Cutting-edge equipment, unparalleled location
The Marine Science Research Facility (MSRF) is located at the University of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay Campus and serves as a platform for scientific research, undergraduate and graduate student training, experiential learning and outreach. The MSRF boasts state-of-the-art laboratories for rearing and maintaining a variety of marine organisms and perform chemical, physical and molecular analysis of samples.
Highlights of the analytical laboratories at the MSRF include instruments focused on particle analysis (flow cytometry, Coulter counter), particle and cell imaging (FlowCAM, epifluorescence microscope, dissecting microscope), chemical analysis (Astoria-Pacific nutrient analyzer, dissolved gas analysis (PreSens sensor), and molecular biology (PCR, quantitative PCR, plate reader, Nanodrop, Qubit).
Environmental Chambers & Incubators
The MSRF offers multiple platforms to culture and incubate organisms. In our collection are several walk-in environmental chambers as well as upright incubators that can be adjusted to a wide range of light and temperature conditions.
Uniquely positioned at the interface between Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound, the MSRF offers direct access to flowing seawater which can be raw, filtered, heated, or chilled. With convenient boat access at our doorstep for the R/V Endeavor and other research vessels, researchers using the MSRF can vertically integrate their work from collecting organisms at sea, to holding them and conducting experiments in the wet labs, and immediately processing samples in the analytical laboratories.
The MSRF facilities and instruments are available to researchers from URI as well other institutions affiliated with the RI NSF EPSCoR program. Use of some instruments are subject to a fee. A limited range of services is also available to outside researchers (contact us for details).
Contacts
Our experienced staff can provide technical and analytical support covering a broad spectrum of research topics.