NSF-CAPACITY FIELD STATIONS: EXPANDING WALK-IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL CHAMBER CAPACITY AND FUNCTIONALITY AT HIGHLANDS BIOLOGICAL STATION

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Walk-in environmental rooms that provide precision control of temperature, relative humidity, and light have a great many applications in research and education. The twin 1980s-era environmental control chambers at Highlands Biological Station (HBS: highlandsbiological.org) have been real work-horses, supporting hundreds of studies on plants and animals over the years in many research areas, from behavior, ecology, and climate change to development, genetics, and physiology — especially work with lungless salamanders, one of the most ecologically important animal groups in southern Appalachian forests and streams. In addition to research, these chambers have also supported class demonstrations and student research projects in HBS field courses. The chambers are now very dated, however, with aging plumbing, wiring, and analog controls that no longer function reliably, hampering research and other applications. This project will replace and upgrade the functionality of these chambers while also expanding capacity, adding a third walk-in environmental control room. The goal is both expanded capabilities and expanded capacity in order to support a broader range of applications in research, teaching, class projects, public programs, and demonstrations. Working with leaders in the design and construction of precision scientific and industrial environmental control rooms, this project entails fabricating and installing 3 new chambers on the footprint of the old ones. The design realizes a net gain of over 16 square feet of working area and 215 cubic feet of conditioned space, reliably providing the precision temperature, relative humidity, light control and other capabilities needed by today's researchers and for instructional applications. The replacement chambers will also feature increased shelf space with interior electrical outlets to accommodate peripheral equipment such as video or grow lights, as well as remote-monitoring functionality so that HBS staff, researchers, and instructors can monitor chamber conditions via mobile device or desktop on a continuous basis.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.