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Rutgers has been awarded $12.6 million by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop an oyster-based shoreline ecosystem to help protect coastlines from storm damage, flooding and erosion, within DARPA’s Reefense project.
The Rutgers-led project, “Reefense: A Mosaic Oyster Habitat (MOH) for Coastal Defense,” is focused on oyster reefs in the Gulf Coast and combines novel cements and concretes with state-of-the-art shellfish breeding and the latest ecological engineering of shoreline habitats.
David Bushek, Director HSRL and Professor of Marine and Coastal Sciences
Hani Nassif, Professor of Civil Engineering
Richard Riman, Professor of Materials Sciences
Jenny Shinn, HSRL Field Researcher
Reid Holland, Grad Student in Civil Engineering
Mike Ruszala, Grad Student in Civil Engieering
Media coverage
- 10/11 Wired article: DARPA Thinks Walls of Oysters Could Protect Shores Against Hurricanes
- 10/30 dvids (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service): New reef project at Tyndall AFB aims to protect against storms
- 10/30 dvids: Tyndall AFB Oyster Reef Construction — B-ROLL
- 10/31 ABC Channel 13 News: New coastline initiative underway at Tyndall Air Force Base through ‘Reefense’ program (video coverage and story)
- 10/31 Rutgers Today: Researchers, U.S. Military Install Concrete Modules With Self-Healing Oyster Reef Structure in Florida Panhandle Bay to Protect Base
- WorkBoat: Experimental oyster ‘living reef’ installed to protect Florida military base
- 11/12 TAFB Air Combat Command: New reef project at Tyndall AFB aims to protect against storms
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