Scientists optimistic about funding

Gulf Coast university researchers are optimistic about getting a fair share of the $500 million in grant money to study the effects of the oil spill. Experts from the Gulf Coast are most familiar with the ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico and could add a lot to the studies, 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 committed over 10 years. 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. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 10/14/10)