University of Maryland researcher Stephanie Lansing received a Phase 1 $7.8 million award from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and test a biologically fueled energy source to power research and sensing devices throughout the world’s oceans. There is a vast array of ocean sensing devices that provide critical information for understanding marine environments, monitoring climate change and maintaining national security. Many of these sensors are currently powered by long underwater cables or lithium-ion batteries.  \Lansing is leading a large, collaborative effort that will overcome the need for batteries and ship-based or shore-based power cables by using microorganisms in ocean water and specialized bacteria to create a marine-based microbial fuel cell that can produce outputs of up to 10 Watts (0.01 kW) consistently for a year or more.