NSF Award
1034521
Eastern Kentucky University is awarded a grant to develop a comprehensive strategic plan that will link the operations of two separate natural areas, Maywoods and Lilley Cornett Woods (LCW), in eastern Kentucky into a unified Biological Field Station (BFS) supporting a broad range of research, educational, and outreach activities. The plan will be created with input from a spectrum of stakeholders and experts in field station operations and administration under the guidance of professional facilitators. Maywoods is proximal to the campus with forest, forest-edge, and wetland environments, whereas Lilley Cornett Woods (~140 miles distant) includes old-growth forest that has supported ecological research over four decades. Both natural areas are currently operated as field stations, but the new strategic plan aims to maximize their potential and unite them with networked, digital information systems thus expanding their use by researchers and educators beyond EKU and our service area. In particular, the goal will be to asses the optimal role of both natural areas in research and education, and to identify the necessary parameters, equipment, facilities, and collaborations needed to create a cyberinfrastructure network between the BFS, main campus, and beyond. Facilities are currently limited and a long-term plan for improvement will enable full use of these natural areas not only in our traditional arenas of education and student research, but also by tapping into regional and national collaborations that broaden and deepen research efforts. For more information about these two research locations please see http://www.naturalareas.eku.edu/.
