The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) is awarded a grant to enhance its research and education programs by installing a telecommunications system. A 501c3 organization, RMBL advances the deep scientific understanding of nature that promotes informed stewardship of the Earth. Each year RMBL hosts 200 student researchers and scientists from 100+ institutions, providing access to protected research sites and the research facilities needed to serve as a bridge between field sites and their home institutions. Research at RMBL has provided critical insights into a range of ecological and evolutionary questions, including evolution, stream ecology, climate change, population dynamics, behavioral ecology, and mutualisms. Additionally, research at RMBL has informed policy on management of streams, water and air quality, and climate change. This grant will pay for installation of an engineered internet system. Specifically, it will fund installation of a firewall, a LAN switch, appropriate routers, and a wireless LAN portfolio.
This project will increase the ability to document and understand a changing world. Currently only a small percentage of the information collected by scientists makes it into the public domain. By providing reliable access to the internet, we can increase the percentage of data that is captured, archived, documented, and made available to future scientists. Additionally, this system will support access to information being collected by environmental sensors. The explosion in sensor technology has substantially increased the number of automated sensors that are deployed in field environments. This grant will provide the infrastructure needed to manage the information flows from those sensors. By supporting access to, and archiving of, sensor and human-collected information scientists will be better able to detect long-term change.
This grant will support education activities. Both undergraduate and graduate students work directly with research scientists, including students funded through NSF's Research Experience for Undergraduates program. Providing students access to modern telecommunications technology in the support of research will help create a scientifically literate workforce. Further information about RMBL may be found at http://rmbl.org/rockymountainbiolab/.
to install an upgraded wireless telecommunications system linking cabins to our telecommunications system. The project involved installed wireless radios at strategic locations throughout the campus in order to maximize connectivity among RMBL's 70+ buildings. Located in central Colorado at 3000 m in elevation, RMBL is a research platform that hosts approximately 60 scientists, 40 graduate students, and 60 undergraduate students each summer. These students and scientists travel from institutions across the world to conduct field research. Taking advantage of 80 years of previous research at the site, including one of the largest collections of long-term studies, they explore biological processes that inform how we understand ecosystems around the world. Upgrading the telecommunications systems performed a number of valuable functions. It allows scientists to maintain their workflows and collaborations while working at a remote site. This significantly increases their research productivity. Additionally, it facilitates use of RMBL's data management system, ensuring access to archived datasets and sensor data. Supporting RMBL as a research platform has significant societal benefit. Research at RMBL has provided insights into biological responses to a changing world, food productivity, the implications of exposure of organisms to chemicals, and informed manaegment of water quality and quantity. Additionally, research training at RMBL helps create a scientifically literate workforce. Because of the ubiquity of internet and telecommunications in all aspects of science and society, ensuring adequate access to internet is a critical part of maintaining the value of RMBL as a research platform.
