Cheryl Mellenthin Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital

Gonzalez Shah Smith is currently providing MEP/FP engineering services for the Cheryl Mellenthin Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital and Educational Outreach Center at Texas A&M University at Galveston.

The approximately 16,000-square-foot facility will provide a permanent home for the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research and expand its rescue, rehabilitation, research, and conservation programs. The facility will include a veterinary clinic, resident sea turtle tanks, and two hospital wards equipped with biological life support systems to care for injured and sick sea turtles.

The project will also include a public-facing educational outreach center where visitors can observe rescued marine animals and learn about sea turtle conservation and the work of Texas A&M researchers. The new facility will provide additional capacity for the center's rehabilitation efforts while creating greater opportunities for education and public engagement.

Supporting multiple sea turtle species, with a particular focus on the critically endangered Kemp's ridley, the facility will strengthen Texas A&M's ongoing research and conservation efforts along the Texas Gulf Coast.