WASHINGTON — The National Academies’ Gulf Research Program (GRP) today announced the addition of six colleges and universities to the Gulf Scholars Program (GSP), a five-year, $12.7 million pilot program that prepares undergraduate students to address the most pressing environmental, health, energy, and infrastructure challenges in the Gulf of Mexico region. The second cohort of institutions includes University of Central Florida, Eckerd College, Louisiana State University, University of South Alabama, University of Southern Mississippi, and Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi.

These six institutions join the initial cohort of seven colleges and universities in developing curricula that can empower undergraduate students to become future agents of change in the Gulf region. These campus-wide, place-based education programs engage students and faculty from a broad range of academic disciplines to cultivate interdisciplinary knowledge and prepare students to address challenges at the intersections of social, environmental, and energy systems to ensure a safer, more resilient, equitable, and sustainable Gulf region.

“The Gulf Scholars Program provides an opportunity to reach undergraduate students — many of whom have home ties to the Gulf region — and engage them in rigorous education and training on issues that directly impact their own communities,” said Karena Mothershed, senior program manager of the GRP’s Board on Gulf Education and Engagement. “We hope this program inspires students to envision a future in the Gulf region and work to make it an even better place to live, work, and thrive.”

The pilot phase of the program is planned to last through 2025. Each year, the GRP will select and fund a cohort of five to seven colleges and universities to establish a Gulf Scholars Program and join the network of GSP institutions. By the end of the pilot phase, the GRP aims to involve more than 25 public and private universities, with an intentional focus on minority serving institutions across the Gulf region.

This pilot phase sets the stage for broader implementation of similar programs at other Gulf region colleges and universities, resulting in an extensive network of higher education partners working toward a resilient future.

The National Academies’ Gulf Research Program is an independent, science-based program founded in 2013 as part of legal settlements with the companies involved in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. It seeks to enhance offshore energy system safety and protect human health and the environment by catalyzing advances in science, practice, and capacity to generate long-term benefits for the Gulf of Mexico region and the nation. The program has $500 million for use over 30 years to fund grants, fellowships, and other activities in the areas of research and development, education and training, and monitoring and synthesis.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine. They operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln.

Contact:
Pete Nelson, Director of Communications
Gulf Research Program
PNelson@nas.edu