Facilities

The offices and laboratories of the primary members of the two departments are in three buildings clustered on science hill: Kline Biology Tower (KBT), Osborn Memorial Laboratories (OML), and the Environmental Sciences Facility (ESF, to be occupied January 2002). Joint appointees are housed in their home departments. In addition to the state of the art laboratories in the three buildings, listed below are additional facilities accessible to students for research and study at Yale.

Libraries:
The several science libraries collectively constitute one of the great collections of biological literature in the world. The Kline Science Library (biological sciences), Peabody Museum (ornithology and entomology), Kline Geology Library (paleobiology), School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (forest and environmental biology), and Medical Library (biomedical sciences) together represent a total collection of approximately one million volumes.

Computer Facilities:
Yale Information and Technology Services (ITS) provides both mainframe and microcomputer resources to the student community. A variety of computer languages and programs are supported. Biomedical Computer Facilities, located at the Medical School, and accessed through remote or local terminals, are available for DNA and protein sequence analysis. The residential colleges are fully networked for access toYale computing facilities and the Internet.

Peabody Museum of Natural History:
With collections dating to 1825 and now numbering over 2,000,000 units, Yale's Peabody Museum is a major resource for research and teaching in the biological sciences. Of particular interest to those studying the history and diversity of life are its world-famous holdings of fossil vertebrates, including dinosaurs (150,000 units), fossil invertebrates (275,000 units), and fossil plants (100,000 units), as well as its collections of modern birds (100,000 units), insects (1,250,000 units), other animals (300,000 units), and plants (250,000 units). Research and work-study opportunities with any of the scientific staff members of the Museum are accessible to students.

Genomics and Molecular Biology Facilities:
University services for all aspects of molecular biological investigations are available in various Yale facilities. These include oligonucleotide synthesis, DNA sequencing, monoclonal and polyclonal antibody preparation, peptide synthesis, cell sorting, and amino acid analysis. In addition, facilities are available for mass spectrometry and X-ray crystallography. Equipment to generate and analyze DNA chips and protein microarrays are located both at the Yale Medical School and in the MCDB Department. Mass spectrometry, high through put chemical genomic screening, and new technologies of next generation genomic DNA sequencing such as Roche/454 and Illumina/Solexa are available in the MCDB Department. In addition, the laboratories for teaching and for faculty research are well equipped with state of the art instrumentation and equipment for specific projects.

Imaging Facilities:
The MCDB Department operates a state of the art digital and video imaging center, supervised by Dr. Joe Wolenski, which is available to the Yale community. Equipment includes two laser scanning confocal microscopes, as well as an in vitro motility workstation for detecting low level fluorescent molecules. These systems are ideal for producing high resolution digital still images or videos of static tissues or living cells.

Structural Analysis/Electron Microscopy Facilities:
The MCDB Department operates a Structural Analysis Laboratory that includes both scanning and transmission electron microscopes and related equipment for processing, sectioning, and photographic support. These facilities are used in both teaching and research, and are core resources also available to members of EEB.

YIBS (Yale Institute for Biospherics Studies) Conservation Genetics Laboratory:
This center, directed by Gisella Caccone, provides resources for students working with faculty who do not have the facilities to do molecular systematics and evolution. It is professionally staffed and has state of the art equipment. Undergraduates may also obtain formal training in these approaches to studying evolution. This center is housed in OML until completion of the ESF building where it will move permanently.

YIBS Center for Computational Ecology:
A professionally managed network of workstations is housed in Osborn Memorial Laboratory. The facility and technical support is available to students working with faculty on projects in computational biology and bioinformation.

YIBS Center for Earth Observation:
A computer laboratory for the analysis of remote sensing data is available for research. The Center also offers courses in remote sensing on a regular basis to students, which provide students with the skills to use the facility. This Center is housed in Geology and Geophysics.

Plant and Animal Husbandry:
Numerous controlled environment growth chambers, constant temperature rooms, and plant tissue culture facilities are available for environmentally controlled growth of plant materials. The major animal care facility for small mammals for the Arts and Sciences campus is also located on Science Hill.

Herbarium:
The Yale Herbarium consists of 250,000 systematically arranged plant specimens from the algae to vascular plants. The collection includes significant type specimens in the mosses and ferns with a representation of most families and important genera of the flowering plants.

Peabody Museum Field Station:
The Marine Biology facility on Long Island Sound is comprised of an on-shore laboratory, a 40 acre salt marsh, and a 17 acre island. Facilities include salt water holding tanks, a shop, and a small boat fleet. It is approximately 30 minutes from the Yale campus.

Marsh Botanical Garden:
A garden and arboretum is located north of OML at Prospect Street and Hillside Terrace. The greenhouses house an extensive collection of living plants including representative species from tropical regions and arid climates. A separate greenhouse facility for experimentation is located adjacent to OML.

Yale Natural Preserve:
This tract of acres in the Westville section of New Haven adjoins the Yale Golf Course. It is heavily wooded and has a central pond. Many groups of terrestrial and freshwater organisms are well represented in natural communities.

Yale Forests:
There are more than 10,000 acres of Yale Forests managed as working forests by the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. They are also available by arrangement for research and instruction. The largest and closest is the 7,800-acre Yale-Meyers Forest in northeastern Connecticut. It has some small lakes and a diversity of fauna, flora, and natural habitats.

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