Research Infrastructure: Research Laboratory at Timberlake Biological Field Station

An award is made to fund the construction of a research laboratory at Timberlake Biological Field Station (TBFS). This field station was established in 2015 to advance environmental research, engage students in scientific discovery, and promote stewardship of the natural world. Timberlake is a 790-acre research and education center located at the junction of the Edward’s Plateau and Cross Timbers and Prairies ecoregions in central Texas on the banks of the Colorado River and is managed by Tarleton State University (TSU), a member of The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS).

The new research laboratory will constribute to the TBFS mission as a model resource focused on research, education, and outreach, associated with the ecological integrity of these unique ecoregions of Texas. This facility will serve undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty at TSU and visiting researchers from collaborating institutions.

This award will provide support for construction of the first of two research laboratory buildings at TBFS. The facility will initially serve as a wet and dry lab consisting of approximately 952 square feet, and will be dedicated as a dry lab once a second lab is built. Due to the proximity and access to the Colorado River, infrastructure for aquatic research is needed.

Wet lab space will include various tanks and aquaria to support research and teaching opportunities. Dry lab space will be used primarily for specimen and tissue preparation, microscope work, DNA extraction, and will include a fume hood, cold specimen storage, molecular biology equipment, bench space, and dry storage. This will be the first research lab at the field station and will compliment other new facilities that include two bunkhouses, a bathhouse, and an education center.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.