College of Marine Sciences 703 East Beach Dr. Ocean Springs, MS 39566-7000

Who We Are

The College of Marine Sciences (COMS) is The University of Southern Mississippi's provider of marine-related research, education and public service.

The College is comprised of three components:

Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
in Ocean Springs, MS,
J.L. Scott Marine Education Center & Aquarium
in Biloxi, MS, and
Department of Marine Science at the John C. Stennis Space Center
near Bay St. Louis, MS.

College faculty and staff work closely with USM faculty in Biological Sciences and other USM departments involved in marine-related projects.

Our Beginnings

In March of 1996 Mississippi's Board of Trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning created the Institute of Marine Sciences by merging the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, MS--along with GCRL's J.L. Scott Marine Education Center & Aquarium in Biloxi, MS--with USM's Center for Marine Sciences at Stennis Space Center. The IHL Board created GCRL in 1947 to fill a need for more knowledge about Mississippi and Gulf of Mexico resources. GCRL and its Marine Education Center came under administrative oversight of the University in 1988. The 1996 merger of the three campuses into one institute provided the mechanism through which USM was to fulfill its leadership role in marine sciences among Mississippi universities. In February 2001 The Institute of Marine Sciences became The College of Marine Sciences (COMS).

What We Do

The mission of the COMS is to promote responsible use of marine resources in harmony with conservation and management of marine ecosystems for a sustainable future. The COMS fulfills its mission through research, education and public service activities conducted by more than 200 scientists, technical and support staff, and graduate students.

COMS research, education and service efforts enjoy national and international distinction and are known for use of advanced technologies and multidisciplinary approaches, basic and applied research and technology development, graduate and undergraduate education and training, interactive educational outreach experiences for all ages, and providing access to university expertise and information needed by governments, industries, organizations and individuals at local, state, national and international levels.

Where We Work

Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
The 50-acre site in Ocean Springs, MS, is adjacent to the Mississippi Sound and is surrounded by bayous and salt marshes that provide a natural laboratory for researchers and students. GCRL's 20 buildings house research and teaching laboratories, classrooms and offices where more than 160 researchers, technical and support personnel and graduate students work. GCRL is home to the USM Department of Coastal Sciences; the Gunter Library, a top marine library in the north central Gulf of Mexico region; and the GCRL Museum, an Ichthyological Research Collection of more than 200,000 fish specimens from around the world. Among the Laboratory's vessels are the R/V Tommy Munro, a 97-foot oceanographic research vessel; the R/V Tom McIlwain, a 55-foot research vessel; and the M/V Hermes, a 38-foot trawler used to support the COMS Summer Field Program.

J.L. Scott Marine Education Center and Aquarium
The J.L. Scott Marine Education Center & Aquarium in Biloxi, MS, is Mississippi's window on the sea, featuring marine education programs and firsthand experiences for residents and visitors of all ages. More than 75,000 children and adults visit the Center each year. Approximately 30,000 of the Center's yearly visitors are involved in the hands-on education programs that have earned the Center an international, award-winning reputation. The facility's 47 aquariums, arranged astound the 42,000-gallon Gulf of Mexico tank, showcase native creatures typical of Mississippi's waters from freshwater streams to open ocean.

Department of Marine Science at Stennis Space Center
The third component of the COMS is located at the Stennis Space Center, near Bay St. Louis, MS, home to the Naval Research Laboratory, the Naval Oceanographic Office, the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Data Buoy Center, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Gulf of Mexico Program, and NASA laboratories. This concentration of oceanographic and space agencies affords COMS faculty scientists, researchers, and graduate students opportunities to establish collaborative relationships among nearly 4,000 scientists, engineers and technical personnel. The Maury Oceanographic Library, one of the world's largest, and two super computers comprise a valuable part of the infrastructure that supports the College's program at Stennis.

COMS Research Areas

The research of COMS scientists is answering fundamental questions about marine resources and is applying new knowledge and technology to solving problems and capturing opportunities.
Areas of emphasis at GCRL include:

Marine aquaculture
Biodiversity and systematics
Coastal ecology
Environmental fate and effects
Fisheries science

COMS - Stennis Space Center researchers work in the areas of:

Paleoceanography
Carbon and nutrient cycling in coastal environments
Modeling the ocean and its systems
Wave-current interactions
Phytoplankton ecology
Marine community dynamics
Hydrology
Antarctic ecosystems
Marine chemistry

COMS Education

Graduate Program
Courses for USM master's and doctoral degrees in marine science are taught at the Stennis facility and at GCRL. Graduate students from USM and other universities take courses at GCRL and conduct research at COMS locations to fulfill requirements for advanced degrees in a wide range of disciplines.

Summer Field Program
COMS education opportunities also include courses for undergraduate and graduate students offered at GCRL in two 5-week terms during the summer. Credits earned during the GCRL summer program are applied toward the students' degrees at 62 affiliated institutions-of higher learning across the U.S. Enrollment in the marine-related courses offered is not limited to students majoring in the marine sciences. Qualified students from a variety of disciplines take the opportunity to broaden their education beyond that provided by basic science courses. Classroom experiences are enhanced through field studies of plants and animals in their natural habitats and the study of the physical and chemical processes of marine and coastal environments.

Pre-college and Continuing Education
The MEC&A is an international leader in translating marine science into exhilarating, effective learning experiences for children, for pre-college teachers, and for adults both in and out of the classroom setting. The MEC&A in partnership with the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, the U.S. Navy and others has developed programs used throughout the U.S. as models for equipping teachers to bring marine environmental education into the classroom and to bring their classes out into the environment. The model MEC&A programs also equip children and adults with an understanding of how each person affects and is affected by marine environments.

To view the USM College of Marine Sciences Faculty and Staff Directory click the link below:

USM College of Marine Sciences Faculty/Staff Directory

(See the Facilities section above)

COMS Public Service

The public service facets of the College make COMS expertise and research results accessible to non-scientists. COMS contracts and monitoring programs supply critical information to state and federal agencies, industries, organizations and individuals concerned about issues related to marine and coastal organisms and processes. Fisheries, shellfish, shrimp, red tide and the disappearance of seagrasses are among areas addressed by COMS personnel. At the GCRL campus, the College also operates Mississippi's only Food and Drug Administration-evaluated shellfish sanitation laboratory. The data that the shellfish sanitation laboratory and that other COMS personnel and programs supply are used in decisions affecting the health, safety and economy of the state and the region.

The Future of COMS

The growth of the COMS as a leader in providing science-based solutions to economic and environmental challenges facing Mississippi and other coastal states of the Gulf of Mexico is limited by availability and conditions of work space. Needs exist at each campus. Leaders within the State, the University, the College and the marine community are making progress toward meeting these needs. The COMS is poised to fulfill the vision of the College as the preeminent marine sciences institution on the Gulf of Mexico.

Dean: Vernon L. Asper, Ph.D.

For more information

Public Information Office
College of Marine Sciences
703 East Beach Drive (39564)
P.O. Box 7000
Ocean Springs, MS 39566-7000
Phone: (228) 872-4273 / FAX: (228) 872-4204
Visit our Website at http://www.usm.edu/gcrl/
AA/EOE/ADAI

Dr. Vernon L. Asper, Dean- College of Marine Sciences, E-mail vernon.asper@usm.edu, Tel. (228) 872-4211