The Salt Lake Tribune reports the field station will offer research opportunities for college students interested in biology, chemistry, astronomy and more.
The dean of Weber’s College of Science, Andrea Easter-Pilcher, said plans for the outpost have been in the works for years, but the pandemic stalled progress.
Construction is expected to begin soon, with a target opening date of fall 2026. The building will include classrooms, a laboratory, student and faculty lodging and a kitchen. It will sit on a 47-acre plot near Henrys [sic] Lake in Idaho.
The total cost of construction hasn’t been announced, but so far, the university has raised about $2.5 million.
With the planned field station, Weber State anticipates joining many of Utah’s other public colleges in offering off-campus research opportunities.
Easter-Pilcher told the university’s board of trustees the goal of the field station is “to get students passionate and engaged in what they’re doing.”
Currently, faculty take students on day trips for field research. The university wanted a site within about four hours’ drive of its Ogden campus to accommodate more day trips or weekend trips.
But it also wanted to create a site for longer-term studies, including year-round research projects. The dean said having a permanent building in Yellowstone will meet that need.
Yellowstone is America’s oldest national park and spans over two million acres.
Read the full story at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.