Scientists hope to get piece of $500 million oil spill research grant

By Renee Busby

Gulf Coast university researchers and scientists are optimistic about their chances of getting a fair share of the $500 million in grant money to study the effects of the oil spill.

These experts are most familiar with the ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico and certainly could add a lot to the study and make is a lot better study, said Denis Wiesenburg, vice president of research at the University of Southern Mississippi.

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance, a consortium of the five Gulf states, will administer $500 million in grants that BP PLC committed over 10 years for the study.

A board of scientists will manage the study effort, known as the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. BP and the alliance will each choose half of the board members.

"For most of us, this was preferable to something run by BP or by a federal government program," said George Crozier, director of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.

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