CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Jacob Oster is one of ten students from the country who have been selected National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Gulf Research Program Science Policy Fellowship.
Oster, who is currently a doctoral student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC), will spend this one year mentorship program in the Gulf of Mexico.
Throughout the fellowship, he will be learning from federal, state, local, or non-governmental agencies dealing with matters related to natural resources, oil and gas, environmental concerns, and public health.
"I was elated. I was very excited to find out that I got it," Oster said.
Oster is currently studying marine biology at TAMU-CC and is completing the fellowship at the Water Institute in New Orleans.
He will be gathering data and information that can later be used by federal, state, local and non-governmental agencies to create policies to protect the Gulf.
"The goal of this program is to improve the communication between the different sectors that are involved in protecting the gulf from the different industries players that are involved, to the different government agencies," Oster said.
The information Oster and the other students gather will also benefit us here in the Coastal Bend. A healthy gulf is important for recreational use and fishing. It's also a big driver in the local economy.
"There's a lot of big industries that use the different water ways to transport different materials (while) trying to balance those demands between industry and also conservation," Oster said. "It's going to be a big challenge moving in the years ahead. So trying to find a way that I can help out and provide the best science in those instances."
Oster said communicating research to non-science audiences is the key to making real change.
