CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO
OUR PEOPLE
John Christy
Professor and Director
Don Behringer
Faculty member, Fisheries/Aquatic Science
Sharon Walker
Director of Education and Outreach
Mike Spranger
Associate Director for Extension and Education
George Crozier
Executive Director
Tina Miller-Way
Scientist-Educator
Johnette Bosarge
Administrative Assistant
Jessica Kastler
Research Associate
From the Captain’s Desk
Sharon Walker, CGOM PI 
Sharon Walker, CGOM PI
It is difficult to believe that another academic year is coming to a close! Hopefully, this tiny, positive shift we are seeing in the economy will become significantly more positive in 2011 and 2012, for all of us, our friends, and colleagues have been jumping through professional and personal fiscal hoops for the last two years. And, in the world of extramural funding, we, as COSEE CGOM staff members, are in the fifth year of our second, successful National Science Foundation (NSF) award with the 2010 Summer Institute being the grand finale!

In this vein, we just submitted a renewal to NSF for another five years with some significant revisions in terms of “reaching inland” within AL, FL, LA, and MS to increase the innovative and analytic capacity of engagement between research scientists, formal and informal educators, precollege students, and the general public. We have also made some host institution changes in LA and MS, as well as some Co-PI and Senior Personnel changes in this renewal submission. Everyone worked diligently in the preparation of this renewal proposal which was submitted on April 14. I thank everyone involved in developing this proposed effort.

So, please keep your fingers crossed that this competitive proposal comes across the finish line with funding approval. We should know the results of this competition by mid- to late August. Please have a safe and leisurely summer and consider joining us for the 2010 Online Summer Institute.

Contributed by Sharon Walker, Principal Investigator, COSEE CGOM