Infrastructure and Equipment Improvements for the South Padre Island Field Stations

位于布朗斯维尔的德克萨斯大学获得了一笔赠款，用于南帕诸岛野外台站的基础设施改善和设备，包括（1）翻新第三层目前未开发的房间（1,760平方米）。（英尺）第二名（615 sq.）（英尺）该项目包括：（1）扩建南帕诸岛中心的两层楼，为来访的科学家、学生和社区团体创造一个长期住宿的空间;（2）改善管道和海水储存系统;（3）购买一艘24英尺的舷外船，以支持两所机构的研究和教育计划。该项目是根据得克萨斯大学布朗斯维尔分校/得克萨斯州最南端学院（UTB/TSC）和得克萨斯大学泛美分校（UTPA）之间的协议备忘录开展的一项联合活动，其中包括联合使用该台站和两个机构之间的合作。在该站的研究活动包括恢复生态学，社区生态学，环境生理学，入侵物种生物学，遥感，沉积学，地球化学和水文学。UTB/TSC和UTPA教师的研究实验室作为研究和教育活动（包括推广计划）之间的重要桥梁，在海洋和地球科学为这个主要是西班牙裔地区。因此，这些改进建议的广泛影响将大大增加代表性不足的群体对科学的参与。拟议的改进将使与大型研究机构的合作，支持UTB/TSC和UTPA研究人员的当前需求，从而大大有助于我们提供高质量研究计划的能力，并使代表性不足的学生参与STEM相关领域的跨学科研究项目。

The University of Texas at Brownsville has been awarded a grant for infrastructural improvements and equipment for the South Padre Island field stations to include (1)renovating currently unexploited rooms on the 3rd (1,760 sq. ft.) and 2nd (615 sq. ft.) floors of the South Padre Island Center to create a space for accommodating visiting scientists, students, and community groups for extended stays, (2) improving the plumbing and seawater storage systems, and (3) acquiring a 24' outboard vessel to support the research and education programs of both institutions. This project is a joint activity conducted under a memorandum of agreement between the University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College (UTB/TSC) and the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) which covers joint use of the station and collaborations between the two institutions. Research activities at the station include restoration ecology, community ecology, environmental physiology, invasive species biology, remote sensing, sedimentology, geochemistry, and hydrology.The research laboratories of UTB/TSC and UTPA faculty serve as an important bridge between research and educational activities (including outreach programs) in the marine and geosciences for this largely Hispanic region. Therefore, the broader impacts of these proposed improvements will dramatically increase the participation of underrepresented groups in science. The proposed improvements will enable collaborations with larger research institutions, support the current needs of UTB/TSC and UTPA researchers, and thereby contribute significantly to our capacity to offer high-quality research programs and engage underrepresented students in interdisciplinary research projects in STEM related areas.