Cooperative Agreement NA18NOS4290216

This $1,339,868 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Ocean Exploration program (CFDA 11.011) will support a project to characterize mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) and associated fish assemblages off the western coast of Puerto Rico. The research aims to fill critical knowledge gaps about these deep reef systems using advanced technologies like deep diving, genomics, and underwater video imaging. Key deliverables include a...

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was awarded a $562,000 Cooperative Agreement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects program (CFDA 11.469). The 5-year project aims to transform a 6.5-acre wetland on UTRGV's Port Isabel campus into an accessible outdoor classroom and laboratory. Key project components include: (1) an experimental living shoreline to protect ~2,000 linear feet of eroding shoreline;...

This $690,650 Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) supports the development and testing of a field-ready, cost-effective sound playback system for conducting eco-acoustic and marine larval settlement studies. The system will enable researchers to easily manipulate and introduce sound cues in field experiments to investigate how sound impacts diverse marine fauna, with a focus on coral reef ecosystems. The 2-year effort will build,...

This $599,999 project grant awarded by the National Science Foundation's Geosciences Program (CFDA 47.050) aims to develop an affordable and scalable cyber-infrastructure for reconstructing the 3D morphology of foraminifera shells from 2D microscope images. The infrastructure will leverage robotic imaging devices and artificial intelligence to create an accessible platform for scientists, students, and citizen scientists to study these tiny marine organisms, which have a rich fossil record....

The Kakoo Oiwi organization will receive a $3 million Project Grant award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects program (CFDA 11.469) to support the development of large living coral modules for outplanting off Waikiki, Hawaii. The modules will be grown using established state protocols and a minimum of 80 assorted coral modules measuring 16 inches or potentially up to 1 yard in size will be outplanted by September 2025....

The North Carolina Aquarium Society will provide conservation and sustainability education through its new Future Waters exhibit and related programming, funded by a $669,152 project grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services' Museums for America program (CFDA 45.301). The Aquarium will develop a 750-gallon habitat exhibit featuring sustainable fisheries and an interactive coral rearing area. Paid interns will interpret these displays while assisting aquarists. A two-day symposium...

Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin will build a new website and regularly updated blog under a $100,000 Project Grant award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services' (IMLS) National Leadership Grants (NLG) program. The new website and blog will showcase the beauty and design of Olbrich's gardens and conservatory with a clean, modern look accessible on current web standards. The updated digital presence will also strengthen awareness of Olbrich's educational programs,...

Through this 12-month $148,666 Project Grant award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Unallied Management Projects (CFDA 11.454) program, Mote Marine Laboratory, Inc. will engage two commercial reef fish vessels as citizen scientists. The vessels will apply electronic monitoring (EM) systems to generate imagery data on catch composition, effort metrics, catch condition, and release attributes. This data will enhance understanding of fishing practices,...

The Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded $267,000 under the Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects program to Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. This Project Grant will support the laboratory's annual Bloom education programs, which aim to strengthen linkages between middle and high school science classrooms and real-world marine issues. Specifically, the funding will support two week-long programs - the Bloom Educators Program and...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (CFDA 47.050 - Geosciences) provides $199,996 to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to assess the abundance and extinction risk of two rare coral species using artificial intelligence (AI)-powered autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). The project will train AUVs equipped with AI to locate and quantify these corals, which are declining globally but occur at such low population densities that human divers cannot adequately...