Kerry Rabenold discussing the new building
Jeff Lucas, Peter Waser, Donna Fekete, Peter Hollenbeck, Steve Konieczny and Henry Legett.
Kerry Rabenold with Ximena Bernal and Serita
Esteban, Morry Levey, Kerry Rabenold, Denise Zielinski, Jeff Lucas, Ximena Bernal, Gordon McNickle, Rick Howard, Peter Waser and Dennis Minchella.
Breaking ground at the Ross Biological Reserve
Eating inside the Alton Lindsey Lab building
Professors enjoying a barbecue
Professor Emeritus Kerry Rabenold talking with Donna Fekete (left) and Peter Hollenbeck (middle).
Kerry Rabenold, Jeff Lucas, Rick Howard and Peter Waser
Outside the new building in the front
Outside the new building in the back
Inside the new building
New building
Ross Biological Reserve breaking ground for a new building
April 10, 2017
By Kerry N. Rabenold, Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences
On Saturday April 1, we broke ground at the Ross Biological Reserve for a new building that will support ecological research, teaching and outreach by housing a graduate ecologist-in-residence, and by providing an open-air pavilion for visiting groups. About 40 people from the department and community attended the ceremony and enjoyed a potluck lunch in the Alton A. Lindsey Field Laboratory.
Planning began in 2010 when the previous modular housing was demolished, and continued through seminars and a graduate course. The building blends traditional and modern technologies in a log frame and shell with photovoltaic and geothermal technology. Its thermal efficiency will minimize energy consumption, and the building's design will play a part in the outreach curriculum. This effort has been funded by generous donations from more than 200 families representing alumni, faculty, and community friends. Institutional support has been provided especially by the Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Purdue's Office of Sustainability, and by Tipmont REMC.
The building was finished in late July 2017 and the current ecologist-in-residence (Henry Legett) has already moved in. We anticipate an open house September 9th. The on-site ecologist will facilitate the research and education missions of the Reserve by maintaining infrastructure, designing and implementing outreach activities, archiving data, and communicating activities at the Reserve.
Ross Reserve construction (PDF;12MB)
Ross Reserve construction information (PDF;1MB)