Research and Educational Facilities:

UGA-MI lies within approximately 8,700 acres of the Sapelo Island marshes, upland, and tidal creeks designated as a National Estuarine Research Reserve by NOAA, http://www.sapelonerr.org/. This area was set aside because of its relatively pristine nature and is intended for use in basic research and education relevant to salt marsh ecosystems.

Facilities include a main laboratory building (the Barn) which houses offices and laboratories for resident and visiting scientists, instrument rooms, and a flowing seawater laboratory with various interchangeable tanks. The Barn also houses a 103-person auditorium with modern projection and conferencing technology, as well as a library (with holdings in excess of 6000 volumes).

Adjacent buildings house two newly renovated labs perfect for visiting scientists and classes, and a small video conferencing room, a second running seawater system, exterior tanks and covered "greenhouse" facilities.

Research equipment available includes transport vehicles ranging from golf carts to large trucks. Vessels include the RV Spartina, a 44 ft Thompson Trawler (rigged for trawling and equipped with onboard AC and a 5 Kw generator), as well as a number of outboard boats. These include two 22 ft. Twin Vee catamarans, several 13 to 17 ft. outboards. Fees and restrictions apply to all vehicles and vessels. When you apply for research access, you will be given the latest prices and restrictions.

Facilities and technology are available for isotope work (UGA and Georgia EPD restrictions apply). Chemical fume hoods are available. Shared equipment includes deionized water, freezers, ice machines, balances, incubators, centrifuges, drying ovens, microscopes, dissecting scopes, spectrophotometers and a variety of small supplies that may be available. Please include your needs when you apply for research access.

The main buildings are linked with a fiberoptic ethernet system and most core areas (including some housing) are served with wired cat5e or wireless broadband internet access. All electronic databases and electronic journals accessible on the main Athens campus can also be reached through the UGAMInet. The facility receives electric power from the mainland. However, a 125 KW backup emergency generator provides power to the main lab building, the salt water system, the main offices and the water and sewer infrastructure during outages.