Local Student Receives Marine Biology Grant

October 1, 2004

Summer scholarship – Michele Branson, center, of Ocean Springs is the first recipient of a scholarship endowed by fisheries biologist Bennie Rohr, right, for coast students to attend the summer marine biology field program at the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Dr. William E. Hawkins is executive director of the Ocean Springs laboratory. (Photo by Beth Bosarge)

OCEAN SPRINGS - Local resident Michele Branson is the first recipient of a $1,000 scholarship from the Bennie A. Rohr scholarship fund to attend the summer field program of the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory.

Rohr is a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service in Pascagoula. He conducted his graduate research at the local marine laboratory with Dr. Gordon Gunter, the late GCRL director, as his research advisor. Rohr endowed the scholarship to be awarded for coast students to attend the GCRL's summer marine biology field program.

Branson is a senior biology major at Mississippi University for Women and is the daughter of Terry and Joan Branson of Ocean Springs. With the support of the scholarship, she completed the GCRL's barrier island ecology and marine mammals courses during the lab's summer session.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be residents of Hancock, Harrison or Jackson counties and must be majoring in biology. The GCRL's 12-week, three-term program enables students to earn up to 12 semester hours of credit during the summer. The GCRL is part of the university's College of Science and Technology.