Research infrastructure & support
Laboratories
Five laboratory rooms are available: Two accommodate wet chemistry (with fume hoods and chemical benches), and the remainder are general-purpose workrooms. Specialized facilities include a small animal care/holding unit and a specially-designed 1,200-square-foot laboratory for aquatic research with a flow-through water supply from the experimental pond facility.
Greenhouse complex
A greenhouse/mesocosm facility, completed in 2013 with funding from the National Science Foundation, enables scientists conduct sheltered, controlled experimental studies in both terrestrial and aquatic research. A smaller greenhouse within the structure provides for year-round plant propagation and care, independent of studies taking place in the larger greenhouse area. This complex makes possible research that bridges the gap between small-scale laboratory studies and studies in natural settings. The building, just outside the Armitage Center, includes:
- a 2,160-square-foot greenhouse used for controlled-environment experiments;
- a 432-square-foot all-season greenhouse;
- a 1,200-square-foot multipurpose building;
- a fenced research garden nearby.
Lath house/plant care facilities
A 600-square-foot lath house, completely covered with 0.5-in. mesh screen, supports plant research and provides a protected location for other kinds of research.
Weather station
A weather station provides comprehensive data in support of research.
Biodiversity research site
This 10-acre site, surrounded by exclosure fencing, is integrated with existing research infrastructure and was built to support a current NSF-funded research experiment. The site houses 726 research test plots that manipulate soil and rainfall factors, with room inside the fenced area to accommodate future site research expansions.
Workshop and staging
A well-equipped, 1,800-square-foot maintenance shop is available for researchers to build, modify and repair field equipment. Two barns (total 5,000 square feet) provide enclosed space for assembling components of field projects such as equipment, cages and other test systems.
Equipment
Equipment housed at the Field Station—tractors, mowers, loaders, water haulers, off-road vehicles, fire rigs—is used to implement and maintain research projects.