Enhancing the Value and Sustainability
of Field Stations and Marine Laboratories
in the 21st Century
Committee on Value and Sustainability of Biological Field Stations,
Marine Laboratories, and Nature Reserves
in 21st Century Science, Education, and Public Outreach
Board on Life Sciences
Division on Earth and Life Studies
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (1012215).
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-30534-1
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-30534-9
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Front Cover:
Top Left: Students take measurements of a gray fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, before fitting it with a radio transmitter collar at Quail Ridge Reserve in Napa, California. Photo by Arielle Crews, UC Natural Reserve System.
Top Right: Scientists from the Mountain Studies Institute collect lake sediment cores at Crater Lake. Photo provided by Mountain Studies Institute (www.mountainstudies.org).
Middle Left: Scientist with Bluntnose Sixgill Shark on marine research vessel. Photo provided Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory.
Middle Right: Scientists conduct a laboratory experiment at LUMCON. Photo provided by Nicole Cotten, Louisiana University Marine Consortium.
Bottom Right: Flathead Lake Biological Station (aerial view) is located on a peninsula of native forest on the east shore of Montana’s Flathead Lake. Photo provided by Flathead Lake Biological Station.
Bottom Left: Front view of Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon, University of Illinois Springfield. Photo by Melissa Benedict.
Back Cover:
Top Left: Installation of internet network equipment on Agave Hill tower for Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center. Photo by Mark Fisher, UC Natural Reserve System.
Top Right: Botany class at Bodega Marine Reserve, Bodega Marine Lab in the background. Photo by Jackie Sones.
Middle Left: Scientists from the Flathead Lake Biological Station collect aquatic insects from a floodplain spring. Photo provided by Flathead Lake Biological Station.
Middle Right: Scientist at Hastings Natural History Reservation studying woodland star plants, Lithophragma sp. Photo by Mark Stromberg.
Bottom Left: Aerial view of Louisiana University Marine Consortium. Photo by Nicole Cotten.
Bottom Right: Lake Erie Center, University of Toledo. Photo by Donald Kemp.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
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The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr. are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
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COMMITTEE ON VALUE AND SUSTAINABILITY OF BIOLOGICAL FIELD STATIONS, MARINE LABORATORIES, AND NATURE RESERVES IN 21ST CENTURY SCIENCE, EDUCATION, AND PUBLIC OUTREACH
JERRY R. SCHUBEL (Chair), Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, California
FELICIA C. COLEMAN, Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, St. Teresa
CATHY CONRAD, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
DIANE DEBINSKI, Iowa State University, Ames
PETER M. KAREIVA, The Nature Conservancy, Seattle, Washington
GEORGE I. MATSUMOTO, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, California
DIANE M. MCKNIGHT, University of Colorado Boulder
CAMILLE PARMESAN, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK; University of Texas, Austin
ROBERT PLOWES, University of Texas Brackenridge Field Laboratory, Austin
ALISON G. POWER, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
MARY E. POWER, Angelo Coast Range Reserve, University of California, Berkeley
MARK R. STROMBERG, University of California Natural Reserve System (retired), Sonoita, Arizona
STAFF
KEEGAN SAWYER, Study Director and Program Officer
CLAUDIA MENGELT, Senior Program Officer
LAURENCE YEUNG, Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Fellow (until April 2014)
LAUREN SONI, Senior Program Assistant
NORMAN GROSSBLATT, Senior Editor
BOARD ON LIFE SCIENCES
JAMES P. COLLINS (Chair), Arizona State University, Tempe
ENRIQUETA C. BOND, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Marshall, Virginia
ROGER D. CONE, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
SEAN EDDY, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Farm Research Campus, Ashburn, Virginia
SARAH C.R. ELGIN, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
DAVID R. FRANZ, Former Cdr USAMRIID, Consultant, Frederick, Maryland
LOUIS J. GROSS, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
ELIZABETH HEITMAN, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
JOHN G. HILDEBRAND, University of Arizona, Tucson
RICHARD A. JOHNSON, Arnold & Porter, LLC, Washington, D.C.
JUDITH KIMBLE, University of Wisconsin–Madison
CATO T. LAURENCIN, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington
ALAN I. LESHNER, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C.
