The University of North Carolina Wilmington has collaborated with three universities and several government agencies to develop a marine research and education center in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The proposed Salt River Bay Marine Research and Education Center (MREC), which will be on St. Croix, recently received a $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior.

“St. Croix is the best place in the world to locate a coral reef research station,” said Robert Roer, dean of the graduate school at UNCW in a press release. “There is a long history of coral reef research on St. Croix, with data going back to the late 1960s and early 70s. This gives researchers a unique opportunity to study comparison data of the same reefs over a number of years to see how they are being impacted by environmental change and external influences such as commercial fishing.”

UNC Wilmington has more than 22 faculty members conducting research in the Caribbean through its Center of Marine Science in Wilmington. The MREC will support related marine research, such as the study of sea turtles, coral reef sponges and coral reef fishes.

The university is partnering with the University of the Virgin Islands, Rutgers and the University of South Carolina. The MREC, a proposed $54 million project is a partnership among the Joint Institute for Caribbean Marine Sciences (JICMS), the National Park Service (NPS), the Office of Insular Affairs, the Government of the Virgin Islands and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“This grant is another major step in our long march to establish a marine research and educational facility and program on St. Croix,” said Bob Wicklund, UNCW’s director of federal programs in a press release. “UNCW has been in the forefront of this project for 10 years, and it is personally rewarding to see our efforts showing real progress.”

Undergraduate and graduate students will have educational opportunities to conduct hands-on research at the new facility which will be equipped with classrooms, dormitory space and a cafeteria in addition to research facilities. The center will be able to house 30 students at any one time. It will also support marine education programs for local K-12 students and environmental outreach programs for the public.

The $1.25 million grant, awarded in early December during a ceremony on St. Croix, will be used primarily to develop design concepts for the MREC facility, which will assist in fundraising efforts for its construction. Next steps are to develop a partnership agreement for the project and a fundraising plan.