NSF Award
9415029
New College, the Honors College of the University of South Florida, is the recipient of ARI funds to replace 9,778 square feet (911 square meters) of deteriorating marine biological research space. This project is part of a general enhancement of the natural science facilities. Since the inception of New College in 1960, independent research studies on marine organisms have been an important part of the scholastic activities pursued by biology faculty and students. The marine facility reflects the central role that marine biology plays in the mission of a college that borders Sarasota Bay. Currently, research areas, seawater systems, and field equipment are scattered across five building some distance away from the bay. Completion of the facility will increase productivity of research activities by permitting: increased number of projects; possibilities for studying a wider range of marine organisms and ecosystems; and better control of environmental variables for maintaining and investigating a variety of organisms. The new facility will also have a significant impact on the number of New College graduates entering the professional biological science pipeline, not only in traditional marine biology, but also in the areas of behavior and community ecology, population genetics, reproductive and conservation biology and neuroscience.
