Graduate Student Symposium

The DISL’s Graduate Student Organization (GSO) recently hosted the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Graduate Student Symposium (GSS).

The mission of the GSS is to provide graduate students in aquatic, marine, and biological sciences the opportunity to exchange information and ideas and present their graduate research in a supportive setting with their peers.

“Many of these students from the Gulf Coast unfortunately had their work interrupted by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina; the storm destroyed their research data, their labs, or their field sites. Having this first post-Katrina symposium is a welcome return to normalcy for some of these students,” said Dr. Ken Heck, Chair of University Programs, DISL.

Awards were presented to the following:

• 1st place: for oral presentation: Daniela del Valle, Dauphin Island Sea Lab/University of South Alabama
• 2nd place: Luciano Chiaverano, Dauphin Island Sea Lab/University of South Alabama
• 3rd place: Michael Dance, University of West Florida

People’s Choice Award: Ron Eytan, Louisiana State University

Best Poster: Zach Darnell, Duke University