Renovation of the Greenhouse Research Facility at the University of California, Irvine

University Of California-Irvine, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This project is the renovation of a highly used greenhouse research facility at the University of California, Irvine. The renovations will include: replacing earthen floors with concrete for pest control, replacing benches that are presently rotting and corroding, replacing outdated evaporative coolers, improving lighting to allow more research to extend into the winter months, adding a new transformer and electrical wiring, and sub-dividing the greenhouse to provide chambers that can be controlled independently, and accessed directly, without requiring investigator travel through the adjacent research areas in order to avoid cross-contamination of disease and pests. The renovated facility will support a large group of researchers from the School of Biological Sciences, particularly from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, as well as researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences. The greenhouse will be used for research in areas that include evolution, genomics, ecology, ecophysiology, plant-insect interactions and global change biology. The renovation will make it possible to perform manipulative plant experiments under controlled conditions that are beyond what is possible in the current facility. The renovated facility will provide an increased number of opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral associates to participate in research.