U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today announced two new federal grants totaling $1,154,550 for Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay.  The grants were awarded by the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences.

A grant of $999,956 will go toward the construction of a new facility to house research on ocean acidification. Six undergraduate students will have projects associated with this research, meeting weekly. In addition, several high school students will be invited into the lab to assist with basic aspects of the project.

A second grant of $154,594 will help fund a study of the ecosystem within the earth's crust underneath the ocean floor.  An undergraduate student will be involved in the research.

"Bigelow Laboratory has distinguished itself and has placed Maine at the forefront of marine biology research," said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement.  "These grants will not only advance our understanding of the planet in which we inhabit, but they also will provide invaluable educational opportunities for the undergraduate and high school students participating in these exciting studies."