A New Era for Environmental Sciences

IU Research and Teaching Preserve Field Laboratory
Indiana University
Groundbreaking Ceremony
Griffy Woods Teaching Preserve
October 20, 2008

I am delighted to be with all of you on this beautiful Southern Indiana fall day to celebrate a most important initiative for the future of environmental science studies and research at Indiana University.

I am grateful to those who have made it possible to celebrate with all of you, particularly President Michael McRobbie, Provost Karen Hanson, and Vice President Terry Clapacs. Their leadership and support of this effort underscores their commitment to preservation and to the advancement of environmental sciences at Indiana University. In addition, without the extraordinary efforts of Keith Clay, director of the Preserve and professor of biology, this day might still be a dream, far into the future. But, with these extraordinary people, and the university's Commitment to Excellence Initiative, we stand here today ready to usher in a new era for environmental sciences.

We are standing on, and surrounded by, some of the most beautiful forested landscape, and only minutes from the heart of the Bloomington campus.

In its mission statement, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources affirms its position as stewards of natural, cultural, historic, and recreational resources for the benefit of present and future generations. The Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve Field Lab plays a vital role as co-stewards, dedicated to faculty and student research and education, as well as public education for the benefit of present and future generations.

Let's not forget that this natural area has a long history of field-based research dating back to the early 1900s. More than 80 publications of scientific investigation involving these natural areas have been produced.

Now, we're ready to embark on a new phase of the Preserve. With Professor Clay's leadership, the Preserve is poised to engage in interdisciplinary environmental sciences opportunities. The building, which is architecturally impressive, appealing and LEED-certified or "green," if you will, will provide a wonderful base of operations that will enable the most sophisticated real-time measurements of environmental processes as well as hands-on training of students engaged in field-based science. Not to mention, the state-of-the-art IT capability, instrumentation and computing facilities that will be linked to campus to enable communication, continuous remote operation, monitoring, and data acquisition at these sites.

Faculty and students are already engaged in a wide range of research at the Preserve, covering such topics as Ecology of Forest Disturbance, Pests and Pathogens, Conservation Biology, Forest Community Dynamics, Watershed Hydrology, Soil and Nutrient Dynamics, and Land-Atmosphere Interactions.

Moving forward, the Preserve will continue to pursue critical questions aimed at finding solutions to the most challenging environmental issues facing society. Building on the past and present, we can anticipate path-breaking outcomes from these efforts.

I commend Keith Clay for his vision, as well as the Associate Vice Provost for Research, Jeff White, and other faculty who have been instrumental in driving this effort to realize this important day in the life of the Preserve.

As Charles Dickens once wrote, "For nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own; and from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy, that we can scarcely mark their progress." Surrounded by this beauty and the vast possibilities for discovery, Dickens reminds me of the faculty who patiently wait for nature to reveal potential, working tirelessly to protect its truth, all the while using knowledge and expertise to make advancements for a better future for us all.

There is no doubt that the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve Field Laboratory has a bright future and I am honored to witness this great event here today.

Thank you.