Increasing Controlled Environmental Chamber Capabilities to Enhance Research Using Seawater System Facilities

该合同支持由切萨皮克生物实验室（CBL）获得的两个受控温度环境室。这些舱室将用于需要培养海洋生物的研究项目，以及对海洋营养物和污染物的海底-上层耦合进行实验研究。目前海洋实验室的实验研究主要包括与海洋生物生态学有关的生物化学/分子和生理/生物能量分析。为了进行这样的研究，海洋实验室的海水系统必须对海水温度进行精细控制。CBL在生态学、海洋学、生态毒理学和环境化学/地球化学等领域开展的许多研究项目都依赖于高质量的温控和过滤海水。这些额外的房间将大大提高CBL为常驻科学家、游客和学生提供此类设施的能力。CBL参与了各种推广活动和K-gray教育倡议。它的游客中心每年接待超过1万名游客。教育已被纳入CBL的整体业务。已经建立了与K-12教育活动合作的机制，并主要通过与该区域其他机构的合作向公众推广。此外，环境监测中心的使命和任务规定了与区域管理机构的牢固联系，而且所进行的许多实验性研究都是与这些机构合作进行的。

This award supports the acquisition of two controlled-temperature environmental chambers by the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL). The chambers will be used for research programs requiring the culture of marine organisms and for experimental studies of the benthic-pelagic coupling of marine nutrients and contaminants. The experimental research that characterizes much current research at marine laboratories includes biochemical/molecular and physiological/bioenergetic analyses that relate to the ecology of marine organisms. To enable such research, seawater systems at marine laboratories must have fine-scale control of seawater temperature. Many of the research programs carried out at the CBL in the fields of ecology, oceanography, ecotoxicology, and environmental chemistry/geochemistry depend on the high quality of temperature-controlled and filtered seawater. These additional chambers will greatly improve the CBL's ability to provide such facilities to resident scientists, visitors, and students. The CBL is involved in various outreach activities and K-gray education initiatives. Its visitor center hosts more than 10,000 visitors per year. Education has been integrated into the overall CBL operations. There are developed mechanisms for collaborating with K-12 education activities and outreach to the general public primarily through collaborations with other institutions in the region. In addition, the mission and mandate for CBL has provided for strong ties with regional management agencies, and much of the experimental research that is conducted has been in conjunction with those agencies.