完成，受损的基础设施被替换，这个新的结构将超过以前的住房容量，为需要24小时进入海洋环境的研究人员提供服务。这将使VIERS走上一条新的轨道，发展成为珊瑚礁生态学的研究，预测未来，并为21世纪世纪培养科学家。 有关VIERS的更多信息，请访问http://www.islands.org/viers/.This奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

The Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS) is located in the heart of the Virgin Islands National Park (VINP), owned by the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) (located on St. Thomas). VIERS has a 50 year legacy of serving generations of scientifically literate citizens, educators, and researchers. Research at VIERS provides one of the longest running insights into the changes affecting Caribbean reefs. Of central importance in the legacy of VIERS is its unique location in a US National Park in the eastern Caribbean, and the novelty of a fully-protected watershed. These benefits have been recognized by NSF through ongoing support of coral reef research, including most recently, efforts to quantify hurricane effects through RAPID grants. VIERS provides critical access to science infrastructure for underrepresented groups (Caribbean islanders) through a significant HBCU (i.e., UVI). Specifically, these advantages accrue through: (a) the global benefits of ensuring the longevity of an historically important field station at a time when such facilities are critically needed, (b) sustaining the capacity to mentor and train the next generation of biologists through real-world natural history experiences, (c) supporting research of national importance to the US to manage coral resources in one of the only areas of coral reef with MPA status in US waters, and (d) provision of education, research, and training opportunities for US Caribbean islanders that are chronically under-represented in science and education.Damage caused by two Category 5 hurricanes (Irma and Maria in 2017) severely impacted the capacity to conduct research and education in St. John, US Virgin Islands. Many cabins and related buildings were displaced, flooded through, and severed from electrical and plumbing infrastructure. A two-phased restoration plan has be developed. Phase 1, to be supported by this grant, will construct new visiting scientist housing and work space in a location directly adjacent to the laboratory building which survived the storms. Phase 2 will be to restore the cabins damaged by the hurricanes, rebuilding them and re-setting them on their foundations. The investment in Phase 1 will restore research activities as quickly as possible. Once Phase 2 is complete and the damaged infrastructure is replaced, this new structure will represent an expansion over previous housing capacity, serving researchers that need 24-hour access to the marine environment. This will put VIERS on a renewed trajectory of grown into research on the ecology of coral reefs, forecasting the future, and training scientists for the 21st Century. For more information on VIERS, visit http://www.islands.org/viers/.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.