General session.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON

Exhibit Hall A2

3:00 MAS COMMUNITY FORUM: THE MISSISSIPPI ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND THE POST-KATRINA RECOVERY OF THE GULF COAST RESEARCH LABORATORY

D. Jay Grimes (1), William E. Hawkins (1), and Roy Duhe (2*), (1) Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Ocean Springs, MS 39564 and (2) University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216

On August 29, 2006, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL), approximately fifty years from the day that the Mississippi Academy of Sciences (MAS) officially dedicated the lab. Total GCRL losses from the storm were more than $40M including five buildings, data, biological collections, extensive library resources, instrumentation and other equipment and supplies, and the complete loss of the J.L. Scott Marine Education Center and Aquarium. In 1947, the first official summer session for undergraduates marked a milestone in the MAS's contributions to the sciences in Mississippi. The MAS helped launch the GCRL and nurtured its development during the fledgling years, by laying the foundation for the lab to become the state's scientific and educational institution for the advancement of marine and coastal sciences. Paradoxically, Hurricane Katrina now offers the opportunity for the MAS to once again lead the way, both in the sciences of Mississippi\'s marine and coastal resources and in the support for science education for Mississippi teachers and school children. In the aftermath of Katrina, the GCRL leadership, faculty and staff have worked amid personal and professional hardship to bring facilities and programs back into operation. The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina creates an unprecedented economic challenge for our state. As the only statewide organization dedicated to the advancement of science in Mississippi, the MAS bears a special responsibility to ensure that the GCRL recovery will be an integral part of Mississippi's coastal renaissance. The purpose of this session is to openly discuss how the MAS can best cooperate with the leadership of GCRL, The University of Southern Mississippi, and the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning to fulfill that responsibility.