Fall 2015 – Note from the Research Board Chair
– December 10, 2015
(From Fall 2015 Newsletter) Dr. Rita Colwell, University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University
The GoMRI Research Board is pleased to announce the results of the RFP-V competition. The RFP process followed by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative involves strict peer review and is highly competitive. The GoMRI Research Board is enthusiastic about the excellent science expected to emerge from the awards over the next three years (see Newsletter pages 1 and 2 for the complete award list).
Of the total number of proposals that underwent review, twenty-two were selected for funding. The twenty-two awards reflect the five research themes. The RFP-V set of awards includes several that address Theme 5, “impact of oil spills on public health including behavioral, socioeconomic, environmental risk assessment, community capacity and other population health considerations and issues.” The three awards focused on Theme 5 are:
- Understanding Resilience Attributes for Children, Youth, and Communities in the Wake of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
- Toxicological Properties of Specific Aromatic Hydrocarbons Isolated from Fresh and Aged Crude Oil from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
- Avoiding Surprises: Understanding the Impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on the Decision Making Behaviors of Fishers and How This Affects the Assessment and Management of Commercially Important Fish Species in the Gulf of Mexico Using an Aged-Based Model.
As mentioned in a previous Note from the Research Board, understanding impacts of oil spills on public health is very important in the GoMRI program and to the GoMRI legacy. We look forward to seeing results of these projects as the research proceeds.
GoMRI welcomes the new principal investigators of the twenty-two awards and is especially pleased to note that the programs will be led by PI’s from fourteen institutions across the country. Please visit the GoMRI website to learn more about the new projects and investigators and view the publications and data that will result as their work gets underway. The GoMRI Research Board is proud of the science already achieved by current and past GoMRI program scientists and looks forward to the research to be done by the newly-funded RFP-V team of scientists over the next three years. The Research Board extends its congratulations to the all of the new awardees!
