Mississippi State to lead institute studying Gulf of Mexico

U.S. Senator Thad Cochran, R-Miss., announced Mississippi State University will continue to lead the Northern Gulf Institute on an expanded mission — the research consortium will now monitor the entire Gulf of Mexico.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration selected MSU following an open competition. It’s a five-year agreement that involves a $7 million award, which can be renewed annually based on performance.

NGI provides NOAA with cutting-edge research on the Gulf ecosystem and is a partnership between MSU and the University of Southern Mississippi. The new award adds the University of Alabama at Huntsville to the consortium, which already includes Louisiana State University, Florida State University and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.

The expanded focus on the Gulf will include coastal hazards, ecosystem management, data management and climate variability on the Gulf ecosystems.

This story was originally published July 18, 2016 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Mississippi State to lead institute studying Gulf of Mexico."