The Biology Department at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) is undergoing a rapid expansion in research and research training. Much of this surge in research is attributed to the activity of six faculty members and their students in the areas of plant ecology, insect ecology and reproductive behavior, and the ecology and phylogeny of fishes. Investigative studies are performed in a 92 year-old greenhouse and designated facilities in the Hover Building. The greenhouse has long outlived its functional usefulness, and research space for ecological studies involving fish research has not been renovated since the building was constructed in 1940. Because no other facilities exist at EMU for maintaining either plants or fish, research has been severely restricted, critical experiments in existing projects are not feasible, and research activities undertaken in botanical and ecological courses have been hampered. Funding from the ARI Program will be used to replace greenhouse and aquarium rooms into a single structure. The combined terrestrial and aquatic facility will include three separate rooms for maintaining specific greenhouse conditions, a terrestrial ecology laboratory and an aquatic ecology laboratory. The renovated facility will improve the quality of research programs and significantly strengthen the Biology Department's overall curriculum that is designed to include a research component in numerous courses in botany, zoology and ecology. With the ability to complete research projects on campus, rather than work in rented greenhouse space elsewhere, or in distant field locations, faculty will be available to provide more training opportunities for students. Eventually, these changes will increase the quality and number of applicants to the Department, both as undergraduates and graduates, and will enhance EMU's ability to attract and retain quality faculty.
