Organization For Tropical Studies Inc

The 2015-2020 strategic plan challenges OTS to play a more proactive role in directing research and education within OTS stations towards ‘emerging challenges in tropical sciences.’ The expectation is that by the end of FY 2020, OTS will have expanded the disciplinary breadth of both its educational and research programs to address compelling tropical science themes in both basic and environmental sciences. By meeting the goals of this strategic plan, OTS will emerge in a stronger position to address the research and educational challenges of a rapidly changing world and will broaden the audience for its courses and field stations.

OTS will focus its strategic efforts on achieving three significant goals during the next five years: (1) expanding research on Emerging Challenges in Tropical Science (ECTS) at our field stations; (2) creating innovative, research-based educational programs for an increasingly diverse audience; and (3) reducing the environmental impact of OTS facilities and programs.

Research Goal: OTS will facilitate and catalyze research on emerging challenges in tropical science
Throughout its history, OTS has seen its research role primarily as a facilitator—bringing scientists together to gain an understanding of the fundamental processes that govern tropical ecosystems through basic and applied research. OTS also has provided the physical facilities (e.g. field stations, major instrumentation, study sites) and services (e.g. permitting, logistical support, GIS services) that enabled individual investigators to conduct research in the tropics. During its first 50 years, OTS relied on external (non-staff) investigators to conduct research and generate databases and monitoring programs fundamental to the development of modern research programs. This model proved successful in placing OTS research stations among the most scientifically productive in the tropical world.

Education Goal: OTS will provide expanded research-based educational opportunities to a diverse audience
This strategic plan will focus our efforts on maintaining this leadership through innovation in new program delivery mechanisms and targeting new participant audiences. OTS will accomplish this through education initiatives that provide the research tools and critical thinking skills to address Emerging Challenges in Tropical Science. In doing this, OTS will strive to expand the organization’s impact by providing novel educational opportunities that push the boundaries of science and society, that diversify our constituencies, and that support the needs of OTS member institutions. Finally, OTS education will emphasize the societal and environmental impacts associated with our mission and research.

Greening Goal: Model green design and operations at all OTS facilities
Recognizing that the consumption of electricity is a significant contributor to climate change, is central to the OTS Environmental Policy, and represents a substantial and growing cost to the organization, OTS will model green operations by decreasing electricity usage by 40% at all major facilities, seek innovative approaches to funding, and incorporate efforts to reduce resource consumption into research and education programs. Throughout the organization OTS also will seek to reduce consumption and waste of all resources (fuel, water, materials, etc.).

Given the Organization for Tropical Studies’ 50 years of leadership in tropical field education and the role that its research stations have played in shaping our scientific understanding of tropical ecosystems, the organization is poised to make important contributions to tackling these challenges.

Strategic Plan adopted Summer 2015. Progress report to be updated semi-annually.