KAREN E. NELSON, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland
ROBERT M. NEREM, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
CAMILLE PARMESAN, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK; University of Texas, Austin
ALISON G. POWER, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
MARGARET RILEY, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
JANIS C. WEEKS, University of Oregon, Eugene
MARY WOOLLEY, Research!America, Alexandria, Virginia
STAFF
FRANCES E. SHARPLES, Director
JO L. HUSBANDS, Scholar and Senior Project Director
JAY B. LABOV, Senior Scientist and Program Director for Biology Education
KATHERINE W. BOWMAN, Senior Program Officer
INDIA HOOK-BARNARD, Senior Program Officer
MARILEE K. SHELTON-DAVENPORT, Senior Program Officer
KEEGAN SAWYER, Program Officer
LAURENCE YEUNG, Christine Mirzayan S&T Policy Fellow (January–April 2014)
BETHELHEM M. BANJAW, Financial Associate
ANGELA KOLESNIKOVA, Administrative Assistant
LAUREN SONI, Senior Program Assistant
JENNA OGILVIE, Senior Program Assistant
OCEAN STUDIES BOARD
ROBERT A. DUCE (Chair), Texas A&M University, College Station
E. VIRGINIA ARMBRUST, University of Washington, Seattle
KEVIN R. ARRIGO, Stanford University, Stanford, California
CLAUDIA BENITEZ-NELSON, University of South Carolina, Columbia
EDWARD A. BOYLE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
RITA R. COLWELL, University of Maryland, College Park
SARAH W. COOKSEY, State of Delaware, Dover
CORTIS K. COOPER, Chevron Corporation, San Ramon, California
ROBERT HALLBERG, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
DAVID HALPERN, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
SUSAN E. HUMPHRIS, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
BONNIE J. MCCAY, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick
STEVEN A. MURAWSKI, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg
JOHN A. ORCUTT, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California
H. TUBA ÖZKAN-HALLER, Oregon State University, Corvallis
STEVEN E. RAMBERG, Pennsylvania State University Applied Research Lab, Washington, D.C.
MARTIN D. SMITH, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
MARGARET SPRING, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California
DON WALSH, International Maritime Incorporated, Myrtle Point, Oregon
DOUGLAS WARTZOK, Florida International University, Miami
LISA D. WHITE, University of California, Berkeley; San Francisco State University
STAFF
SUSAN ROBERTS, Board Director
CLAUDIA MENGELT, Senior Program Officer
DEBORAH GLICKSON, Senior Program Officer
PAMELA LEWIS, Administrative Coordinator
PAYTON KULINA, Program Assistant
STACEE KARRAS, Research Associate
I believe that in the not too distant future a much larger share of biological research, from biochemistry to ecology, will be conducted at field stations that consist of nature preserves and have ready access to laboratories equipped to analyze and monitor processes at every level of biological organization, including the molecular. Field stations will also serve as key centers of education at all levels. Universities and other institutions wise enough to invest in such stations now, even in the face of limited financial resources, will assure themselves of a much larger share in the future action.
Edward O. Wilson
Field stations provide the best connection between a growing population and the wonders and mysteries of the natural environment. These institutions educate on what all citizens must do to preserve ocean health, the foundation of the basic ecosystem services that keep our planet habitable.
Marcia McNutt
Preface
The National Science Foundation (NSF) arranged for a review by the National Academy of Sciences to assess and explore mechanisms, in a time of declining resources, to maintain and enhance the important contributions of field stations, marine laboratories, and nature reserves in scientific discovery, innovation, education, and public outreach—roles encompassed by the missions of these institutions. In response, the National Research Council established the Committee on Value and Sustainability of Biological Field Stations, Marine Laboratories, and Nature Reserves in 21st Century Science, Education, and Public Outreach, which prepared this report. Biographic information on the committee members is presented in Appendix B.
In the course of preparing this report, the committee met three times in person and once by teleconference. During its deliberations, it heard oral presentations by the following: John Wingfield, Scott Edwards, Peter McCartney, Kandace Binkley, and David Campbell (NSF); Guy Noll, Morakot Pilouk, Marten Hogeweg, and Jeff Donze (Esri); Hillary Swain (Archbold Biological Station); Ian Billick (Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory); Ivar Babb (University of Connecticut Northeast Underwater Research, Technology & Education Center); Clarissa Dirks (Evergreen State University); Diane Ebert-May (Michigan State University); Caroline Wagner (Ohio State University); and Anthony Michaels (Proteus Environmental Technologies). Interested members of the public at large were given an opportunity to speak at the first meeting. In addition to the information from those presentations and the peer-reviewed scientific literature, the committee made use of field station databases provided by the National Association of Marine Laboratories, the Organization of Biological Field Stations, and the National Geographic Society. The committee acknowledges and thanks those individuals and groups for their valuable input.
