Facilities and Resources
The Lewis Science Center, which contains over 100,000 ft 2 of classroom and laboratory space, houses the Department of Biology and the Department of Physics and Astronomy, as well as the Office of the Dean, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The Departments of Chemistry, Computer Science, and Mathematics are housed in separate buildings on campus.
The Department is well equipped with a wide variety of modern instrumentation. Facilities exist for many types of microscopy, experiments in microbiology and molecular biology, and field and laboratory studies in botany, zoology, and ecology. See the full equipment list for more detailed information.
The College has recently acquired a scanning electron microscope with EDS elemental analysis capability, as well as specimen preparation equipment. An NSF grant awarded in June 2002 has allowed the Department to acquire a scanning laser confocal microscope, which became operational in the fall of 2002. The Department also has darkrooms for both B&W photography and autoradiography, and a dedicated graphics lab for image creation, analysis and printing. We have two Nexus greenhouses, each about 1700 ft 2, plus a 750 ft 2 'headhouse' for preparation and clean-up. The greenhouses contain five separate rooms with the capability for independent climate control, and hold plant specimens used in both teaching and research. In addition, within the Lewis Science Center we maintain five 75 ft 3 Conviron plant growth chambers, in which temperature, lighting, and humidity are computer controlled.
The University of Central Arkansas Herbarium was created in 1908 to serve as a teaching and research resource. The herbarium currently has a collection of about 16,000 vascular plant specimens collected from all over the United States and abroad. The Department also maintains collections of invertebrates, vertebrates, and fossils, primarily for teaching purposes.
The Jewel Moore Nature Reserve occupies about 8 acres at the southern end of the UCA campus. About 1/2 mile of trails pass through the Reserve, which includes 5 acres of virgin shortgrass prairie and 3 acres of mature woodland.
Other educational institutions and governmental organizations within Arkansas provide faculty and students with opportunities for collaborative research in many fields of biology.
The Buffalo National River is one of our nation's specially designated natural rivers. Its watershed includes thousands of acres of some of the most pristine forest in North America. Pristine forest is also located within the Ozark Mountains, which are located north of Conway and stretch into southern Missouri. Much of this area is managed by various agencies, and thus protected from development and available for research projects. Located to the west and southwest of Conway, the Ouachita Mountains contain the highest point in Arkansas. Included in its forests is habitat for the endangered Red Cockaded Woodpecker, and much floral and faunal diversity.
Several major hospitals are located in Little Rock, just 30 miles away. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is a large teaching hospital where many faculty are also engaged in research. UCA students sometimes conduct research at UAMS under a joint agreement.
The National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) is located near Pine Bluff, about 30 miles southeast of Little Rock. This large Federal laboratory conducts basic and applied research on the toxicology of products regulated by the FDA. Scientists there study reproductive and developmental toxicity, biodegradation, and conduct microbial, chemical and environmental monitoring.
UCA is a member of the Arkansas Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (AR BRIN), through which collaborations may occur with biomedical scientists at other Arkansas institutions. Training opportunities for students are also possible at other AR BRIN affiliates.
The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, Mississippi has a formal affiliation with UCA. Our students may spend their summer at GCRL taking various courses in marine science, and possibly participating in marine research projects. Most GCRL courses automatically count as biology electives toward the UCA degree.
