UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO

This project proposes to renovate 6,569 sq. ft of existing research space (out of 8,703 sq. ft total) to relocate and consolidate most Institute for Tropical Ecosystem Studies (ITES) research at the UPR Rio Piedras Campus into a space we will call the ITES Research Center. Activities in the ITES REsearch Center will provide significant support to ongoing and upcoming interdisciplinary research in tropical ecosystems led by ITES faculty, students and visiting researchers. To sustain research and training activities, laboratory infrastruture will directly support the latest research methodologies in the following STEM disciplines identified in the ITES strategic plan (ITES 2005-2015): Plant Population Ecology, Evolution, Bioconservation, Forest Community Dynamics, Urban Forestry, Biogeochemistry of Tropical Soils, Structure and Function of Urban Streams, Atmospheric and Environmental Chemistry. NSF-funded research to be impacted will include at least seven projects (including major research training grants, see "c. Impacts of Proposed Project") and research training support to a newly launched graduate program in Environmental Sciences (home of the Puerto Rico IGERT), in which ITES plays a pivotal role. Renovated facilities will allow integration and expansion of research methodologies, better conditions for sample storage, and more effective use of research space. Working spaces will be designed with enough flexibility to allow incorporation of new methodologies in support of the research mission. The assembly of research activities under ITES Research Facility will reduce geographic distance among research areas supported by ITES and alleviate considerably the fragmentation of research leadership. This will also provide greater proximity between ITES research and administrative areas (located in an adjacent building) providing more efficient support for research and research training activities. The renovations will also provide adequate, suitable, and environmentally friendly research spaces that will be more conducive (compared to the current research space) to successful interactions among ITES researchers, and between ITES and other research units. Such interactions will result in stronger collaborations, increased scientific productivity, and more effective training.

Clarification of Codes