Samantha “Sam” Setta conducts DNA extractions with help from collaborators on the ADDOMEx team at Mount Allison University in Canada. (Photo by Laura Bretherton)

Grad Student Setta Studies Microbial Interactions to Inform Oil Spill Response Strategies

Phytoplankton and bacteria in the northern Gulf of Mexico interact closely at the food web base and provide vital food and nutrients to marine life at higher trophic levels. During the Deepwater Horizon incident, these pervasive organisms played an important role in oil bioremediation before and after the application of chemical dispersants, which broke up surface slicks into smaller droplets and enhanced microbial degradation.

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Current members of the Sea Grant oil spill science outreach program (L-R) Steve Sempier, Chris Hale, Missy Partyka, Tara Skelton, and Monica Wilson. Not pictured, Emily Maung-Douglass. Photo provided by Tara Skelton.

Oil Spill Science Outreach Team Honored with Highest Sea Grant Extension Award

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative is pleased to announce that its partner Sea Grant and their Oil Spill Science Outreach Program received the National Superior Outreach Programming Award for synthesizing research results related to the Deepwater Horizon incident and engaging audiences who rely on healthy marine ecosystems to learn of their needs and share the latest science.

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Summer 2018 – Synthesis & Legacy

Summer 2018 – Synthesis & Legacy – OCTOBER 12, 2018 (From Spring 2018 Newsletter) Contributing Author: Callan Yanoff The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative’s (GoMRI) Synthesis and Legacy efforts are beginning to blossom into their respective core area workshops. Interweaving these meetings with the consortia and individual investigator-led workshops and synthesis efforts will determine how…

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Members of the ADDOMEx consortium attend the Artist Boat’s World Oceans Day Festival in Galveston, TX. Photo Credit: ADDOMEx.

Summer 2018 – Education Spotlight

Summer 2018 – Education Spotlight – OCTOBER 12, 2018 (From Spring 2018 Newsletter) Several GoMRI-funded consortia participated in festivals and camps this summer. The Aggregation and Degradation of Dispersants and Oil by Microbial Exopolymers (ADDOMEx) consortium attended Artist Boat’s World Oceans Day Festival, held at Stewart Beach in Galveston, Texas, on June 8, 2018. The Consortium for…

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