Abstract
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Gulf Research Program’s (GRP) Thriving Communities Initiative seeks to improve the quality, accessibility, and use of information about how to protect communities from the impacts of oil spills. During a 2017 workshop, the GRP identified the need to collect input at a regional level to determine ways to support preparedness around the country. Since 2014, the Gulf Sea Grant Oil Spill Science Outreach Team (Team) has conducted outreach activities within the Gulf of Mexico and beyond, bringing the science of oil spills to communities, making the Team well-positioned to assist the GRP in these efforts. In 2018, the Team partnered with the GRP and Sea Grant programs around the country to co-host a series of regional workshops. These workshops– held in partnership with Alaska Sea Grant College Program, Virginia Sea Grant College Program, and University of Southern California Sea Grant Program – addressed three topical areas related to oil spills: social disruption, economic impacts, and public health. Each workshop was organized with the express goal of identifying region-specific outreach and research needs, potential pilot programs, and possible modifications to existing response protocols that would improve oil spill preparation in those communities. The discussions generated during the workshops were summarized into individual reports, which were synthesized into a document to be utilized by the GRP to inform future funding decisions. Session attendees can expect to hear some of the universal needs and concerns raised by workshop participants, needs unique to communities in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, and results of an evaluation of the workshop series.
