Coastal Carolina University (CCU) is an independent, state-supported university in Conway, South Carolina, located eight miles west of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The main campus is made up of 41 buildings, situated on 272 acres. This includes the Coastal Science Center and the Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies located on the new "East Campus," developed in the Atlantic Industrial Center to accommodate the University's rapid growth. The university also owns Waties Island, a 1,062 acre barrier island that serves as a natural laboratory. CCU is one of 30 U.S. sea grant colleges that are a part of the National Sea Grant College Program.