This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The proposal seeks funding to replace existing biological research labs with 11 modern wet laboratories designed to support faculty and student research and research training at the undergraduate and master levels. The renovated biology lab complex will support research projects with an emphasis on environmental biology questions. The laboratories include facilities focused on research in population ecology, plant ecology, comparative physiology, anatomy, microbiology, and science education. The renovated laboratories will be used to advance knowledge and understanding of prairie and woodland restorations with emphasis on natural and controlled fire regimes; polyphasic DNA-based molecular analyses of diversity, structure, function, and population dynamics of microbial communities; comparative physiology and environmental toxicology; conservation biology and vertebrate ecology focused on population structure, community composition, and ecotoxicity; functional morphology of mammalian jaw mechanisms; and modeling hydrological and ecophysiological processes in forest ecosystems.
The institution serves a diverse student body of mainly adult learners, averaging 34 years of age, with the majority attending school part-time (74%). The total student population includes a high proportion of students from groups that are under-represented in science and engineering. In the Academic Year 2007-2008, roughly one-third of undergraduates were low-income students and over half were first-generation college students. Amongst other impacts on the integration of research and education, will be the inclusion of research experiences into the preparation of secondary school science teachers.
This project renovated ten biology research laboratories and four research support rooms at Governors State University. The renovated labs are customized for faculty and student research in the areas of microbiology, comparative physiology, population ecology, plant ecology, plant ecosystems ecology, science education, and anatomy. Shared laboratories house the plant growth chambers, the animal growth chambers, and a common experimental preparation room. A critical benefit of the NSF funded renovation is the replacement and improvement of the mechanical systems in the GSU research laboratories. Improved ventilation and new temperature controls provide a more consistent environment for research activities. The NSF funded laboratories are organized in close proximity which promotes collaboration and interaction among researchers. The renovated research facilities can be completely dedicated to research instead of having to share resources and space with teaching laboratories. New chemical fume hoods, laboratory casework and counters, plumbing fixtures, and fixed laboratory equipment bring the biology research labs into the modern era. The new reverse osmosis system improves the quality and availability of the water. The lighting levels have been selected to assist with difficult visual research tasks. New key card access allows the university to control and monitor use of the laboratories. Increased wireless access points have been installed to improve the network accessibility. The broader impact goal for the 12 months following completion of the renovation is for the number of undergraduates engaged in undergraduate research to be at least 20% greater than in AY2009-10. In AY 2009-10 the biology program had 36 undergraduate students engaged in research. In AY2013-14 GSU has initiated a specific award to support undergraduate research. Two of the co-Pis have been awarded small, inaugural grants of about $2000 to conduct research with undergraduate students. Mary Carrington: Effect of Plant Root Morphology on Abruscular Mucorrhizal Fungi Colonization Tim Gsell: Comparison of Microbial Diversity and Potential Pathogen Levels in Seeps and GSU Campus Runoff Zones in Thorn Creek in Fall and Winter An additional goal of this project is to increase faculty research collaboration and to engage in team research projects eventually resulting in publications of collaborative research findings. The design of the renovated labs increases the adjacency of the faculty researchers, and provides shared preparation and utility labs where faculty and students can work together. During the first 12 months after completion of the renovation, researchers at GSU will conduct research resulting in submitted research articles for each of the following three questions: 1) How do rhizospheric microbial communities vary with the identity of plant species or plant functional groups above ground? 2) How do soil nitrogen and carbon pools change along successional trajectories in natural and reconstructed plant communities? 3) Do ecosystems response variables (e.g., soil ammonium, nitrate, organic matter, glomalin-related soil proteins) correlate with plant species composition or aggregate (plant species) trait values of communities?
