Western Washington University’s Shannon Point Marine Center has received two grants from the National Science Foundation that will allow the center to purchase a new academic vessel, as well as new analytical instruments.

One grant, for $162,300, will go toward the vessel, which will serve as a platform for measuring water quality, nutrient dynamics and food web interactions among organisms that form the base of the food web. The other grant, worth $346,000, will be used to purchase of a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer, which can be used to find natural products in the marine environment at the molecular level.

“We are pleased that NSF continues to support our efforts to enhance the facilities we can provide in support of student and faculty academic activities at Western Washington University,” said Stephen Sulkin, the center’s director, in a press release.

Foundation grants have supported the purchase of three other vessels in the center’s fleet.

The Shannon Point Marine Center is located in Anacortes.