NEW Research Station Added as Part of the Waterfront Research Project
The PCA Waterfront Research Program has achieved a great milestone with the establishment of our own research station, funded from the McClellan grant received earlier this year. While our research station is a shed, it is really so much more serving as the center for many waterfront based activities.
The research station, a 10’ X 10’ shed outfitted with equipment necessary to conduct marine science and environmental monitoring activities, is powered by a fully off-grid solar power system (with battery storage) which runs the electronics supporting waterfront monitoring activities. The solar panels were installed with the help of PCA’s Cross Country team during their 14th annual service projects at the end of their competitive season under the supervision of Michael Shevenell, Director of IT and Robotics at PCA.
According to Mr. Shevenell, “Our vision is for athletes who compete together to serve together. The students brought great energy and enthusiasm to the project as they got to take significant roles in the assembling of the system.”
The research station also contains a security system providing 360 degree views of the surrounding environment. A high speed wireless communications system is tied into the school’s network infrastructure for streaming of real time data from the equipment based in the estuary to the cloud based storage.
PCA’s Waterfront Monitoring Project has two main components: The tracking of nitrogen levels and other negative metrics in the estuary; and the introduction of restorative measures, including healthy oyster beds. The research station supports the necessary infrastructure for ongoing data tracking related to this project.