Western Washington University is awarded a grant for is the development of a molecular ecology laboratory at the The Shannon Point Marine Center (SPMC). The lab currently hosts extensive ecological research programs including field ecology, oceanographic research, experimental ecology, chemical and physiological ecology. The lab will extend existing research capacity to molecular mechanisms in marine organisms. Scientists at SPMC will be able to link environment to physiology and molecular mechanisms and to link phylogeny and evolutionary history to ecological function in the Salish Sea and other ocean systems. Accordingly, SPMC proposes to purchase a benchtop genome sequencer whose specifications will assure affordability, flexibility and provide for the rapid turnaround of results that can support short term projects that involve student research as well as the longer term needs of faculty. Equipment to provide for on-site sample preparation and documentation as well as data storage and analysis will be obtained to satisfy the requirements of resident and visiting scientists and students.
Maintaining effective facilities to support both training of the next generation of marine science professionals and research in the marine environment is essential to program success, particularly given that many students visiting SPMC come from institutions that have no access to marine environments. SPMC trains faculty from local community colleges in incorporating marine science into the curricula of introductory courses, populated by students who typically will not pursue degrees in marine science or science of any discipline. Workshops will incorporate the use of molecular tools in marine science as part of the training. SPMC's Public Education Initiative brings local marine biota to classrooms and public events and demonstrates the tools and techniques that ocean scientists use to study the marine environment. The proposed molecular ecology laboratory and its outcomes will permit us to add this important element in the study of ocean science to the information that we share with public audiences. For more information about Shannon Point Marine Center, visit the web site at www.wwu.edu/spmc/.
