This award provides support for the construction of a laboratory, a housing unit and a conference center at the Anheuser Busch Coastal Research Center (ABCRC) of the University of Virginia in Oyster, VA. This field station, located close to the point at which the Chesapeake Bay joins the Atlantic Ocean at the southern tip of the Delmarva peninsula, provides researchers and students access to an area where they can investigate the ecological, chemical and geomorphological processes that regulate coastal systems and landscapes. Until recently, the station has had relatively little physical infrastructure. An expanding research user base and the need to develop educational facilities have motivated a facilities development plan of which this project is the first stage. Although a relatively new station, the ABCRC has a strong history of supporting research and training. The proposed improvements will foster a fundamental change in the use of the ABCRC site. Existing facilities are able to support only a short-term presence by researchers at the station. With the proposed laboratory, housing and commons facilities, researchers will be able to spend more time on site, leading to more productive use of field research time. Additionally, graduate and undergraduate courses can be offered at the station once space is available for class and laboratory activities. The planned construction consists of a laboratory (5,000 sq. ft.), accommodations (4,750 sq ft.) and an education and conference building (a 3,500 sq. ft.). The total cost of construction of the three buildings is approximately $1.5 million; the institution will provide the funds required in addition to those provided by the NSF.
