The Central Gulf of Mexico Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE), housed at The University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Lab (GCRL) is partnering with Louisiana Sea Grant, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Sci-Port: Louisiana’s Science Center to offer a Community Oil Spill Forum at each location on Saturday, November 19 th .
One and one half years after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill began in 5000 feet of water off the southeast coast of Louisiana, many questions remain about the effects of this catastrophe. The Community Oil Spill Forum has been designed to address some of these questions for members of the general public, including adults and their children over the age of 12. Classroom teachers who attend will earn continuing learning units (CLUs). The event will feature presentations by scientists geared to a general level of understanding, an opportunity to ask questions of the scientists and activities that will clarify aspects of the oil spill – specifically seafood tasting and turtle rehabilitation.
The event will be a videoconference among the three partner sites with all speakers presenting to and answering questions asked at all sites. Speakers at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge include resident scientists: Dr. Ed Overton will provide an overview of the oil spill event. Dr. Julie Anderson will discuss dispersant use. Dr. Lucina Lampila will explain the current knowledge regarding seafood safety. At the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans, Ms. Suzanne Smith, of the
Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program, will discuss rehabilitation of large animals. At Sci-Port: Louisiana’s Science Center in Shreveport, Dr. Jessie Kastler, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory and producer of SpillScience.com, will summarize lessons of the oil spill and how science uncovers them.
Registration for this event is strongly encouraged because space in videoconferencing facilities at each location is limited. Links to register at each location and more information about the event are available at http://cosee-central-gom.org/community_forum_la.htm .
Contact Dianne Lindstedt at Louisiana Sea Grant, 225-578-1558, lsged@lsu.edu; Tricia LeBlanc at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, 504-378-2675, tleblanc@auduboninstitute.org ; or Michele McKee at Sci-Port: Louisiana’s Science Center, mmckee@sciport.org , (318) 424-8688, for more information.
