This action funds improvements to Eastern Kentucky University's field station including construction of a 2200 square foot research center. The new centers permits those who use the field station, both from EKU as well as visiting scientists and students, to broaden the scope of research onsite and in the region as well as strengthen research training, research-informed teaching, and outreach capabilities.
EKU's field station at Lilley Cornett Woods (www.naturalareas.eku.edu/lilley-cornett-woods-appalachian-ecological-research-station) has supported place-based scientific research, environmental monitoring, research-informed training, interdisciplinary collegiate education, K-16 environmental education, and community outreach for over four decades. The site is composed primarily of old-growth forest. Consequently, it is a reserve of biological diversity, is a valuable resource for research and training, and provides a unique opportunity for outreach and education within an ecologically distinct Appalachian landscape partially degraded by coal mining and other land uses.
The longterm data collected at Lilley Cornett Woods is used for longitudinal investigations regarding the integrated themes of environmental, ecological, geological, and climatological change. Appalachian Kentucky is a recognized "hotspot" of biological diversity. EKU's tradition of organismal studies is ideal for investigating ecosystem structure and change, as modified by anthropogenic pressures. Ongoing investigations (e.g., diversity studies, biogeochemical characteristics of terrestrial and aquatic systems, invasive species, carbon sequestration and cycling) are being expanded and diversified across the spectrum of disturbed, modified, and old-growth ecosystems through new collaborations made possible by the new facility. EKU is currently working with external scientists through the NSF-funded Virtual Observatory and Ecological Information Systems, and increased networking capacity permits broader research collaborations outside the region.
EKU's long tradition of education provides a foundation in serving a spectrum of educational needs. Undergraduate and graduate science classes at EKU currently have strong experiential and field components. Student research by both undergraduate and graduate students, mentored by faculty investigators, underpins field research at the University as evidenced by the NSF REU site at Lilley Cornett Woods. The new facility enhances outreach in K-12 education, especially in fostering science literacy. The use of effective teaching strategies such as field- and project-based experiences can open pathways into scientific careers for many students.
