Mystic’s Sea Research Foundation is getting $1.05 million in a pair of federal grants to increase public understanding of the oceans and the need to protect them, Congressman Joe Courtney said today.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded the grants to the foundation, which oversees the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration and Immersion Learning divisions.
Foundation CEO Stephen Coan said one $500,000 grant will fund for its pilot program, “Exploring Inner Space: Linking Aquariums with Ocean Scientists,” to develop partnerships and educational programming using state of the art technology.
Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration will serve as one of the education hubs in the partnership, Coan said.
The second grant for $545,000 is for the foundation’s archaeological exploration of the Northern Black Sea and Eastern Aegean Sea by renowned undersea explorer Robert Ballard.
