Ship Operations

Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Chauvin LA

Investigators

Abstract

Project Summary This project will support NSF funded research programs by providing a safe, efficient, and economical platform for studies conducted primarily in the Gulf of Mexico. This is a five year cooperative agreement, and in CY2005, 67 days out of 200 will be used to support NSF sponsored research. For each year of the cooperative agreement, funding is dependent upon the number of days at sea in support of NSF research, and budgets are renegotiated. In 2005, four NSF projects are being supported, primarily in the fields of biological and chemical oceanography.The intellectual merit lies in the research programs conducted. This award is for platform support for these programs. As a focused broader impact to society, the Pelican hosts public school groups, Elderhostel groups, and various non-profit community service groups on short tours throughout the year. These activities are used to demonstrate the importance of marine science to the community as a whole, and to confirm the role played by the Pelican in support of marine science studies in the Gulf of Mexico. The research programs that are supported by the Pelican support graduate and undergraduate students from different parts of the country.