Portland State and the Smithsonian’s Environmental Research Center have signed an agreement to be partners in research for the next five years. This joint venture, signed on March 19, solidifies and renews a preexisting research relationship between the two institutions.
According to Associate Vice President for Research Mark Sytsma, the partnership—officially titled the Aquatic BioInvasion Research and Policy Institute—is focused on studying aquatic invasive species. Researchers hope to discover the underlying causes of aquatic invasions and their ecological and economic effects on specific ecosystems.
The partnership between PSU and the Smithsonian originated back in 2004, and was slated to last five years with the potential for an additional five-year extension. While the 2009–14 extension was never formally signed, the partnership stood intact. Sytsma said that the agreement reached on March 19 is simply a better-late-than-never renewal of that partnership established in 2004.
Sytsma explained that because PSU researchers predominantly study freshwater species whereas Smithsonian scientists generally have more expertise with marine ecosystems, the collaboration allows for a more broad scope of aquatic study.
“This partnership allows us to do better science,” Sytsma said. “It’s as simple as that.”
The research involves around 30 different scientists, graduate students and technicians working at both PSU and Smithsonian laboratories in Oregon, Maryland and California. Partnership researchers have ongoing projects taking place in California, Alaska, Oregon, Guam, Micronesia and Panama.
One ongoing project is research being conducted for the U.S. Navy, which is in the process of moving a naval base from Micronesia to Guam. Partnership scientists are studying the effects this will have on the surrounding ecosystems and invasive species.
Gregory Ruiz, head scientist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, said in a phone interview that bioinvasion is an important area of scientific study because invasive species are substantially altering the world’s ecosystems.
“Invasive species are dramatically changing the way biological communities are structured and how they function. Everything from the forest to the seashore, and even lakes and rivers are being changed as new species colonize. Invasion is a major source of change in how the world works,” Ruiz said.
Both Ruiz and Sytsma commented that invasive species are becoming more of an issue than ever before as international trade and travel continue to expand.
“One of the outcomes of globalization is that not only trade products get moved around, but a lot of animals and plants do as well,” Ruiz illustrated. “Some things are moved around intentionally, like the plants and animals that are used for food, but most of the organisms that are colonizing are not the ones that were moved intentionally,” he added.
Sytsma said that additional goals of the research are to develop policies aimed at managing invasive species and establishing a bicoastal comparison between Smithsonian labs on the East Coast and PSU facilities on the West Coast. The institutions also hope to broaden the scope of the research beyond the study of aquatic invasive species.
“There are lots of opportunities to extend this partnership into other issue areas like sustainability and the social sciences,” Sytsma said. Both he and Ruiz articulated that the strengths and weaknesses of each institution are complimentary, making future collaborations seamless.
“There are PSU faculty that have expertise in certain areas that the Smithsonian lacks, particularly in the social sciences,” Ruiz explained. “Our research group is primarily biologists and ecologists, and our strength is not in economics and policy, yet those are areas that are really key to understanding not just how the biology works, but what can be done to implement change.”
The agreement specifically outlines that the university will provide access to facilities and to PSU graduate students for Smithsonian researchers working in Portland. Correspondingly, the Smithsonian will be responsible for providing laboratory space to visiting PSU scientists.
Brian Steves, a Smithsonian ecologist working at PSU, said that he has seen many benefits arise out of the partnership between the two institutions, even on a personal level. “I like that I get to be in an academic setting. As a researcher, I enjoy being able to attend seminars and lab discussions. I appreciate the opportunity to interact with graduate students as well,” Steves said.
All parties involved agree that the partnership is mutually beneficial. PSU is able to gain a certain level of national prestige while simultaneously conducting important ecological research. In return, the Smithsonian gains a strategic research base on the West Coast and access to PSU facilities and scholars.
“This partnership is great because it provides PSU students with scholarships and fellowships at Smithsonian institutions,” Sytsma said. “The collaboration with the Smithsonian provides PSU with a certain profile, a type of recognition, that we don’t have otherwise.”