Priest Landing Marine Facility
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The laboratory at Georgia Tech’s Priest Landing Marine Facility is equipped to support research and teaching activities. The newly constructed 2,800 ft2 building is designed to enable investigations of marine chemical ecology, marine ecology, coastal ecology and behavioral processes. Instrumentation for chemical analysis include a number of rotovaps, speedvacs, fully automated, preparative and analytical HPLC systems with multiple detectors including photodiode arrays, ultracold freezers, drying ovens, centrifuges, and freezedryers. There also is a modern marine molecular microbiology laboratory for characterization and sequencing, TRFLP and PCR. The facility has a state-of-the-art computerized imaging lab that includes standard tools for video motion analysis and still frame analysis of behavior, as well as dissecting and compound microscopes and a variety of video cameras.
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The lab is well positioned to take advantage of local flora and fauna. Algae and zooplankton in culture facilities are available and the estuary with its natural assemblages of zooplankton and phytoplankton are easily accessible. A large indoor wet lab includes approximately eighty 40 L aquaria as well as sea table space, with a continual supply of water pumped in from nearby Warsaw sound. In addition, there are twenty 300 gallon mesocosms with wave generators and constantly flowing seawater located on the adjacent pier. A floating dock provides easy access for boats, and we maintain three 22 ft marsh boats for access to nearshore environments. Additionally, Georgia Tech Savannah (GTS) has a SeaCat catamaran with 2 engines at this facility. The coastal engineering group at the GTS campus also owns a Whaler, a McKee, a Zodiac, and a second SeaCat that can be trailered to local field sites. These boats are available on a negotiated basis. The Priest Landing facility includes office space equipped with computers and internet connections for faculty, staff or visitors. We are developing plans for a 10 m research grade flume for fluid dynamics and behavioral investigations in an adjacent building.
The Priest Landing Marine Facility is conveniently located near the three major research and teaching institutions in the area. It is 1.5 miles from the SkIO main campus, a 20 minute drive from Savannah State University, and a 40 minute drive from the Georgia Tech Savannah campus. Numerous other groups at the Priest Landing site (Georgia Aquarium, USFWS) increase the opportunities for collaboration.
