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Press Statement 15-001

NSF statement on deaths at project site in Puerto Rico


April 30, 2015

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

It is with deep regret that the National Science Foundation (NSF) shares news of a violent incident at a construction site in Mameyes, Puerto Rico, which is operated by NEON, Inc., an organization funded by NSF to develop the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON).

Today at 6:45 a.m. local time, two security guards employed by G4S Secure Solutions, a subcontractor to NEON's prime contractor, were reported killed at the Mameyes construction site. Police were summoned and are currently investigating.

No NSF employees were on-site. At this point we have no additional details about the victims or their assailants.

The NEON construction project in Mameyes involves building instrumentation planned as part of a sensor network for NEON.

Our thoughts are with the families of the victims at this difficult time.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Dana Topousis, NSF, (703) 292-7750, email: dtopousi@nsf.gov
Maria C. Zacharias, NSF, (703) 292-8454, email: mzachari@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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