A new research greenhouse at Blandy Experimental Farm

University Of Virginia Main Campus, Charlottesville VA

Investigators

Abstract

Funds will support the construction of a new research greenhouse at Blandy Experimental Farm, an environmental sciences field station in the northern Shenandoah Valley operated by the University of Virginia (http://blandy.virginia.edu/). Blandy supports a broad range of research in the environmental sciences, but research on plant genetics and plant ecology are particular strengths. The Blandy faculty anticipates that strength in these areas is sustainable and that student training in this area will continue to grow. Blandy's existing greenhouse is over 70 years old and has become structurally compromised. Because it was originally built within the Orland E. White Arboretum, it is now surrounded by trees that greatly reduce sunlight into the greenhouse. Its inefficient design does not allow much flexibility for expansion. This proposal represents the first phase of the replacement. The proposed greenhouse would include two 510 square-foot bays that would provide a total of 612 square feet of bench space. The floors of the proposed building would be concrete to help minimize pest and disease problems. The new greenhouse would have improved temperature and environmental control systems, including a propane heating system, a simple ventilation and exhaust system, and a retractable shade system. The new greenhouse will provide substantially better support for Blandy researchers. Undergraduate and graduate training is central to Blandy's mission, and a research greenhouse is an essential resource for both of these programs. Past graduate students at Blandy have continued on to productive careers in science that range from K-12 science education to faculty positions at universities. The undergraduate research program at Blandy has been highly successful in training students, most of whom have gone on to highly regarded graduate programs in ecology. These students include many talented young men and women from underrepresented groups who have now gone on to higher degrees in science. Blandy Experimental Farm is also home to the State Arboretum of Virginia and has thriving K-12 and other public programs, all with an environmental science focus. These programs build from the expertise and discoveries created in Blandy's research program. For example, all Blandy undergraduate researchers spend a morning presenting some aspect of their research to children attending a summer nature camp at Blandy. The relationships that have developed in the K-12 program have made it relatively easy to identify and recruit local teachers into NSF-supported programs for teacher training, and most of these teachers have required greenhouse space for their projects. Blandy has also frequently served as a source for research experience for high school students, and almost all of these students have worked on projects in the greenhouse.