FSML: Integrated Year-Round Laboratory and Housing Space

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The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory's (RMBL) ability to support year-round research will be transformed by building its first year-round laboratory/housing facility. RMBL has established itself as a leading institution for its unique collection of long-term biological studies. Changing environmental conditions, combined with rapid technological advancements, including in genomics, the microbiome, and sensing, has significantly increased demand for RMBL facilities outside summer. RMBL is intensively used; more than 175 scientists from 76 institutions have conducted research during the last 5 years. The facility will further the national interest by enabling scientists to investigate important biological processes, as well as applying the full range of genomic, microbiome, and sensing tools available to understanding and predicting biological systems. This project will also relieve housing pressure in the summer, which will support our undergraduate research program, as well as the scientists' research programs, leveraging large investments already made by the government in research happening at RMBL. As part of training a scientifically literate workforce, the facility will create unique opportunities for winter science education activities, including local and national school programs. This project is driven by a combination of increasing peak demand for housing and laboratory space in summer, and growing demand for winter facilities. Some of the growth is driven by opportunities to understand biological responses to a changing climate as scientists track biological processes that are starting earlier and ending later. Understanding the snowpack and winter is a fundamental part of understanding biological drivers, including the length of the growth season and hydrology. The facility will add 500 square feet of simple, flexible laboratory space to be used for sample processing. The research space will include heavy voltage outlets, high-speed telecommunications, and lockable storage. This space will have a flexible configuration, including the ability to accommodate up to 24 scientists or students in seminar-style seating. The building will also include 6 housing spots, with the downstairs apartment being universally accessible. The building will have year-round water and indoor bathrooms and be located close to other winter cabins to facilitate program integration. The stairs/entrances will be located on the gable ends to facilitate use in winter when the snowpack up to 3 meters high. For more about Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, visit https://www.rmbl.org/.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.