USM Students and Researchers Head to Gulf of Mexico on Ocean Alliance Sailboat
July 20, 2010
The University of Southern Maine’s Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology is again collaborating with Ocean Alliance, launching an expedition on the sailboat RV Odyssey to the Gulf of Mexico. The joint effort by this international research and conservation organization and USM researchers and students is the first of its kind to evaluate the impact of the environmental disaster on whales, the marine life on which they feed and the ecosystem that supports them.
Fifteen USM students will be participating at one time or another during the voyage, living onboard the Odyssey, collecting samples, and conducting research in an onboard state-of-the-art lab. Samples will be sent back to the Wise Lab at USM for further study, giving researchers and students in Portland an opportunity to also participate in this unique research expedition.
Check out our Flickr album of the Odyssey’s July 15 training cruise in Casco Bay.
For more information, including onboard updates from Dr. John Wise, see the Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology.
Visit the Ocean Alliance website and see A Voyage to Save Our Ocean Facebook group for updates on the voyage.
Upon the departure of the Odyssey, The Gloucester (Mass.) Times reported, “The University of Southern Maine is one of the nation’s leaders in marine mammal toxicology, while the Ocean Alliance has been a global leader in whale research and education for nearly four decades…”
Other stories about the expedition appeared on Maine Public Radio, the Associated Press, The Portland Press Herald and WGME-TV/FOX. For a more complete media list, visit USM In The News.
Visit this page often for updates on the voyage that will last from three to six months.
