The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GRI), set up in the wake of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill to provide independent research on the health of the Gulf ecosystem, has awarded 3 Florida universities with research grants to study the effects of the devastating 2010 spill. From the GRI press release:

"A total of $112.5 million over three years will support this portion of the GRI research effort. These teams will investigate the fate of petroleum in the environment, the impacts of the spill, and the development of new tools and technology for responding to future spills and improving mitigation and restoration."

The Florida State University, the University of South Florida and the University of Miami will be the recipients of the grant. 

In response to this exciting news, Chancellor Frank Brogan of the University System of Florida, said:

"Our public universities are on the frontlines of the challenging work to restore and monitor the health of the Gulf as well as Florida’s critical marine economy and ecosystem. I am proud of the ongoing commitment by the highly regarded marine science programs in the State University System of Florida, because through both their work on the State University System Oil Spill Task Force at the very beginning more than a year ago, and through the critical early science monitoring projects vetted by the Florida Institute of Oceanography, a statewide academic coordinating organization, it is clear that Florida’s public universities continue to amass and utilize nationally regarded talent and public assets while conducting important monitoring and data-mining."

Congratulations are in order to Chancellor Brogan and these prestigious universities for being selected to complete this important and necessary work. Audubon of Florida wishes you the best of luck in helping our treasured Gulf ecosystem thrive.