This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
This project renovates space for marine science that is no longer adequate for research needs in the Galbraith Marine Science Laboratory at Eckerd College. Eckerd College is an undergraduate institution that is widely considered as an important engine for educating and training undergraduates who continue to graduate school in the marine sciences. Improvements to institutional infrastructure include upgrading the electrical and lighting, lab facilities, HVAC, and laboratory security. It will also provide better generator/battery back-up, which is important for laboratories in locations prone to hurricanes or other severe weather events. These improvements will impact laboratories that carry out important research in scientific imaging and neurophysiology, molecular biology and biogeochemistry, research computing, marine ecology, and sedimentology. It will also provide upgrades to the seawater and core processing labs. Institutional research programs that will be impacted include those that involve the geologic development of coastal and shallow marine systems impacted by human activities, the development of sensory systems of marine organisms, bottlenose dolphin ecology and adaptation, marine genetics, mangrove ecology, and how seawater temperature and salinity have changed over time. Broader impacts consist of improving research training of large numbers of undergraduates, many of whom go on to get advanced degrees, increasing infrastructure for science, and improving research performance on awards not only from NSF but from other Federal agencies.
Eckerd College, a liberal arts and sciences institution in St. Petersburg, Florida, renovated several research spaces within the Galbraith Marine Science Laboratory, which houses the Department of Marine Science. Construction began in late May 2011 and was substantially complete by the end of August 2011. Faculty, staff, and students were able to re-occupy the renovated spaces for Fall 2011 classes. Five existing research areas were renovated within the Marine Science facility, along with updates to infrastructure that will maintain the long-term integrity of these spaces and create state of the art, secure environments for research. The renovated research spaces include the following areas: (1) the W. M. Keck Laboratory, housing four distinct research spaces (Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Scientific Imaging, Research Computing, and Multi-purpose Student Research); (2) a Seawater Room for short-term marine plant and animal maintenance and long-term experiments; (3) a Sedimentology Laboratory for marine stratigraphy research; (4) a Microbiology and Trace Element Laboratory for marine biogeochemistry and paleoceanography research; and (5) a Core Processing Room with radioisotope detectors for marine geological stratigraphy research. Renovations to the infrastructure supporting these research spaces included electrical back-up power, heating, and air conditioning. During the year following completion of the renovations, Eckerd students and faculty utilized the renovated spaces to attack six major interdisciplinary scientific projects: (1) Marine Invertebrates and Microbial Ecology; (2) Bottlenose Dolphin Ecology in Boca Ciega Bay; (3) Modern Coastal Sedimentary Environments; (4) Sediment Contamination from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill; (5) Plant Productivity in Restored Coastal Wetlands; and (6) Ecology and Evolution of Marine and Estuarine Fishes. Each of these projects involved faculty working with undergraduate students, training them in research techniques and analytical methods. Results from research conducted in the renovated spaces were reported in 12 conference presentations, seven formal undergraduate theses, and 10 student presentations at the 5th Annual Eckerd College Student Research Symposium. Since its founding in 1958, research training in marine science has been a hallmark of Eckerd College, a waterfront institution on the shores of Tampa Bay. The renovations will facilitate next-generation research programs of Eckerd faculty, especially in molecular approaches to marine science, while building on our solid record of providing research opportunities for undergraduates. Our project's legacy is the marine science majors who gain research experience in our renovated spaces and graduate to become productive scientists.
