- About
- With 500+ faculty, staff and students and three campus locations, the Batten School & VIMS are equipped to tackle pressing challenges through research, education and advisory service.
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- Research & Advisory
- Purple marsh crabs are significantly disrupting carbon cycling in salt marshes along the East Coast of the U.S., according to a study led by Batten School & VIMS scientists.
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- Batten School
- The R. Todd Stravitz Scholars Program will provide full tuition support for students pursuing the new bachelor’s degree in coastal & marine sciences at the Batten School & VIMS.
  
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- Engage
- Popular, free camps enable rising third through eighth graders to learn about the Chesapeake Bay, coastal ecosystems and environmental stewardship.
  
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- News & Events
- National TRAP Program funds large-scale cleanup of discarded fishing gear, first round of subawards totaling more than $1.4M supports 11 projects focused on removing derelict fishing gear from coastal waters in nine U.S. states and Palau.
  
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- Giving
- As an expression of parental pride in their daughter, Taylor Spencer ‘83 and Martha Spencer recently established an undergraduate field research endowment at the Batten School & VIMS.
  
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Research Projects

Aug 2021 – Jul 2027. Chesapeake Bay Environmental Forecasting System: Operations and Expansion (NOAA through MARACOOS)

Aug 2024 – July 2027. Enhancing resilience, equity, and prediction of the mid-Atlantic Ocean, Coast, and Estuaries (NOAA)

July 2024 – June 2027. Routine delivery of ocean acidification products for shellfish stakeholders (NOAA)

Dec 2023 – Nov 2027. Physiologically informed habitat models for understanding climate effects on Chesapeake Bay species (NOAA) Learn more

Aug 2022 – July 2027. Collaborative Research: How are estuarine and alkalinity dynamics influenced by macrobiota (NSF) Learn more

Sep 2023 – Aug 2028. Regional MERHAB: Developing a monitoring and forecast system for Margalefidinium polykrikoides and Alexandrium monilatum in the lower Chesapeake Bay (NOAA) Learn more

Sept 2025 – Aug 2028. RVA-OA2025: Integrating exposure and community vulnerability to develop adaption strategies to mitigate acidification impacts in the Chesapeake Bay region (NOAA) Learn more

Feb 2022 – Jan 2028. Climate change risk to the Chesapeake TMDL using a next-generation unstructured grid (EPA)

Jan 2024 – Dec 2028. Collaborative Research:URoL:ASC Determining the relationship between genes and ecosystem processes to improve biogeochemical models for nutrient management (NSF) Learn more

Aug 2026 – Aug 2029. Integrating Satellite-Derived Reflectance and Machine Learning into the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Forecasting System for Improved Water Quality Applications (NASA)