Modernization of Computer, Communications, and Data Management Equipment at the Nantucket Field Station

在Sarah Oktay-Quigley博士的指导下，马萨诸塞大学波士顿分校获得了一笔赠款，用于部分支持为Nantucket野战站(NFS)设施购买宽带互联网能力。此外，授予的资金将用于购买急需的计算机和数据传输设备，以丰富研究和教学计划，存档数十年的环境和生物数据，提供实时网络数据馈送，并扩大设施的使用。这笔拨款将显著提高国家科学基金支持研究用途和维持其高质量教学的能力。国家自然基金会支持的项目的多学科性质反映在目前现场教授的课程主题上：海岸生态学、盐沼生态学、海洋无脊椎动物生态学、环境地质学、海洋学、水文地质学、艺术、鸟类学、语言学、教学设计和医疗咨询。将从这笔赠款中受益的研究和教育方案的例子包括：自然保护区参与全岛生物多样性评估倡议，与楠塔基特镇在水质调查方面的合作，公民海滩概况项目，以及资助的调查海岸循环、渔业管理、地下水流动和盐沼补救的项目。国家科学基金会还为许多来访的科学家提供了实验室空间，这些科学家通过国家科学基金会资助的研究范围从灰海豹的重新繁殖调查到美国埋葬甲虫的重新引入。波士顿大学生态与保护生物学本科生研究体验(REU)项目结束了他们一年一度的夏季项目，他们回到野外站，展示他们的夏季研究项目并进行实地考察。该研究设施可供楠塔基特的所有科学、地方政府和环境组织使用。自然保护区在楠塔基特岛上的独特位置使研究能够解决广泛的环境问题，如保护濒危物种的栖息地，如北隼，以及确定对唯一来源含水层的污染威胁。该基金会与楠塔基特镇、当地环境和土地保护非政府机构、公民科学家和博物学家、艺术界以及教育系统密切相关。因此，我们有很大的责任激励环境管理，并提供可用于环境管理决策的科学数据。该奖项将使迅速发展的研究社区受益，使区域生态站之间能够传播大量数据，并为社区提供可用的教育材料仓库。国家科学基金会向公众开放，并通过解释性质的路径和互动研究演示提供教育推广。主办学校团体、老年人旅行、有机景观论坛、诗歌表演和美国原住民遗产项目是它对社区的许多贡献。

A grant has been awarded to the University of Massachusetts Boston under the direction of Dr. Sarah Oktay-Quigley for partial support for the acquisition of broadband internet capability for the Nantucket Field Station (NFS) facility. In addition, funds granted will be used to purchase much needed computer and data transfer equipment to enrich research and instructional programs, archive decades of environmental and biological data, provide real-time web data feeds, and expand the usage of the facility. This grant will significantly increase the NFS' ability to support research use and to maintain its high quality of instruction. The multidisciplinary nature of the programs supported by the NFS is reflected in the topics of current courses taught on site: coastal ecology, salt marsh ecology, marine invertebrate ecology, environmental geology, oceanography, hydrogeology, art, ornithology, linguistics, instructional design, and medical counseling. Examples of research and educational programs that will benefit from this grant include the following: NFS participation in an island-wide Biodiversity Assessment Initiative, collaboration on water quality surveys with the Town of Nantucket, a citizen beach profiling project, and funded projects investigating coastal circulation, fisheries management, groundwater flow, and salt marsh remediation. The NFS also provides laboratory space for many visiting scientists funded through the NSF on studies ranging from gray seal repopulation surveys to the reintroduction of the American Burying Beetle. The Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program in Ecology and Conservation Biology at UMass Boston culminates their annual summer program with a retreat to the Field Station to present their summer research projects and conduct field trips. The research facility is available for use by all scientific, local government, and environmental organizations on Nantucket. The NFS' unique location on Nantucket enables research addressing a wide range of environmental concerns such as habitat protection of endangered species like the northern harrier to identification of pollution threats to sole source aquifers. The NFS is closely linked with the town of Nantucket, local environmental and land conservation non-governmental agencies, citizen scientists and naturalists, the arts community, and the educational system. As such, we have a great responsibility to inspire environmental stewardship and provide scientific data that can be used in environmental management decisions. This award will benefit a rapidly growing research community, enable the dissemination of large amounts of data between area ecological stations, and provide a storehouse of educational materials available to the community. The NFS is open to the public and provides educational outreach through an interpretive nature trail and interactive research demonstrations. Hosting school groups, senior citizen trips, organic landscaping forums, poetry performances, and Native American Heritage programs are among its many contributions to the community.