Modernization and Enhancement of the Seawater System and Research Infrastructure at Northeastern University's Marine Science Center

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)提供资金的。该项目翻新面积为1310平方英尺。东北大学海洋科学中心拥有海洋工程实验室、分子/分析化学实验室、共享分子资源实验室和湿准备实验室。它还对现有的直通式海水系统进行了重大的基础设施升级，该系统缺乏足够的能力和可靠性来满足目前和未来的研究需要。这些改进将有助于将这些设施转变为一个跨学科研究中心，侧重于技术解决方案，以更好地解决世界沿海海洋生物栖息地面临的主要环境问题。翻修将提供更多的研究能力以及改善研究生培训的设施。将启动的研究包括沿海海洋富营养化研究、可用于渔业发展项目的自动水下海产养殖控制器的开发、海洋基因组研究以及海洋生物对应激的分子、生理和行为反应的调查。该项目的更广泛影响包括增加科学基础设施，帮助美国在海水养殖和渔业生态系统管理领域保持经济竞争力。其他影响包括通过开发遥控车辆和传感器对国家安全的潜在应用。这一翻修还将增强该机构的研究和教育能力，促进外部研究人员的更广泛参与，并将通过东北大学沿海海洋科学学院每年为4000多名K-12学童提供服务，作为一个动手的科学推广引擎，该学院有许多学生是STEM领域代表性不足的少数族裔的成员。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This project renovates 1,310 sq ft. of research laboratory space in Northeastern University's Marine Science Center which houses the Ocean Engineering Lab, the Molecular/Analytical Chemistry Lab, the Shared Molecular Resources Lab, and the Wet Prep Lab. It also provides major infrastructure upgrades to the existing flow-through seawater system which lacks adequate capacity and reliability for present and future research needs. These improvements will help to transform these facilities into an interdisciplinary research hub focused on technological solutions to better address major environmental issues facing the world's coastal marine habitats. The renovations will provide increased research capacity as well as improved facilities for graduate student training. Research that will be enabled include studies of coastal ocean eutrophication, the development of automatic underwater mariculture controllers that can be used in fisheries development projects, marine genomic studies, and investigations of the molecular, physiological, and behavioral responses of marine organisms to stress. Broader impacts of project include increasing infrastructure for science in terms of helping the US stay economically competitive in the area of mariculture and fisheries ecosystem management. Additional impacts include potential applications to national security through the development of remotely controlled vehicles and sensors. The renovation will also enhance the research and educational capabilities of the institution and facilitate broader participation by outside researchers and will serve as a hands-on science outreach engine by serving over 4,000 K-12 school children each year through the Northeastern University Coastal Ocean Science Academy which has many students that are members of under-represented minorities in STEM fields.