This report has been reviewed in draft form by persons chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council Report Review Committee. The purposes of the review are to provide candid and insightful comments that will assist the institution in making the published summary as sound as possible and to ensure that the summary meets institutional standards of objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
George Crozier, Daulphin Island Sea Lab
William Farland, Colorado State University
Elisabeth Gantt, University of Maryland
Gary Jacobs, Strata-G LLC
Geraldine Knatz, Bank of the West
Terry McGlynn, California State University, Dominguez Hills
Holly Menninger, North Carolina State University
Dwayne E. Porter, University of South Carolina
Shawn Rowe, Oregon State University
Joshua Tewksbury, University of Washington
Henry M. Wilbur, University of Virginia
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse, nor did they see, the final version of the report before its release. The review of the report was overseen by May R. Berenbaum of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and John E. Burris of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Appointed by the National Academies, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of the report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of the report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Research Council.
The committee’s work was assisted by the staff of the National Research Council’s Board on Life Sciences and Ocean Studies Board. We thank the study directors, Keegan Sawyer and Claudia Mengelt. The world map of field stations was made possible through the research support of Laurence Yeung and Sarah Gizaw. We also acknowledge and thank Rob Greenway, Sharon Martin, Mirsada Karolic-Loncarevic, Stacee Karras, Carl Anderson, Sayeeda Ahmed, Payton Kulina, and Lauren Soni for their technical and logistical support.
Jerry R. Schubel, Chair
Committee on Value and
Sustainability of Biological Field
Stations, Marine Laboratories,
and Nature Reserves in 21st
Century Science, Education, and
Public Outreach
Contents
1 Contributing to Science and Society
Education, Outreach, and the Building of a Scientific Community
Conclusions and Report Roadmap
2 Enhancing Science, Education, and Public Engagement
Expanding and Diversifying Discovery-Based Learning
Actively Engaging the Public in Science
3 Networking for Discovery and Innovation
What Is a Field Station Network?
Principles, Benefits, and Challenges
Building and Establishing Networks and Partnerships
4 Building and Maintaining a Modern Infrastructure
Challenges of Maintaining and Upgrading Infrastructure
Cyberinfrastructure and Connectivity
5 Strategies for Financial Sustainability
Success in a Time of Declining Resources
Importance of a Diversified Funding Portfolio
6 Metrics for Achieving Goals and Demonstrating Impact
B Committee Member Biographies
Boxes
1-1 Definition of a Biological Field Station, Marine Laboratory, or Nature Reserve
1-2 Invasive Fire Ants: The Hidden Value of Unwanted Guests
1-3 Advancing Science and Education at Hopkins Marine Station
1-4 Citizen Scientists Contribute to Research on Global Warming
2-1 NAML-OBFS Report, Field Stations and Marine Laboratories of the Future: A Strategic Vision
2-3 Essential Cultural and Structural Elements in Successful Convergence Ecosystems
2-4 Six Strands of Science Learning
3-2 The Utah Field Station Network, a Regional Network to Enhance Research and Education
3-3 Partnerships with National Parks
4-1 Definition of Infrastructure
5-1 Definition of Value Proposition
6-1 Key Elements for Developing Appropriate Metrics
6-2 Examples of Some Metrics to Assess Field Station Programs
6-3 University of California Natural Reserve System—Collecting and Aggregating Data
Figures
1-1 World map of biological field stations and marine laboratories
3-1 Field stations within the Mississippi River Basin
3-2 Field stations in the range of Superstorm Sandy
5-1 NSF Field station and Marine Laboratory Award History (1999-2013)
5-2 Links between field stations, stakeholder communities, and economic benefits
6-1 Google Scholar Page of the University of Alaska Museum Bird Collection
6-2 Aggregated data on user activities within the UC Natural Reserve System
