Enhancing the Value and Sustainability of Field Stations and Marine Laboratories in the 21st Century (2014) / Chapter Skim
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1 Contributing to Science and Society
1 Contributing to Science and Society
Pages 7-20
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From page 7... ...
BOX 1-1 Definition of a Biological Field Station, Marine Laboratory, or Nature Reservea A field station is a center of scientific research, conservation, education, and outreach that is embedded in the environment in a location that is usually protected and that serves both the local community and the larger scientific community. The research conducted at a field station is often focused on local environmental regions, but national and international scientific projects are common.
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From page 8... ...
NSF asked the National Research Council to give special consideration to collaborative mechanisms through which field stations can work with one another, nationally and internationally, and with state and federal research facilities to enhance their research and training programs and to reduce duplicative efforts. In responding to the Statement of Task, the committee encountered a significant challenge to empirically demonstrating the value of field stations due to the lack of aggregated data on their activities and impacts on science and society.
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From page 9... ...
However, OBFS and NAML play important organizing roles for the field station community discussions about the value of field stations to science and society, and approaches to prepare field stations for the future. TABLE 1-1 Aggregated Information About Field Stations from Three Publications Data Annual Operating Publication Gathering Na Geography Budget Primary Affiliations NAML- Formal survey 197- Field stations 16.8%, <$50k 74% University OBFS in 2012 218 and marine 26.9%, $50k-$250k 14% Government (2013b)
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From page 10... ...
Information for approximately two-thirds of the stations was determined from databases provided by the National Association of Marine Laboratories, the Organization of Biological Field Stations, and the Royal Geographical Society. Station information was also obtained from websites of the Association of European Marine Biological Laboratories, the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution, the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, the Institute of Biological Problems of the North, the Japanese Association of Marine Biology, the International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring of the Arctic, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institutes, the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network, the World Association of Marine Stations, and the Google search engine.
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From page 11... ...
, population dynamics, or even species presence and absence can be analyzed for long-term trends and linked to trends in local or regional climate. Field stations figure prominently in a number of major global meta-analyses of the impacts of anthropogenic climate change on the distributions of wild species, accounting for 28-43 percent of the studies included in the analyses (Table 1-2)
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From page 12... ...
The infrastructure of field stations offers unique advantages to research in terms of place-based logistical support and equipment. Field stations support continued access to protected study sites and relatively secure placement of conspicuous experimental materials (cages, markers, and other equipment)
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From page 13... ...
These activities held at field stations and in nearby communities provide opportunities for the exchange of ideas between scientific staff at field stations and lay audiences. For example, the Nantucket Field Station of the University of Massachusetts Boston maintains an array of K-12 activities that include a Junior Ranger program for middle-school–age children and science internship programs for high school students.
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From page 14... ...
In 1981, red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) invaded the Brackenridge Field Laboratory (BFL)
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From page 15... ...
The oldest marine station on the West Coast of North America, Hopkins Marine Station, opened in 1892 as the Hopkins Seaside Laboratory and became the Marine Biological Laboratory of the Leland Stanford Junior University in 1906. In 1917, the field station moved to its current location and was renamed the Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University (CENS 2013)
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From page 16... ...
The "station culture" that thrives in field stations creates rich opportunities for students and faculty (including artists, engineers, life scientists, and social scientists) to form new collaborations and friendships that lead to broad discussions and often to serendipitous scientific discoveries (Michener et al.
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From page 17... ...
to support a citizen science effort to document the current distribution of pika. Their support includes training and the design of the observational program.
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From page 18... ...
. Lack of financial or community support has caused other field stations (e.g., the San Blas Field Station in Panama; the National Wildlife Research Center in Kingsville, Texas; and the Meanook Biological Research Station in Manitoba, Canada)
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From page 19... ...
Chapter 2 describes strategies for increasing the value, relevance, and sustainability of field stations while enhancing their ability to adapt to changing environments, research technologies, and economic conditions. Chapter 3 presents opportunities to support these strategies through networking.
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