The Fairleigh S. Dickinson, Jr. Foundation has awarded the Urban Coast Institute (UCI) a $75,000 grant to support student and faculty research at Monmouth University from 2023-25. The funding will be used for research that forwards the mission of the UCI, student and class activities aboard Monmouth’s research vessels, and equipment purchases needed to support those endeavors.
Among other needs to be determined, the grant will allow the UCI to obtain a new sediment grab sampler for the University’s largest research vessel, the 49-foot Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe. The device is designed to scoop sand or other materials from the seabed and raise it to the surface, where it can be inspected for marine life, sediment composition or taken to the lab for testing.
The Fairleigh S. Dickinson, Jr. Foundation has been an instrumental supporter of the UCI over the years. Prior gifts have enabled the UCI to initiate programs in water quality testing along the Jersey Shore, increase understanding of water quality and flood warning systems, and to train students on the use of remotely operated underwater vehicles and other marine technologies. A 2018 gift from the Foundation helped restore the Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe when it was donated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and outfit it with enhanced technologies. The UCI is thankful for the Foundation’s continued support.