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

VIERS 未来 50 年：重建维尔京群岛环境资源站 (VIERS) 的弹性研究基础设施

• 批准号: 1821060
• 负责人: Paul Jobsis
• 金额: $ 24.5万
• 依托单位: University of The Virgin Islands
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-08-15 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1821060&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: VIERS; next; 50; years; rebuilding

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.

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，该公园由维尔京群岛大学(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持续时间最长的见解之一。Viers遗产中最重要的是它位于东加勒比海美国国家公园的独特位置，以及一个完全受保护的分水岭的新颖性。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，认识到了这些好处。Viers通过一个重要的HBCU(即，UVI)为代表不足的群体(加勒比岛民)提供关键的科学基础设施。具体地说，这些优势是通过：(A)在迫切需要这样的设施时确保具有历史重要性的野外站的寿命的全球好处，(B)保持通过真实世界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，以管理美国水域中仅有的具有MPA地位的珊瑚礁区域之一的珊瑚资源，以及(D)提供教育、研究、两场5级飓风(2017年的伊尔玛和玛丽亚)造成的破坏严重影响了美属维尔京群岛圣约翰进行研究和教育的能力。许多小屋和相关建筑被转移，洪水泛滥，电力和管道基础设施被切断。已经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，将在风暴中幸存下来的实验室大楼旁边的位置建造新的访问科学家的住房和工作空间。第二阶段将是修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。一旦二期工程完成，受损的基础设施被替换，这个新结构将代表着对以前住房能力的扩展，为需要24小时进入海洋环境的研究人员服务。这将使Viers走上新的轨道，进入珊瑚礁生态研究，预测未来，并为21世纪培训科学家。有关VIERS的更多信息，访问http://www.islands.org/viers/.This奖反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。