Construction of Student Dorms at the Southwest Research Station

American Museum Natural History, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

The American Museum of Natural History is awarded a grant to remodel existing housing units and construct two new residential structures at the Southwest Research Station in southeastern Arizona. The Southwestern Research Station (SWRS) is under the direction of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC) of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York. The SWRS began operation as a research facility in 1955. For the past five decades, the SWRS has provided housing, food, and lab facilities for researchers, students, and classes. The structural improvements set forth in this plan allows the SWRS to: 1) improve research capacity of the station by providing ample, quality lab space, equipment, and housing; 2) reach out to the scientific community and attract high caliber biodiversity conservation scientists and students; 3) support additional educational classes and workshops by providing ample, quality classroom space and equipment; 4) meet goals in a way that not only reduces the station's impact on the environment, but also enhances the ecology of the Chiricahua Mountains; and 5) work towards becoming a model research station by reducing dependency on outside energy sources. The new structure will be a dorm that will add 32 new beds. The other is a casita floor plan with capacity for 8 new beds with flexible configuration to accommodate families and senior research users. Existing structures will be remodeled to enable more flexible configuration and additional features such as kitchens. The SWRS is part of a unique complex of about 27 mountain ranges, the Madrean Archipelago/Sky Islands of the southwestern U.S., and is surrounded by the Coronado National Forest. The SWRS has hosted the work of over 1,120 senior and student researchers, including some long-term studies that are seminal contributions to the scientific understanding of biodiversity. Much of the data collected by researchers at the SWRS has direct impact on the conservation and management of the Madrean Sky Island habitats and species. In the past two decades, training courses and professional workshops have become an integral part of educational activities at the SWRS. Participants leave the SWRS better equipped to pursue their research, teaching, and/or conservation efforts because of knowledge gained in these courses. For more information on the SWRS, see the website at http://research.amnh.org/swrs/.