Planning for the Ozark Research Field Station at Missouri S&T

密苏里科技大学(密苏里S)正在为一个新的野外站--位于Mill Creek分水岭的Ozark研究野外站(ORF)制定一项为期5年的规划工作。外勤站将为大学的各种研究、教学和外展任务提供服务。开放源码框架已经为体验式学习提供了一个极好的场所。学生们进行了研究项目，作为在野外站教授的7节课的一部分，并获得了独立研究学分。密苏里州S&&T公司最近对所有本科生实施了体验式学习要求，来自野外站课堂的数据可以用于评估该要求的学习结果。米尔克里克分水岭也为新奇的研究提供了一个很好的环境。河流沿线的地点有不同的水期，可以作为检验气候变化造成的干旱对这些溪流影响的自然实验。分水岭中的几个动物分类群濒临灭绝或令人担忧，而其他分类群则具有娱乐兴趣，如鲑鱼、火鸡和鹿。可以评估这些和其他分类群的保护和恢复计划的有效性，以此作为更广泛实施的指南。开放源码论坛将向学生、当地居民和不同群体介绍奥扎克生态系统和实地研究的价值。还设想了与当地K-12学校、社区团体和其他人的外展机会。已经在外地站和周围地区开展了几次外联活动。最近，该分水岭发生了一场大规模的生物闪电战，有80多名科学家和公民参与了一次大规模的生物群清查，同时还进行了垃圾清理和节日活动。规划工作将包括三个目标：1)建立一个顾问委员会，由校园内教职员工、当地利益相关者和来自政府机构的合作者以及来自密苏里州和全国各地其他野外站的代表组成。该咨询委员会将在开放源地办事处举行会议，开放源地办事处领导人将访问其他实地站点。2)在未来几年扩大外勤站的能力和机会。这一目标将侧重于为来自密苏里州S大学、其他校园、政府机构和当地社区的用户发展研究、教学和推广计划。除了大学工作人员外，几个关键群体，如密苏里州溪流队和博物学家大师，将从活动和进入空间站的机会中受益。此外，纽堡儿童S博物馆和万花筒发现中心，这两个当地的科学博物馆，可以使用野外站进行教育活动。3)根据咨询委员会的反馈，通过五年战略计划。该计划将指导下一步发展开放源码框架，以完成其研究、教学和推广的使命。

Missouri University of Science & Technology (Missouri S&T) is developing a 5-year planning effort for a new field station, the Ozark Research Field Station (ORFS) located in the Mill Creek watershed. The field station will serve a variety of research, teaching, and outreach missions of the university. The ORFS has already provided an excellent venue for experiential learning. Students have conducted research projects as part of 7 classes taught at the field station, and for independent research credit. Missouri S&T has recently implemented an experiential learning requirement for all undergraduates, and data from field station classes can be used in assessing learning outcomes of the requirement. The Mill Creek watershed also provides a great setting for novel research. Sites along the stream have varying hydroperiods that can serve as a natural experiment for examining the effects of droughts from climate change on such streams. Several animal taxa in the watershed are endangered or of concern, while other taxa are of recreational interest, such as trout, turkey, and deer. Conservation and restoration programs for these and other taxa can be evaluated for their effectiveness as a guide for wider implementation. The ORFS will serve to introduce students, local residents, and a diverse constituency to the value of Ozark ecosystems and field research. Outreach opportunities with local K-12 schools, community groups, and others are envisioned. Several outreach events have already taken place at the field station and the surrounding area. A large BioBlitz occurred in the watershed recently, involving over 80 scientists and citizens in a large-scale inventory of biota along with a trash cleanup and festival.The planning effort will include three goals: 1) Establish an advisory board of on-campus faculty and staff, local stakeholders and collaborators from government agencies, and representatives from other field stations in Missouri and around the country. This advisory board will hold meetings at the ORFS, and the ORFS leaders will visit other field stations. 2) Expand the capabilities and opportunities at the field station in the next few years. This goal will focus on the growth of the research, teaching, and outreach programs for users from Missouri S&T, other campuses, government agencies, and local communities. In addition to university personnel, several key groups, such as Missouri Stream Teams and Master Naturalists, will benefit from activities and access to the station. Also, the Newburg Children?s Museum and the Kaleidoscope Discovery Center, two local science museums, can use the field station for educational activities. 3) Adopt a 5-year strategic plan based on feedback from the advisory board. This plan will guide the next steps in developing the ORFS to fulfill its missions of research, teaching, and outreach.