Coastal Carolina University professors and graduate students have been awarded various grants recently that are federally funded, funded by foundations, nonprofit organizations or corporations. Projects range from building remote control vehicles to developing a shark repellant based on magnets.

In May and June, four graduate students received grants for their research study, including:

* Emma Wear, advised by Eric Koepfler, marine science professor, $20,000 for the "NERRS Graduate Research Fellowship" funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

* Craig O'Connell, advised by Dan Abel, associate professor of marine science, won two grants totaling $5,400 for "Investigation of Grade C8 Barium Ferrite (BaFe204) Permanent Magnets as a Possible Elasmobrachs Bycatch Reduction System." Of the total, $4,200 came from the PADI Foundation, and $1,200 was awarded by the Slocum-Lunz Foundation.

* Michelle Evans, also advised by Dan Abel, received $2,470 for "Demographics and Habitat Partitioning of Elasmobranchs in Port Royal Sound, SC" from Project AWARE.

* Justin Scheer, advised by Sharon Gilman, associate professor of biology, received $800 for "Seasonal Movement Patterns of Juvenile Sharks in a Potential Nursery Ground in North Santee Bay, SC and the Role of Physical Parameters in the Spatial Distribution" funded by the Slocum-Lunz Foundation.

Coastal Carolina University faculty who have been awarded grants recently include:

* Eric Koepfler, professor of marine science, $10,878 from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources for the project "Strategy to Investigate the Relationship between Fishery Landings and Environment" with graduate student Christian Johnson from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

* Susan Libes, professor of marine science, $113,740 under a cooperative agreement with Horry County to perform work on the projects, "Coastal Waccamaw Watershed Academy Crabtree Sediment Assessment," "Coastal Waccamaw Storm Water USGS Gaging Station Analysis," "Coastal Waccamaw Storm Water Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program" and "Environmental Quality Lab Water Quality Monitoring for Horry County."

* Libes received an additional $40,852 grant from HDR Engineering, a private firm in Charlotte, N.C., for "EQL Monitoring and UV Treatment of Stormwater Detention Ponds in Oceanside Campgrounds."

* Professor Nelljean Rice and Agatha O'Brien Gayes, director of Academic Advising, $5,000 Student Achievement Grant from the National Educational Association (NEA) for a pilot program to build and deploy remotely operated vehicles in the First Year Experience program. The goal of the project is to improve student retention and success in mathematics and science.

* Karen Fuss, environmental educator, Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies, $81,182 for "Grand Strand Shore Protection Project for Horry County: Sea Turtle Monitoring." The project is supported by federal funds.

* Mary Dubose, teaching associate, $12,455 from the S.C. Department of Education for a project called "AP Teacher Institute 2008 English Composition."

* Jill Sessoms, English professor. $12,685 from the S.C. Department of Education for "AP Teacher Institute English 2008."

* Emma Savage-Davis, director of the Spadoni College's Center for Education and Community, $16,750 from the PSARAS Foundation for a project titled "CCU Early Intervention Mentoring Program."