Coastal Carolina University professors have been awarded various grants totaling more than half a million dollars for projects as diverse as a writing project, a workforce survey and the Myrtle Beach renourishment project.

Some of the grants awarded to Coastal faculty since the beginning of 2007 are:

- Paul T. Gayes, director of the Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies, awarded $157,333 for the 2007 Myrtle Beach Renourishment Project: Beach, Reef and Borrow Site Monitoring; $111,141 from South Carolina Ocean and Coastal Resources Management (OCRM) for a project entitled Project Berm Statewide OCRM Cooperative; $14,213 from the National Park Service for a project Mapping Nearshore Bathmetry Along the Coast of Fire Island National Seashore, $11,500 from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources for Data Collection and Analysis on Spawning Locations of Paralichtid Flounders; $25,269 from the City of North Myrtle Beach for Annual Survey and Assessment of the Beach and Nearshore Area of North Myrtle Beach

- Eric Koepfler, associate professor of marine science, and Susan Libes, professor of marine science, $76,543 from the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium for a project on identifying Coastal Hypoxia Mechanisms in Inner Shelf Waters of Long Bay; $20,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for a study of Influence of Meteorological and Substrate Factors upon Embryonic Outcomes

- Janette Bowman, director of Coastal's Council on Aging, $42,548 from the Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments for a workforce survey

- Emma Savage-Davis, director of Center for Education and Community, $30,200 for the CCU Early Intervention Mentoring Program

- Rob Young, chair of the Department of Marine Science, $33,759 from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources for Assessment of Surf Zone and Nearshore Nekton Community in Horry County

- Richard Viso, assistant director of the Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies, $27,913 from the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium for the project Electrical Characterization of Submarine Groundwater Seeps on the S.C. Continental Shelf

- Jim Luken, biology professor, $15,000 from the Nature Conservancy for a project called Fire the Herpetofauna at Sandy Island Reserve

- Paula Lippert, office manager Wall College of Business, $17,109 from Sapp Smith for the Executive-in-Residence/senior accounting instructor for 2007-2008

- Darlene Slusher, assistant professor of chemistry and physics, $8,000 from the South Carolina Space Grant Consortium for an Analysis of Organic Emissions from Aircraft

- Sharon Gilman, associate professor of biology, $8,000 from the S.C. Space Grant/NASA for a project called Building and Applying Remotely Operative Vehicles to Integrate STEM Research into the Freshmen Experience

- Mary Dubose, teaching associate, $10,620 from the South Carolina Department of Education for the AP Summer Institute in English Literature and Composition

- Prashant Sansgiry, professor of mathematics and statistics, $14,500 from the S.C. Department of Education for the AP Teacher Institute in Calculus AB

- Jill Sessoms, English professor, $11,420, from the S.C. Department of Education for the AP Institute in English Language and Composition

* Michael Ferguson, professor and chair of the Department of Biology, $6,060 from the Lowcountry Institute to fund Graduate Assistantships for Research on Spring Island

- Janet Files, director Coastal Writing Project, $45,000 from the National Writing Project for the S.C. Coastal Area Writing Project 2007-08

- Craig Gilman, associate professor of marine science, $2,500 from the NASA/SC Space Grant Consortium to attend the South Carolina Space Grant Campus Directors Consortium