Galapagos Science Center

The Galapagos Science Center (GSC) is a joint effort between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ). Our two universities are building this facility to promote our shared goal of promoting science and education that will help protect these fragile island ecosystems and and enhance the lives of their inhabitants.

The facility will be used by UNC and USFQ faculty and students conducting research in the Galapagos Archipelago, as well as for students in advanced-level study abroad science programs. 

The site of the GSC is adjacent to USFQ's Galapagos Academic Institute for the Arts and Sciences (GAIAS) on Playa Mann, Isla San Cristobal. Construction started on the GSC building in 2010 and is anticipated to be complete in May 2011.

When complete, the 11,000 sq. ft. GSC facility will house four laboratories, each with a dedicated research focus: terrestrial ecology, marine ecology, geospatial technologies (remote sensing & geographic information systems), and microbiology.  The building will also have office space for visiting physical, social, and health scientists, as well as multi-purpose space that will be used for community outreach events.

The building will also include tank facilities for salt water specimens, experiments, exterior decking adjacent to the lab spaces, and storage for diving gear and other equipment.

North Carolina's Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) is developing the information technology infrastructure for the GSC, which will include extensive local capabilities for both computation and data collection, and will also mirror data to the systems at the UNC and USFQ campuses.