A&M-Galveston lands $7.25M grant to study effects of 2010 oil spill in Gulf of Mexico

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The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) has selected Antonietta Quigg, professor and associate vice president for research and graduate studies at Texas A&M’s Galveston campus, to receive $7.25 million dollars to conduct scientific studies of the impacts of oil on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem and public health. This research will study the effects of the April 2010 Macondo well blowout, also known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The research will focus on improving our fundamental understanding of the implications of such events and on developing improved spill mitigation, oil and gas detection, characterization and remediation technologies. It is part of a $140 million grant funded by British Petroleum to 12 research entities to support research to be carried out from 2015 through 2017.

“It was clear that research on public health is needed,” said Rita Colwell, chair of the GoMRI Research Board. “I’m pleased that in this round of awards there are funds to study public health issues in the Gulf of Mexico region associated with the oil spill. We are also funding research focused on increasing our knowledge of the biology of the Gulf and the interaction of oil with the ecosystem.”

“This is extremely important for those of us whose life, work and recreation are connected to the Gulf of Mexico,” said RADM Robert Smith, chief executive officer at Texas A&M University at Galveston.  “This also demonstrates the high level of research Texas A&M Galveston’s scientists achieve in understanding the dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.

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