GWYNETH HORVATH / THE DAILY TARGUM – As sea levels rise and coastal communities face flooding, researchers at Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) are exploring new ways to protect shorelines, including hybrid reefs that are half-alive and half-artificial.

David Bushek, a professor of Marine and Coastal Sciences as well as director of New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Marine Stations, has spent decades studying shellfish and their role in marine ecosystems. His latest research focuses on how living coral reefs can significantly reduce shoreline erosion …