Competitive Grants Program

MBRACE funded three projects through the Competitive Grants Program under the topic areas of (1) Water Quality, and (2) Oyster Reefs and their Sustainability. Projects were originally funded for two years (2020 - 2022), but each project was granted a one-year No Cost Extension due to delays and challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impacts of water quality on oyster development to inform oyster reef restoration and sustainability on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

The distribution of submarine groundwater discharge and its effect on coastal water quality in Mississippi

Optical observation for oyster larvae (O3L)

Core Research Program

In 2017, MBRACE awarded four complementary two-year projects through the Core Research Program to investigate factors influencing oyster reefs and their sustainability. The four projects, which were funded at $625,000 each, concluded in December 2019. In 2020, the four projects received additional funding to continue with monitoring efforts as well as the addition of new project components. The Core Research Program project is a collaboration across the four MBRACE consortium universities - JSU, MSU, UM, and USM, which serves as the consortium lead.