Hancock Biological Station

The Hancock Biological Station (HBS) on Kentucky Lake is a year-round facility that is an extended campus of Murray State University. Our mission is to provide scientists with a base of operation for a wide variety of field research and presenting students with opportunities for field-oriented classes, individualized instruction and independent research. Researchers and students benefit from close interactions with researchers, laboratory facilities, field and lake sites, and a strong academic environment.

Year Founded
1972
Year Joined OBFS
1995
Size of Field Station (hectares)
1-100
FSML Web Address
https://www.murraystate.edu/hbs

Private nonprofit organization?
No
Universities affiliated / Parent Organization
Murray State University
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
No
Member of the Virtual Field
No

Additional Information

Private nonprofit organization?
Names of Universities affilated
0
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
No
Name of partner
Tribal partners/users
No
MSI/HBCU users
No
Community College users
No
Member of the Virtual Field
No

Visiting a FS/ML

Open to the Public
Yes
Year round staff
6-10
Seasonal staff
0
Overnight housing facilities/# of beds
1-10
Distance to emergency services
0-20 minutes
Library
Yes
Hiking trails
Yes
Internship employment
Yes

Environmental Information

Biomes
Temperate Forest
Minimum Elevation
0-100 meters
Maximum Elevation
0-100 meters
Köppen climate classification
C (temperate)
Freshwater habitats
Yes
Urban or rural
Agricultural fields
No

Research

REU host station
No
Dry lab space
Yes
Wet Lab space
Yes
Research vessels available
Yes
GIS capacity on site
Yes
Long term data sets
Yes
On site herbarium or voucher species
Formal Data Management Plan
Yes
Mesocosms, plots, stream diversions, or other sets ups for outdoor manipulative experiments
Yes
Date Joined OBFS
June 27, 2024