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USM Opens New Marine Education Center with Dedication and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

Mon, 04/16/2018 - 02:25pm | By: James Skrmetta

The University held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, April 16 to officially unveil the Marine Education Center located at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory's (GCRL) Cedar Point site in Ocean Springs, Miss.

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) celebrated the opening of the new $16.1-million Marine Education Center (MEC) early Monday morning with a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory's (GCRL) Cedar Point site in Ocean Springs.

“This facility is the crown jewel of marine education at USM,” said Dr. Monty Graham, Director for the USM School of Ocean Science and Technology (SOST). “I have been to many marine laboratories around the world. The MEC is by far the best of all of them. It will catapult us far ahead of some very prestigious marine education powerhouses.”

Situated on 100 acres, the new facility serves as the education and outreach arm of the GCRL and provides an immersion experience for participants in a unique, coastal setting.

“This facility stands as a one-of-a-kind development,” MEC Director Chris Snyder said. “It is a great example of ecologically responsible design.”

A crowd gathered in the courtyard of the sprawling 32,000-square-foot facility to commemorate the result of years of planning by USM leaders and three years of construction.

Lake Flato Architects, located in San Antonio, Texas, was contracted to lead the journey of designing a new state-of-the-art facility that would model the principles of coastal stewardship. The MEC was conceptualized as a place where visitors would “come and do” instead of “come and see.” In order to fulfill this, architects designed the site to fully utilize the surrounding area and the bevvy of habitats it contained. The six buildings located on the site were created to look as though they were a part of the natural environment, tucked under the existing tree canopy and nestled in the natural landscape.

“We have tried to set an example of how to work with nature rather than working against it,” Snyder said. “We set out to be a teaching example for thousands of young students who will come here to learn about the science surrounding our coastal environment and how to be effective stewards of it.”

The MEC replaces the J.L. Scott Marine Education Center, formally located on Point Cadet in Biloxi, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Following Katrina, the MEC relocated to the GCRL Halstead site in Ocean Springs.

“Post-Hurricane Katrina, the Marine Education Center operated out of a converted house on the GCRL Halstead location a few miles away,” said Gordon Cannon, USM Vice President for Research. “But not anymore – today, we officially welcome the MEC home. And with this ribbon cutting, we are closing the University's chapter on Hurricane Katrina recovery projects.”

The new facility is wind- and flood-resilient and energy-efficient, serving as an example of sustainable and effective coastal building techniques in harmony with its coastal environment.

Included in the new MEC are public exhibits, laboratories and meeting spaces, as well as outdoor learning experiences featuring trails, outdoor and floating classrooms, and a pedestrian suspension bridge.

Outreach and public education is the backbone of the MEC's work. Through its broad array of programs, the MEC offers both students and the public an understanding of how the Gulf of Mexico affects daily life and provides a science-based understanding of ecosystem health.

After the ceremony, visitors took guided tours of the MEC, walking with the very researchers and educators who will inhabit the facility every day. Moving across the location's six classroom spaces, citizen laboratories, and across its unique suspension bridge, visitors helped breathe life into the new facility and turn the rebirth into a reality.

“While this is truly a beautiful facility inside and out, its real beauty can be found in how well it is designed to perform its primary function: educating students and the public about Mississippi's valuable and productive marine and coastal habitats and resources,” Snyder said. “Tens of thousands of students, visitors and coastal residents will come here to learn the science-based information they need to be good stewards of our marine environment.”

The $16.1 million complex was constructed primarily with funding from a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant, administered by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. Outdoor trails were made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Nature Heritage Area; the outdoor kitchen was made possible by Blossman Gas. The MEC was designed by Lake Flato Architects and constructed by Starks Contracting Co., Inc.

The Marine Education Center is located at 101 Sweetbay Drive in Ocean Springs.