The Bull Shoals Field Station (BSFS), the biological field station for Missouri State University, is awarded a grant to renovate a stone shed into a small wet laboratory. BSFS is located in southwest Missouri in the heart of the Ozarks. This unique ecosystem has provided many opportunities for terrestrial and aquatic research, especially in the fields of plant ecology, aquatic ecology, and wildlife ecology and management. The long-range planning committee recommended that a wet laboratory was the most important facility needed to increase use at BSFS. The addition of a wet laboratory will increase productivity in research and training for students by providing a location for immediate sample processing and close proximity between field and laboratory experiments. Renovations will include adding plumbing, electrical wiring and connection to the solar power system, insulation, new roof, new windows, and new door. Several Missouri State classes are held at the field station, including biology and science education courses, which include undergraduate and graduate students and K-12 teachers. Though BSFS is a recently-established station with no laboratory facilities, it also has hosted five conferences, numerous workshops for students, teachers, and professionals, and has attracted four outside researchers over the last five years because of the rich ecological setting and recent updates to facilities. In addition, BSFS staff is actively involved in water quality monitoring of area water resources and distributes the information to local organizations and through the BSFS website. The addition of a wet laboratory would provide more opportunities for course use, increase the pool of potential users from inside and outside the university, and enhance the current water quality research that is useful to the local community.
