UA to Receive more than $780,000 for Researching Oil Spill Impact

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Eighteen University of Alabama researchers have been awarded more than three-quarters of a million dollars, combined, as part of the first installment from BP for research into the impact of the Gulf oil spill.

Of BP’s original $500 million commitment to the Gulf Research Initiative Open Research Program, resulting from the April BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, $5 million was designated as Rapid Response Funds for Alabama’s Marine Environmental Science Consortium.

“These funds will assist us in gaining a better understanding of the spill’s impact on the region’s environment and its people,” said Dr. Joe Benson, vice president for research at The University of Alabama.    

 The approximate $786,000 The University of Alabama will receive is a segment of that awarded to the consortium. The consortium, based at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, is comprised of 22 Alabama four-year colleges and universities.

The 16 projects involve UA’s researchers collaborating with scientists from other institutions. UA’s researchers represent its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Human and Environmental Sciences.

For a complete list of projects, see the consortium’s news release posted at http://press.disl.org/12_4_10bpwork.htm