Project Grant 2529434

Saint Edward's University received a $130,437 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Biological Infrastructure under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074), awarded August 1, 2026, with a completion date of July 31, 2027. The grant funds the conversion of two existing offices at the Wild Basin Creative Research Center into flexible laboratory space, consisting of a wet laboratory for sample processing and a complementary dry laboratory for microscopy work, museum curation, and field equipment storage. This infrastructure development directly supports undergraduate research opportunities for Saint Edward's University students and researchers from other academic institutions, while enabling cross-disciplinary laboratory capabilities in soil and water nutrient analysis, DNA preparation, and microscopy—bridging the gap between field-based research and laboratory analysis.

Beyond expanding research capacity, the new laboratory facility strengthens the Wild Basin Creative Research Center's education program by providing K-12 students with hands-on learning experiences in museum curation, biodiversity studies, and plant and invertebrate taxonomy. The project aligns with NSF's biotechnology priority area and addresses urgent research questions at the intersection of land-use change, drought, and biodiversity loss, with particular focus on rare and threatened species. No sub-awards are planned for this grant.