Education

UVI Awarded $20 Million National Science Foundation Grant for VI-EPSCoR's 'Ridge to Reef' Project

The Virgin Islands Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (VI-EPSCoR) has been awarded funding for its fourth National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR grant titled “Ridge to Reef”, the University of the Virgin Islands has announced. The Ridge to Reef (R2F) project is a five-year, $20 million grant dedicated to addressing the impacts of changing environmental conditions on small island social-ecological systems such as those in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Hosted by the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), VI-EPSCoR is a territorial program of the National Science Foundation. Its focus is on developing both infrastructure and human capacity to conduct marine research that improves management and stewardship of marine ecosystems. “Coral reefs, the most diverse ecosystems in the world, are under threat from climate change and extreme weather events,” explained NSF EPSCoR program officer John-David Swanson. “This award provides researchers the opportunity to explore how isl...