The Status of Scientific Research in Relation to the Gulf Oil Spill: Better Science for Better Policy

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This award will facilitate the organization of a national conference in New Orleans, LA to explore key research questions and issues related to the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The organization of the conference is led by the alliance of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi which was formed after hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The conference will serve as a catalyst for bringing together the people, tools, and research ideas necessary to develop long term collaborative approaches to research related to oil spill and disaster prevention, response, mitigation, recovery, and planning.Intellectual MeritThis conference builds on the existing cyberinfrastructure and potential for collaboration among the three states (AL, MS, and LA) for hazard management, coastal vulnerability studies, and risk reduction. It will enable planning and discussion to coordinate intermediate and long term research priorities and to build public-private sector partnerships regionally and nationally. In addition, the conference will have a poster session in which researchers from the Gulf Coast academic institutions and recent NSF Rapid Response Research Awardees will discuss the ongoing research related to the oil spill. Broader ImpactsThis conference will provide broad focus and coordination for the Gulf oil spill related research efforts in the neighboring states of AL, MS, and LA. The event will strengthen existing collaborations, forge new collaborations within and beyond the three states, and help to train students in cross-disciplinary research that is relevant to the region. The researchers and students will engage in efforts to inform and educate the citizens, and will positively impact on the policy and decision making process.