This project will support the construction of visitor and graduate student housing units (totaling 8 bedrooms and associated shared living and kitchen facilities) at Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO). In the last 4 years SkIO has invested a great deal in research equipment and facilities including the construction of a 32 m circumference racetrack flume, an organic geochemistry laboratory, the purchase of an ICP-MS, a GC-MS, an image analyzer and a Silicon Graphics graphics workstation. The availability of these facilities and access to coastal marine environments has increased the demand for visitor housing to the extent that current facilities (9 bedrooms total) are reserved approximately 18 months in advance. Since many research grants are only 24 months in duration, this long lead time is hampering collaborative research efforts. Additional on-site housing is necessary for students and visitors because SkIO is located on a barrier island with no access to public transportation. Given the excellent array of research facilities available for visiting faculty research and graduate student training, the institution is limited in the number of visitors that can be accommodated and students housed. The Institute's remoteness from Savannah prevents students and visitors from seeking housing in town, for both cost and travel time considerations. * * *
