The University of Cincinnati (UC), an urban university servicing more than 35,000 students, 17% of whom represent minorities, seeks to create a strategic plan for the development of a newly acquired field station. UC and the Cincinnati Nature Center (CNC) have joined forces to create a unique facility, formally known as the Cincinnati Center for Field Studies (CCFS), designed to serve the Greater Cincinnati region and beyond. UC's field station is adjacent to CNC's Rowe Woods, located 20 km east of Cincinnati, Ohio. This 414 ha property includes mixed mesophytic eastern deciduous forest with a mosaic of climax beech-maple forest, mixed oak forests and wetland habitats. Funding from this award will lead to a strategic plan for developing the new field station in light of its research and educational goals. The CCFS will promote rigorous and sophisticated research programs designed to meet six of the major challenges of our national research agenda, including investigations that focus on: 1) biological diversity, species composition and ecosystem function; 2) ecological aspects of biogeochemical cycles; 3) ecological implications of climate change; 4) land use dynamics and habitat alteration; 5) ecology and evolution of infectious diseases; and 6) hydrologic forecasting. The proposed program has five specific goals relating to environmental research and education. The goals are to: 1) advance discovery in environmental science while promoting hands-on training, teaching and learning, 2) complete the results of scientific projects and disseminate the results broadly, 3) enhance the infrastructure for research and education by creating a facility that will be used by scientists and students from the Ohio Valley region and across the globe, 4) broaden participation from underrepresented groups in science by offering opportunities for field research to urban scholars where none currently exist, and 5) accrue benefits to society through the generation of advanced understanding of environmental issues and through the training of a new diverse cadre of scientists who will become the leaders and teachers of tomorrow. The proposed program has a high likelihood of success because of UC's research experience with field studies and training students in a variety of programs conducted in cooperation with local high schools, colleges and government agencies.
