A new plant science teaching center and student farm are on the drawing board at the University of California, Davis, designed to replace dated facilities and provide state-of-the-art field and laboratory experience for students and researchers. "Our vision is to develop an educational center where students interested in plant sciences and agricultural ecosystems can come to study, carry out experiments and explore the issues associated with productive, sustainable agriculture," said Gale McGranahan, a pomologist and faculty director of the center. To be located on a 40-acre site on the west side of the Davis campus, the proposed facility would replace a lathhouse, two greenhouses and an attached field house that were constructed in the 1930s. Construction of the facility, made possible by a generous gift from a private donor, is expected to begin in the fall of 1997. Additional funds will be needed to equip and furnish the facility. Over the years, literally thousands of UC Davis students have studied, gardened and conducted research there. The site is currently used for weekly laboratory sessions, in-field class experiments, public field trips and plant cultivation. Each year, the existing facilities are used by students enrolled in more than 20 classes, as well as by several hundred visitors interested in agriculture and horticulture. Additionally, more than 1,500 primary school children and their teachers tour the student farm through its children's garden program. The facility would include a market garden, a demonstration garden, small blocks of perennial crops, composting operations and approximately 20 acres of land devoted to student research projects. The proposed facility, now being planned by plant science faculty members and staff, is designed to carry on the tradition of hands-on student experiences and public participation opportunities. Preliminary plans call for the new center to include a 73-seat lecture hall, 20-station computer room, dry laboratory, headhouse or work area connecting two greenhouses and a lathhouse on 40 acres of land currently dedicated to outdoor education.