Read more: Sunburst Sensors Advances to Phase 3 of Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE
Beginning on May 14 in Honolulu, teams will board the R/V Kilo Moana, a research vessel owned by the U.S. Navy and operated through UNOLSby the University of Hawaii Marine Center, and embark on a week-long deep sea trial to assess ocean pH values throughout the water column at Station ALOHA, a 110 square mile region in the Pacific Ocean, located approximately 100 miles off the northern shore of Oahu. During this six-day period, sensors will be put through rigorous performance tests focused on stability and precision, while battling real-world pressure scenarios at depths of up to 3,000 meters.
Read more: Sunburst Sensors Advances to Finals of Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE
All five finalists were represented at the gala award ceremony, with ANB Sensors capturing second prize in the affordability purse, and Team Durafet taking second in the accuracy purse. Sunburst Sensors, represented by co-owners James Beck and Michael DeGrandpre, went to the stage twice to collect the first place trophies.
"It's a great honor and a big surprise," said Beck, "We know we make a good sensor, but so do the other finalists," adding that he was extremely proud of his team. "We've achieved something pretty special, especially considering we're such a small company. My hat is off to everyone at Sunburst Sensors in helping make this happen."
Read more: Sunburst Sensors Wins Both Purses of Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE
(From OOI website - January 24, 2012 - original article here)
The Consortium for Ocean Leadership, with funding from the National Science Foundation, has selected Sunburst Sensors, LLC, of Missoula, Montana, to provide pH (PHSEN) and Partial Pressure of Carbon Dioxide in Water Instruments (PC02W) for the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI).
Under the $2.5 million contract, Sunburst will provide up to 77 PHSEN and 35 PC02W instruments.
Sunburst Sensors designs and manufactures instruments that measure inorganic carbon parameters pC02, pH and total alkalinity. Sunburst's Submersible Autonomous Moored Instrument (SAMI) measures and logs levels of dissolved chemicals in sea and fresh water.
The SAMI-pH and SAMI-CO2 both use the indicator method for measurement of pH in oceanic waters. Measurement of pH and the amount of dissolved CO2 in seawater are critical to the determination of carbon flux between the ocean and atmosphere, and understanding ecological and climatological effects of ocean acidification.
Read more: Sunburst Sensors Selected to Provide Instruments for OOI Water Measurements
(From The Missoulian - February 10, 2012 - original story here)
Already bobbing in waters around the globe, the high-tech sensors developed by a Missoula company have now been commissioned to be part of a long-term study on the changing chemical makeup of the world's oceans.
Mike DeGrandpre's groundbreaking advances in analytical chemistry at the University of Montana have landed his company - Sunburst Sensors - a $2.5 million National Science Foundation contract announced Friday.
During the next three years, more than 100 of Sunburst's Submersible Autonomous Moored Instruments, or SAMIs, will be sent into the oceans as part of the 30-year Ocean Observatories Initiative.
The instruments were developed to test and collect in-depth data on pH and carbon dioxide levels in water.