As efforts to fulfill "broader impacts" requirements increase, scientists are considering how to better communicate the societal impacts of their work. The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI), an independent research program funded by BP following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, dedicated significant resources to outreach at the program level, through partnerships, and at the research consortium level. Through this latter effort, consortia outreach coordinators reached a wide variety of audiences through many approaches and activities. Insights gained from this collective effort may be useful to others looking to integrate or improve upon existing outreach in their research programs. The following recommendations, based on perspectives shared by GoMRI outreach coordinators, discuss the development and implementa-. article

No abstract

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) was created in 2010 following the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. BP engaged Rita Colwell to form and lead an independent board of experts to oversee an unprecedented program of scientific research on the effects of the spill. As a new and uniquely funded organization, GoMRI quickly developed and implemented a set of management processes, policies, and frameworks while simultaneously building an interconnected research community that eventually grew to nearly 4,500 individuals. The GoMRI Research Board and Management Team successfully produced and operated a system for requests for proposals, grants management, scientific and programmatic data management, and outreach and education, and assembled a scientific synthesis of results to create a lasting legacy 10 years after the disaster. Here, we document the challenges and key decisions underlying the design and operation of GoMRI as a model for independent, industry-funded research. In short, GoMRI represents a unique multi-sector partnership and a community of researchers that will advance science in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere for decades to come.

No abstract

No abstract