Upgrade of Power and Sanitation Systems at the Shoals Marine Laboratory

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This award provides support for improvements in the electrical system at the Shoals Marine Laboratory (SML) located on Appledore Island, a small island six miles off the coast of Portsmouth, NH. The award will enable replacement of aging electrical distribution cables and installation of new panels, breakers, and transformers . In addition, an existing 30KW generator that provides supplemental power during periods of peak summer use of laboratory facilities will be overhauled. SML is a seasonal marine lab owned jointly by Cornell University and the University of New Hampshire. The lab is now entering its 40th year of service to marine research and education, particularly that intended for undergraduate students. Each summer nearly 200 undergraduates take approximately 15 courses, most of which include a research component. From 10 to 25 independent senior researchers use SML as the primary field site for their research each year. SML also offers many educational and research opportunities to adults and visiting classes from other institutions. For over 30 years students have contributed data to the SML Transect Study, a record of diversity and ecology in the rocky intertidal; for more than 25 years, the SML bird banding station has documented patterns of bird migration. These improvements will provide reliable uninterruptible electrical power to all buildings, thus bringing SML up to modern standards for electrical supply. This will reduce hazards and insure that there is sufficient power to operate the lab and collect data remotely using digital instrumentation.