Nov. 24, 1997 Contact Maureen Shine (541) 346-3145 Source: Lynda Shapiro (541) 888-2581 Editor's Note: Slides of an OIMB architectural planning session are available. To obtain copies, call Lynda Shapiro at (541) 888-2581 CHARLESTON--Faculty and students at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) in Charleston will soon be doing their work of exploring the mysteries of the ocean environment amid the sounds of hammers hammering and circular saws ripping through two-by-fours. The feeling about the sonic intrusion at the OIMB facility is one of celebration, however, not complaint. "We are making three significant improvements to our campus--much needed improvements that will greatly enhance our capabilities--and we couldn't be happier," says OIMB director Lynda Shapiro. All three construction projects are currently in the planning and architectural design stage. The new buildings will retain the simple but sturdy appearance that characterizes other OIMB structures. Shapiro says she expects the projects to be complete in approximately 20 months. The projects are: * Loyd and Dorothy Rippey Library: Funded by the gift of University of Oregon alums James and Shirley Rippey in memory of his parents, the library will greatly expand OIMB teaching and research facilities and enhance on-line communications capabilities. The new library will be approximately 4,000 square feet and will replace an 80-year-old, 1,400-square -foot structure. * Alice C. Tyler Research Laboratory: Two years ago, the Alice C. Tyler Trust provided funding for a research aquarium that was built as a new wing on an older OIMB shop building. Now an additional $150,000 in funding from the Trust will allow for the remodel of the shop building into a marine biology research laboratory. * Coastal Laboratory of the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve: For many years, scientists from the South Slough Reserve have located some of their research activities in a corner of OIMB's research space. "This mutually beneficial collaborative arrangement, which has enhanced integrated research, will continue," Shapiro says, "as the new 3,000-plus-square-foot `Coastal Laboratory' will be located at OIMB." About $600,000 for the new lab has been supplied by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and from the Oregon Division of State Lands. "Our research effort has greatly expanded since 1990 without much expansion of facilities," Shapiro says. "During that period, we've added two new faculty members who study different aspects of larval biology. We've had to make room for these new research programs and the improved facilities will make a huge difference for us." -30- #0-7313/OrSci, Special