Support the CAWSCenter for Aquatic & Watershed Sciences
at Miami University
Research — Sites and Facilities
Faculty and staff have been involved in research in the aquatic and watershed sciences in a variety of locations, including:
- Antarctic lakes (McMurdo Dry Valleys, Victorialand)
- Argentina
- Beartooth Mountains (Montana)
- Canadian Rockies
- Chile
- Lake Tahoe
- Midwestern lakes and streams
- New Zealand
- Pocono Mountains (Pennsylvania)
- White Mountain National Forest (New Hampshire)
Research sites and facilities include:
Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics, Center for
Miami University's Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics is a state-of-the-art research and training facility available to all members of the university. The center also maintains equipment to assist in bioinformatic and functional genomic research.
Ecology Research Center
Miami University's Ecology Research Center, located less than 3 miles from campus, is a 175-acre field site dedicated to research and education in ecology and environmental science. The center is a focal point for faculty and student research and field exercises for undergraduate and graduate-level courses.
Hueston Woods and Acton Lake
Hueston Woods State Park, located 5 miles north of Oxford, comprises approximately 1200 hectares (2950 acres). Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve 
consists of over 800 hectares (200 acres) representing the beech-maple forest that once covered much of Ohio. Acton Lake is a 250-hectare reservoir situated in the heart of Hueston Woods State Park. Acton Lake is part of an Ohio-wide system of reservoirs that Miami ecologists are investigating to understand the effects of agricultural practices on the structure and functioning of reservoirs. Long-term, up-to-date data sets are key to our understanding and they have installed a buoy at Acton Lake now that provides real-time data on weather variables (e.g., air temperature, wind, sunlight) and limnological variables (e.g., water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll).
Lacawac Sanctuary Field Station
The Lacawac Sanctuary Field Station is a private 500-acre preserve (in northeastern Pennsylvania) devoted to research, public education, and conservation. Within its confines the sanctuary supports diverse aquatic and terrestrial habitats including a 52-acre natural lake. The entire watershed of Lake Lacawac is owned and protected by the sanctuary. Such a well-protected lake, that is relatively unimpacted by humans, provides rare "hands-on" learning and long term research opportunities.
Microscopy & Imaging Facility
The Center for Advanced Microscopy and Imaging is an all-university research, teaching and service facility. The facility houses 2 scanning electron microscopes, 2 transmission electron microscopes, 2 laser scanning confocal microscopes, a deconvolution light microscope, and a wide-field multimode light microscope. The facility also has a diversity of computer and digital imaging/analysis capabilities.
Statistical Consulting Center
The Statistical Consulting Center (SCC) offers statistical consulting to faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students conducting research at Miami University. The SCC is a group of statisticians who provide consultation on all aspects of data collection, analysis and interpretation. The center is funded by the university to promote high quality statistical consulting to researchers and is staffed by a manager and full-time statistics faculty in the Department of Statistics.