"How we use the Tyson Research Center can make us stand apart from all universities," Losos said. "It's a resource that very few universities have --a sizeable field station within a 25-minute drive of campus. Most universities with field stations have them 100, 200 miles away, but Tyson is here on our doorstep. It's conceivable that students can come out and conduct field studies in the morning and be back for classes in the afternoon."
A number of new developments are likely to increase the pace of activities at Tyson substantially. This fall, John Parks, Ph.D., a newly hired post-doctoral researcher, will join the center. Parks will be teaching a course on ecology and sponsoring research projects there. The biology department is also in the process of hiring a faculty member in the area of ecology.
Another addition is David Larson, who fills the newly created position of field station manager. Larson, who has a master's in biological sciences from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, managed a similar site in California for 12 years. He brings to Tyson a wealth of experience and knowledge in areas as disparate as ornithology, fire management and air pollution studies.
Along with the new faces, Tyson recently announced the creation of the Sexton Research Fund, named for Professor Emeritus Owen J. Sexton, Ph.D., Losos' immediate predecessor as Tyson director. Grants from the Sexton Fund will support undergraduate research projects at Tyson on the natural history of vertebrates, Sexton's research specialty.
"We are seeing more commitment from the University regarding Tyson," Losos said. "We'd like to see more from students and faculty. Our attitude is that we will do everything possible to facilitate the use of Tyson for both research and teaching."
The Tyson Research Center comprises some 2,000 picturesque acres of oak-hickory forest and Missouri prairie. It was conveyed to the University in 1963 by the U.S. government, which had used it primarily for munitions testing and storage during World War II and the Korean conflict.
Located just 20 miles from the St. Louis city limits off Interstate 44, Tyson is tucked away in the hills to the north of the highway. It is the core of a 7,500-acre ecological island between metro St. Louis and the sprawling southwestern suburban development stretching out to Six Flags St. Louis and beyond. The other 5,500 acres of greenspace are within neighboring state parks.
There are literally hundreds of species of flora and fauna in the Tyson domain. Scores of bird species maintain residence there, or, like the traveling songbirds, stop by during the spring and fall on their migratory treks. Foxes, coyotes, deer, turkeys, lizards, snakes, skinks, newts and frogs abound. Species range from 12 kinds of salamanders, 15 frogs and toads, 10 turtles, eight lizards, four skinks, two vipers and 17 snakes. Prairie plants, such as wildflowers and tall grasses, thrive in the grassy areas.
Sexton called Tyson "an opportunity knocking," and Losos hopes to make the knock even louder.
"Owen did a great job of making Tyson available to more of the University community, and we'd like to build on that," Losos said.
Tyson hosts a Field Science Program annually that attracts thousands of St. Louis area school children. Cooperative research has been done there with the University of Missouri, St. Louis, and the Missouri Department of Conservation. Professors and students from the biology and earth and planetary sciences departments, plus the schools of engineering, art and architecture, all have conducted research there. But Losos noted that Tyson, which also holds the remains of a limestone mining village called Mincke Village and has an interesting Native American history, should appeal to a greater diversity of scholars.
"We feel that there is a lot to offer the University in Tyson's 2,000 acres, and we're enthused that we're going to make a more extensive use of it," Losos said. "Tyson provides a beautiful scenic and natural setting and has a long, rich history dating back to the Native Americans. Moreover, in our land-management decision-making process, we often have to negotiate with multiple government agencies, which often have conflicting demands. As such, Tyson presents study opportunities in fields as disparate as education, history, political science, English and the fine arts."