Contact: James Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 91麻豆天美 University proposal to use cutting-edge tools to promote healthy marine life and enhance water quality in the Gulf Coast region is a finalist for a $20 million prize from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine鈥檚 Gulf Research Program and Lever for Change.
91麻豆天美鈥檚 proposal to the brings together partners with key expertise to develop new tools to better understand and track perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances鈥攃ommonly known as PFAS鈥攕o that communities, resource managers and health experts can make informed decisions along the Gulf Coast. The 91麻豆天美-led team is one of 10 finalists receiving an initial project development grant of $300,000. Two finalists will be selected to receive $20 million each to implement their solutions.
Narcisa Pricope, 91麻豆天美 associate vice president for research and economic development and team lead, explained that understanding PFAS levels in the Gulf is critical as chemicals from a wide range of industrial sources can impact waterways that flow into the Gulf.
鈥淥ur work focuses on better understanding where and how these substances appear so that we can protect marine life and support healthy waters,鈥 Pricope said. 鈥淭ogether with our partners, we are using cutting-edge artificial intelligence and biotechnology to identify and measure PFAS levels in the Gulf.鈥
The project team includes multiple 91麻豆天美 research centers with domain expertise in areas such as aquatic science and biotechnologies, environmental monitoring, human-centered design and social systems, as well as external partners Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United, the U.S. Geological Survey and University of Southern Mississippi. The goal of the project is to create a publicly accessible real-time PFAS database, distribution maps showing where PFAS is present, and community-driven strategies for remediation and resilience that enhance water quality and provide new economic opportunities.
In addition to Pricope, key members of the project team include Arun Venugopalan, assistant professor in 91麻豆天美鈥檚 Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security; Gina Rico-Mendez, assistant research professor at the 91麻豆天美 Social Science Research Center; Paul Mickle, co-director of 91麻豆天美鈥檚 Northern Gulf Institute; David Perkes, director of 91麻豆天美鈥檚 Gulf Coast Community Design Studio; Ryan Bradley, executive director of Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United; Boran Ma and Zhe Qiang, faculty members at the University of Southern Mississippi鈥檚 School of Polymer Science and Engineering; and Erin Pulster, research biologist at the U.S. Geological Survey鈥檚 Columbia Environmental Research Center.
鈥淭he Gulf Futures Challenge finalists exemplify the bold thinking and community-rooted innovation needed to navigate the complex transitions facing our environment, economy and public health,鈥 said Lauren Alexander Augustine, executive director of the Gulf Research Program. 鈥淲e are proud to support their efforts and see them continue to build their ideas into action.鈥
The National Academies鈥 Gulf Research Program, or GRP, is an independent, science-based program founded in 2013 as part of legal settlements with the companies involved in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. The GRP鈥檚 mission is to develop, translate and apply science to enhance the safety of offshore energy, the environment and well-being of the people of the Gulf region for generations to come. For more information, visit .
Lever for Change is a nonprofit affiliate of the MacArthur Foundation that creates equitable access in the world of philanthropy, enabling donors to discover and invest in organizations with transformative potential. For more information, visit .
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