FSML: Strengthening the Research and Educational Capabilities of the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station

维尔京群岛大学（UVI）的Richard S. Nemeth博士获得了一笔赠款，用于制定位于美属维尔京群岛圣约翰的维尔京群岛环境资源站（VIERS）的改造计划。虽然VIERS作为环境教育和研究的学习中心已经提供了35年的持续服务，但过时的实验室设施目前限制了该设施的使用。坐落在维尔京群岛国家公园的原始环境中，VIERS提供了丰富的生物多样性和巨大的潜力，作为一个现代化的野外站。VIERS设施现代化的主要目标将是促进教学、研究和推广活动，这反过来又将促进访问科学家、教育工作者、学生和维尔京群岛周围社区之间的信息和思想交流。在这一规划过程中，UVI打算从专家那里收集信息，并将各种海洋实验室的最佳功能纳入VIERS设施。将设立一个地方规划委员会，重点评估五个核心领域的标准：(1)将目标与维尔京群岛国家公园愿景相结合；(2)确定现代海洋设施的基本功能；(3)确定研究科学家的需求；(4)确定教育机构的需求；(5)开发包括住房、教育和研究空间在内的设施基础设施；(6)整合数据处理和通信的信息技术。规划委员会将组建一个由海洋实验室主任或密切参与这些设施管理的个人组成的小组。将向高等教育机构和政府机构的过去、现在和潜在的未来研究人员征求关于基本和专门研究设备和信息技术要求的信息。在VIERS领导大学课程的教师将接受采访，以寻求改善教育资源的方法。不能在现场采访的研究人员和教育工作者将通过书面调查进行咨询。建筑师将为设施设计提供规划，以最大限度地提高结构的效率，并确保它们与自然环境融为一体。最后一步将是完成并提交一份拨款提案，以获得NSF野外站和海洋实验室改进计划的资助，以升级VIERS设施。维尔京群岛大学海洋与环境研究中心（CMES）发起了一项倡议，以加强UVI的海洋科学项目，目标是为UVI文化多样化的学生群体扩大教育和研究的机会。改善VIERS的设施将促进教学和研究，并通过与VIERS的外展活动进行社区互动，将增加公众对自然资源的兴趣和参与。由于靠近所有具有代表性的陆地和沿海海洋环境，VIERS为研究人员和教育工作者提供了重要的机会。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Richard S. Nemeth at University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) to develop a plan for the renovation of the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS) located on St. John, US Virgin Islands. Although VIERS has provided 35 years of continuous service as a learning center for environmental education and research, the outdated laboratory facilities currently limit the use of this facility. Nestled within the pristine environment of the Virgin Islands National Park, VIERS offers a wealth of biological diversity and tremendous potential as a modernized field station. The primary goal of modernizing the VIERS facility will be to stimulate teaching, research, and outreach activities, which, in turn, will facilitate the exchange of information and ideas between visiting scientists, educators, students and the surrounding Virgin Islands' community. During this planning effort, UVI intends to gather information from expert sources and incorporate the best features of a variety of marine labs into the VIERS facility.A local planning committee will be established and will focus on assessing criteria in five core areas: (1) integrating goals with the Virgin Islands National Park vision, (2) defining the basic functionality of a modern marine facility, (3) determining needs of research scientists, (4) determining needs of educational institutions, (5) developing facility infrastructure including housing, education and research space, and (6) integrating information technology for data processing and communication. The planning committee will assemble a team of marine lab directors or individuals intimately involved in the management of such facilities. Information will be solicited from past, present and potential future researchers from institutes of higher education and government on basic and specialized research equipment and information technology requirements. Faculty leading college courses at VIERS will be interviewed for ways to improve the educational resources. Researchers and educators who cannot be interviewed on site will be consulted via a written survey. Architects will provide plans for facility design to maximize the efficiency of structures and ensure that they are integrated into the natural surroundings. The final step will be to complete and submit a grant proposal for funding from the NSF Field Stations and Marine Laboratories Improvement Program for upgrading the VIERS facility.The University of the Virgin Islands' Center for Marine and Environmental Studies (CMES) has launched an initiative to strengthen UVI's marine science program with the goal of expanding the opportunities in education and research for the culturally diverse student body at UVI. Improving the facilities at VIERS will facilitate teaching and research and, through community interaction with VIERS' outreach activities, will increase public interest and involvement in their natural resources. Because of the close proximity of all representative terrestrial and coastal marine environments, VIERS provides significant opportunities for both researchers and educators.