FSML: Data and Security Infrastructure Improvements to Advance Biological Research at Claytor Nature Center

林奇堡大学克莱托自然中心的使命是通过教育和研究丰富对自然的了解，促进可持续的人类与环境的相互作用，保护和增强生态系统的多样性和功能。该项目将升级Claytor的安全和信息技术基础设施，以保护现代生态和保护研究中使用的研究设施和先进设备。这将使科学家能够开展高质量的研究项目，解决诸如湿地植物群落动态、入侵植物的影响以及人类农业和砍伐活动的影响等重要问题。因此，升级将确保Claytor在未来很长一段时间内扩大其作为生态和保护研究工作贡献者的相关性。这些改进还将为包括学生和教育工作者在内的众多游客提供更丰富的体验式学习体验，增强Claytor为所有年龄段的学习者提供的屡获殊荣的环境教育计划。这是对弗吉尼亚环境素养挑战的直接回应，该挑战旨在让学生参与体验和项目，提高他们对环境的理解。克莱托自然中心占地近500英亩，位于蓝岭山脉的底部，是弗吉尼亚州第四大生物野外研究站。林奇堡大学的克莱托自然中心（www.lynchburg.edu/academics/academiccommunity-centers/claytor-nature-center/）在野外研究站中占据着独特而重要的地位，涵盖了弗吉尼亚州蓝岭和皮埃蒙特省的地理、地形、水文、地下地质和生态动植物。该中心的核心研究议程是研究各种自然和人类影响的栖息地，以告知和改善保护工作。该项目将通过安装电子入口门、防盗报警器、安全摄像头以及光纤电缆和相关宽带硬件，使该中心的安全和通信系统现代化。安全升级将保护现有的研究设施，并为未来安装现代生态和自然保育研究中使用的先进设备提供便利。预先批准的研究人员将能够在一天中的任何时间进入该中心进行活动，例如追踪野生动物。安全门和摄像头将减少破坏或盗窃的风险，使研究人员能够设置科学设备并无人看管。通信能力的提高将使大量的研究数据得以传输。这将使该中心的植物标本室作为美国国家科学基金会资助的“橱柜钥匙”项目的合作者，有效地与其他机构共享图像和其他数据。野生生物研究人员将有更大的能力来管理和分享照片和视频，以及有效地存储和管理数据。连接互联网的远程传感器将使克雷托气象站持续传输数据成为可能。宽带将使未来在大水獭河上建立一个具有联网遥感能力的流量测量站，从而加强水质研究。提高公众宣传能力，增加学生和公众参加讲习班和其他教育项目的人数，将有助于培养能够理解全球环境变化等复杂问题并作出明智的环境政策决定的公民。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The mission of the Claytor Nature Center at the University of Lynchburg is to enrich learning about nature through education and research, to promote sustainable human-environment interactions, and to preserve and enhance ecosystem diversity and function. This project will upgrade Claytor's security and information technology infrastructure in order to safeguard research installations and sophisticated equipment used in modern ecological and conservation research. This will allow scientists to carry out high-quality research projects that address important questions about, for example, wetland plant community dynamics, the effects of invasive plants, and the impact of human agricultural and clearcutting activities. Thus, the upgrades will ensure that Claytor expands its relevance as a contributor to ecological and conservation research efforts well into the future. The improvements will also provide richer experiential learning experiences to the center’s many visitors that include students and educators, enhancing Claytor's award-winning environmental education programs for learners of all ages. This is directly responsive to the Virginia Environmental Literacy Challenge, which aims to engage students in experiences and projects that improve their understanding of the environment. The Claytor Nature Center encompasses nearly 500 acres at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is the fourth-largest biological field station in Virginia. The University of Lynchburg's Claytor Nature Center (www.lynchburg.edu/academics/academiccommunity-centers/claytor-nature-center/) occupies a unique and important position among field stations, spanning the geographic, topographic, hydrologic, sub-surface geologic, and ecological flora and fauna of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont provinces in Virginia. The center's core research agenda i the study of diverse natural and human-influenced habitats to inform and improve conservation efforts. This project will modernize the center's security and communication systems by installing electronic entry gates, burglar alarms, and security cameras, as well as fiber optic cable and associated broadband hardware. The security upgrades will safeguard existing research installations and facilitate future installation of sophisticated equipment used in modern ecological and conservation research. Preapproved researchers will be able to enter the center at all times of the day for activities such as tracking wildlife. Security gates and cameras will reduce the risk of vandalism or theft, allowing researchers to set up and leave scientific equipment unattended. Improved communication capability will enable large amounts of research data to be transmitted. This will allow the center’s herbarium to efficiently share images and other datafiles with other institutions in its role as a collaborator on the NSF-funded “Key to the Cabinets” project. Wildlife biology researchers will have increased capacity to manage and share photos and videos, as well as to store and manage data efficiently. Internet-connected remote sensors will make it possible to continuously transmit data from Claytor's weather station. Broadband will enable a future stream gauging station on the Big Otter River with networked remote sensing capacity, thus enhancing water quality research. Increased public outreach capacity, with greater attendance of workshops and other educational programs by students and the public, will help create a citizenry capable of understanding complex problems such as global environmental change and making informed environmental policy decisions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.