OHSU gets $17 million for coast studies
By Andy Giegerich
Business Journal staff writer
Oregon Health & Science University has collected a cool $17 million grant to research ocean and river intersections.
OHSU’s Center for Coastal Margin Observation & Prediction will explore "coastal margins," or biologically rich but highly vulnerable environments where rivers meet the ocean.
The group will examine the Columbia River between the Bonneville Dam and the coasts of Oregon and Washington. The center advises federal and state agencies, Native American tribal organizations, industry and academic types on environmental matters.
The money will help the coastal margin researcher identify early warning signs, or "sentinels," in the Columbia River coastal margin that can predict impending environmental changes early and minimize the effects on both ecosystems and human health.
"CMOP is an innovative environmental program that builds on our idea that preventive medicine starts with the environment," said Joe Robertson, OHSU’s president.
Oregon’s federal officials lines up to praise the project. Democratic senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., all issued statements on the grant.
“This renewal helps keep 100 Oregonians on the job and will continue providing valuable research on our coastal environment,” Merkley said. “I’m pleased that this important science and technology anchor will continue to call Oregon its home.”
Wu said the research will greatly benefit coastal communities.
“This decision will ensure the continuation of meaningful partnerships between valuable stakeholders — from fishermen to college students, and tribes to teachers,” he said in a statement. Wu worked on the project as he continues to face questions regarding his recent myriad staff departures and generally erratic behavior.
The Center for Coastal Margin Observation & Prediction is a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center. Along with OHSU, Oregon State University and the Applied Physics Laboratory at University of Washington are the group’s anchor partners.
@andygiegerich | agiegerich@bizjournals.com | 503-219-3419
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