FSML: Enhancing Research Capacity in Appalachia: Research Facilities for Lilley Cornett Woods Field Station

这一行动为东肯塔基大学野战站的改善提供了资金，包括建造一个2200平方英尺的研究中心。新的中心允许那些使用现场站的人，包括东卡罗莱纳大学以及来访的科学家和学生，扩大现场和该地区的研究范围，并加强研究培训、研究信息教学和推广能力。40多年来，EKU位于利利·科内特·伍兹(www.naturalareas.eku.edu/lilley-cornett-woods-appalachian-ecological-research-station)的现场站支持基于地点的科学研究、环境监测、研究信息培训、跨学科大学教育、K-16环境教育和社区推广。该遗址主要由古老的森林组成。因此，它是生物多样性的保留地，是研究和培训的宝贵资源，并为在阿巴拉契亚生态独特的景观中进行推广和教育提供了独特的机会，该景观因煤炭开采和其他土地使用而部分退化。在Lilley Cornett Wood收集的长期数据用于关于环境、生态、地质和气候变化综合主题的纵向调查。阿巴拉契亚肯塔基州是公认的生物多样性“热点”。EKU的生物研究传统是研究生态系统结构和变化的理想选择，因为人类压力改变了生态系统结构和变化。正在进行的研究(例如，多样性研究、陆地和水生系统的生物地球化学特征、入侵物种、碳固存和循环)正在通过新设施实现的新合作，在受干扰的、修改的和古老的生态系统范围内得到扩大和多样化。EKU目前正在通过NSF资助的虚拟天文台和生态信息系统与外部科学家合作，网络能力的增加使该地区以外的更广泛的研究合作成为可能。EKU悠久的教育传统为满足一系列教育需求提供了基础。EKU的本科生和研究生理科课程目前有很强的体验性和实践性。本科生和研究生在教职调查人员的指导下进行的学生研究，是该大学实地研究的基础，位于利利·科内特·伍兹的NSF REU网站就是证明。新设施加强了K-12教育的外延，特别是在培养科学素养方面。使用有效的教学策略，如实地和基于项目的经验，可以为许多学生打开通往科学职业的道路。

This action funds improvements to Eastern Kentucky University's field station including construction of a 2200 square foot research center. The new centers permits those who use the field station, both from EKU as well as visiting scientists and students, to broaden the scope of research onsite and in the region as well as strengthen research training, research-informed teaching, and outreach capabilities.EKU's field station at Lilley Cornett Woods (www.naturalareas.eku.edu/lilley-cornett-woods-appalachian-ecological-research-station) has supported place-based scientific research, environmental monitoring, research-informed training, interdisciplinary collegiate education, K-16 environmental education, and community outreach for over four decades. The site is composed primarily of old-growth forest. Consequently, it is a reserve of biological diversity, is a valuable resource for research and training, and provides a unique opportunity for outreach and education within an ecologically distinct Appalachian landscape partially degraded by coal mining and other land uses. The longterm data collected at Lilley Cornett Woods is used for longitudinal investigations regarding the integrated themes of environmental, ecological, geological, and climatological change. Appalachian Kentucky is a recognized "hotspot" of biological diversity. EKU's tradition of organismal studies is ideal for investigating ecosystem structure and change, as modified by anthropogenic pressures. Ongoing investigations (e.g., diversity studies, biogeochemical characteristics of terrestrial and aquatic systems, invasive species, carbon sequestration and cycling) are being expanded and diversified across the spectrum of disturbed, modified, and old-growth ecosystems through new collaborations made possible by the new facility. EKU is currently working with external scientists through the NSF-funded Virtual Observatory and Ecological Information Systems, and increased networking capacity permits broader research collaborations outside the region. EKU's long tradition of education provides a foundation in serving a spectrum of educational needs. Undergraduate and graduate science classes at EKU currently have strong experiential and field components. Student research by both undergraduate and graduate students, mentored by faculty investigators, underpins field research at the University as evidenced by the NSF REU site at Lilley Cornett Woods. The new facility enhances outreach in K-12 education, especially in fostering science literacy. The use of effective teaching strategies such as field- and project-based experiences can open pathways into scientific careers for many students.