Research infrastructure: enhancing marine research and education through seawater system filtration upgrade

Walla Walla University received a $260,558 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Emerging Frontiers under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074), awarded September 1, 2025, with completion targeted for August 31, 2026. The award funds a comprehensive upgrade of the seawater system infrastructure at Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory (RBML) located in the Salish Sea near College Place, Washington. The primary deliverable is the installation of new filtration and sterilization equipment designed to treat seawater before it enters and after it exits holding tanks containing live marine organisms. These upgrades will eliminate current operational deficiencies, including unfiltered seawater intake that risks invasive species and pathogen transfer, and sediment buildup that disrupts water flow and animal health.

The upgraded system will enable RBML to achieve certification as a terminal quarantine facility and support expanded research and educational outcomes. Key products and services include enhanced capacity for critical marine research on ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms, seagrass wasting disease, and marine organism responses to environmental change; increased undergraduate and graduate student training and research opportunities; improved animal care efficiency; and expanded hosting of external researchers. The infrastructure improvements will also support K-12 teacher workshops and community engagement initiatives with local conservation organizations, positioning RBML as a regional hub for marine science research and hands-on student training.

Abstract

An award is made to walla walla university to support an upgrade of the seawater system at rosario beach marine laboratory (rbml) that will include new additions to filter and sterilize seawater before and after IT passes through tanks holding live marine organisms. The current system pumps unfiltered seawater from rosario BAY into holding tanks for teaching and research, and returns IT untreated to the BAY, raising risks of transferring invasive species or pathogens into or out of the lab. The current system is impaired by sediment buildup that can disrupt water flow, harm animals and disrupt experiments. The system upgrade will address these issues and support certification as a terminal quarantine facility, enabling the lab to house non-native species. These upgrades will allow for the continuation of critical research at rbml, expand training and research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, reduce the time and expertise required for animal care, and allow rbml to host more external researchers. Upgrades will also support k?12 teacher workshops, student programs, and engagement with the local community and conservation groups. The upgraded system will enhance rbml?s ability to support critical research on marine responses to environmental change. Rbml is located in the salish sea, an area already experiencing future-predicted levels of ocean acidity and hypoxia and is therefore well positioned to study the impacts of environmental change on marine organisms and ecosystems. New filtration and sterilization infrastructure will increase the reliability and scale of experiments, enabling studies such as those in ocean acidification, marine invertebrate physiology, harmful algal blooms, and seagrass wasting disease. These upgrades position rbml as a regional hub for research and hands-on student training in marine science. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.