| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 6, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 30, 2018 |
| Award Number: | 1737357 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Kandace Binkley
kbinkley@nsf.gov (703)292-7577 OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2017 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2021 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $667,840.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $782,070.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2018 = $114,230.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
2425 CAMPUS RD SINCLAIR RM 1 HONOLULU HI US 96822-2247 (808)956-7800 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
HI US 96822-2234 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
OCEAN TECH & INTERDISC COORDIN, EDUCATION/HUMAN RESOURCES,OCE |
| Primary Program Source: |
01001819DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
Technological advancements have exploded in the last decade and the costs of emerging electronic components have decreased. Many of these advancements have not yet been applied to the oceans, providing a timely opportunity to match highest priority marine science research questions with enabling techniques over unprecedented geochemically and biologically relevant spatial and temporal scales (thus empowering observationalists, modelers, and directly engaging public interest in oceanographic processes). Here, we apply emergent technologies to coastal biogeochemical processes on scales capable of exciting researchers and local citizens groups by targeting development of an affordable coastal observatory platform and affordable new sensors.
We have prioritized fundamental oceanographic research questions rooted in hypothesis-driven science that is poised to benefit from sensor, instrumentation, and technology transfer advancements and developments that can address the problems of an undersampled marine environment. This research will build upon a new, but proven, technology that uses open-source hardware components and custom software scripts that can be assembled, tested, deployed, and maintained by high school and undergraduate students, environmental management organizations, or the technologically-savvy citizen scientist, catalyzing interest in STEM fields. The work will improve, expand, and accelerate development and deployment of a low-cost wireless coastal observation platform, specifically scaling up to target parameters important for monitoring and assessing processes most applicable to public interest: coastal inundation, tidal variability, nuisance flooding, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, turbidity, and meteorological data. Deployments will focus upon the most robust affordable research-grade instruments and low-cost sensors to expand the network and engage a larger community base.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The primary objectives of this project were to: (1) expand the development and deployment of a wireless coastal instrumentation network to provide near-real-time, web-based data on key environmental parameters for both research and public engagement; (2) provide open-source instrumentation, sensors, and software, as well as quality-assured time-series data from research-grade and low-cost sensors; (3) develop a "mentored citizen science" approach to train local non-profit collaborators and volunteers to facilitate technology transfer and enable them to deploy, maintain, and use sensor data within their areas of interest; and (4) assist in coordinating statewide coastal watershed restoration efforts by matching community-based efforts with spatial scale sensor data.
We carried out these developments with expertise and insight from within the academic oceanographic and engineering communities, but we also interfaced with public community groups for assistance in deploying and maintaining sensors to demonstrate the potential for implementing larger-scale academic-public partnerships for oceanographic research and for monitoring hazards (e.g., nuisance flooding, hypoxia), restoration activities, informing management decisions, and training and inspiring STEM audiences. Crowd-sourcing environmental data using customizable and approachable technology, sensors, instruments, and outreach materials proved to hit a nerve with various researcher, public, and community groups and was received with much enthusiasm.
The project team successfully developed and deployed a range of sensors, including light and temperature sensors for coral colony bleaching studies, 3D soil temperature arrays, and additional meteorological sensors such as rain, wind, and soil moisture. We leveraged our NSF-funded work by helping local outreach non-profits secure funding to provide technology transfer to STEM teachers through community workshops, and distributed approximately 100 low-cost water quality sensors to 7th-12th grade students as part of environmental watershed learning modules. In addition, the project team established a recharge facility at UH (Glazer's MESH Lab) to enable technology transfer and continued to support internal and external collaborators, including the Hawaii Institute for Marine Biology and the Natural Resources and Environmental Management, as well as towns, counties, and municipalities along the southeast US coastline.
The project provided opportunities for training and professional development, including the employment and mentorship of a full-time embedded systems engineer and support for several graduate students in their research. The project also successfully adapted to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic by moving coursework and research online and continuing to support external collaborators. Overall, the project made significant contributions to the development and deployment of affordable, wireless coastal instrumentation networks, and has enabled the co-production of time-series environmental data through a mentored citizen science approach, facilitating the transfer of technology and enabling the coordination of statewide coastal watershed restoration efforts.
Last Modified: 01/18/2023
Modified by: Brian T Glazer
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