MBRACE water, oyster research

Mississippi Based RESTORE Act Center of Excellence (MBRACE) is awarding $2.75M for research on water quality and oyster reef sustainability within the state. Four different projects will receive funding through 2022, with the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) being the lead institution on two of those projects. MBRACE is one of six Centers of Excellence Research Grants Programs (CERGP) established in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and is designated as the Center of Excellence for Mississippi. MBRACE is a consortium of Mississippi’s four research universities (Jackson State, Mississippi State, University of Mississippi, and USM. The funded projects include “Impacts of water quality on oyster development to inform oyster reef restoration and sustainability on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.” University of Mississippi/Dr. Deborah Gochfeld - Award Amount: $442,942; “The distribution of submarine groundwater discharge and its effect on coastal water quality in Mississippi.” Mississippi State University/Dr. Adam Skarke - Award Amount: $450,052; “Optical observation for oyster larvae.” University of Southern Mississippi/Dr. Xiaodong Zhang - Award Amount: $449,907; and “MRACE 2 - Core Research Program.” University of Southern Mississippi/Dr. Jerry Wiggert - Award Amount: $1,383,658. The projects were selected following a rigorous review process coordinated by the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. (Source: USM 05/18/20) https://www.usm.edu/news/2020/release/mbrace-funding-for-research.php