The 2024 Bays and Bayous Symposium Student Awards Committee has announced the recipients of the 2024 Mike deGruy Bays and Bayous Symposium Student Presentation Awards. Graduate and undergraduate students studying coastal and marine sciences competed for the awards in two categories: oral presentation and poster presentation.
The awards are named in memory of Mobile, Alabama, native Mike deGruy, who was a marine biologist and conservationist. As an award-winning filmmaker and television host, he specialized in underwater cinematography and had a passionate love for oceans and educating people about them. DeGruy, who felt strongly about the importance of engaging young people in marine science and in relationship with the ocean, died in a 2012 helicopter crash in Australia.
At the 2024 Bays and Bayous Symposium on Nov. 19-20, 51 judges scored 59 student oral presentations and 39 student poster presentations at the Mississippi Coast Convention Center in Biloxi.
The Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation sponsored the awards and is providing monetary prizes for the competition winners.
Oral Presentation Winners
- First place: Hailee Nigro, The University of Southern Mississippi, Temperature-Sensitivity of Juvenile Blue crab Intermolt Period and Growth-Per-Molt, $300.
- Second place: Cynthia Lupton, Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center, Effect of Sediment Grain Size and Oyster Presence on Oyster Drill Abundance, $200.
- Third place: Jordan Heiman, The University of Mississippi, Bacterial Communities of Beaches along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, $100.
Poster Presentation Winners
- First place: Catherine Dodd, University of South Alabama, Xanthum Gum Addition to Improve the Efficacy of Recycled Glass Sand Substrate in Coastal Restoration, $300.
- Second place: Rejane Paulino, Mississippi State University, Evaluating PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) Spectral Consistency in the Coastal Waters of Mississippi, $200.
- Third place: Daniel Servos, University of South Alabama, A Novel Approach for Nitrate Removal and Recovery from Wastewater Using Pseudomonas Nitrate Binding Proteins, $100.
Oral presentations were judged on scientific content (35%), clarity of presentation (30%), delivery and engagement (25%) and time management (10%).
Poster presentations were judged on scientific content (35%), poster design and clarity (35%), verbal explanation and interaction (20%) and poster presentation delivery (10%).
“The quality of the presentations was of exceptional quality this year,” said LaDon Swann, director of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium and chair of the symposium’s student awards committee. “We congratulate the award-winning students who delivered remarkable presentations, and we value the work of everyone who conducted research and shared their results at the Bays and Bayous Symposium.”
About 500 people attended the event. Tracks included: Building Resilience to Challenges and Disruptions, Conserving and Restoring Critical Habitats, Enhancing Stewardship and Sustainability, The Oyster is Your World, Understanding and Managing Living Resources, and Understanding the Ways of the Water.
Symposium sponsors were Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Gulf of Mexico Division, Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Gulf of Mexico Alliance, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, Poarch Creek Indians, Moffatt & Nichol, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Allen Engineering and Science, Anchor QEA, Applied Technology and Management (ATM), Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation, Environmental Science Associates (ESA), Hydro Engineering Solutions, Mississippi Power Company, Mississippi State University Geospatial Education and Outreach Project, Mississippi State University Northern Gulf Research Institute, Neel-Schaffer, Osprey Initiative, LLC, University of Southern Mississippi, AquaTech Eco Consultants, Gulf Coast Environmental Equity Center (GCEEC), MKB Company, Stantec and Xylem.
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Melissa Schneider
Communications Coordinator
Melissa Schneider coordinates public information, educational media and communication services for Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant. Some of MASGC's communications projects include our website, social... Read more
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