Lecture to examine lessons from Deepwater Horizon spill

February 8, 2011

Marmian Grimes

Stevie Seibert
907-474-5229
2/4/11

As one of the worst oil-related disasters of our time, the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill has sparked an investigation into understanding what went wrong and what can be done to prevent future spills of its magnitude.

On Feb. 8 at 7 p.m., Fran Ulmer will discuss her experiences as one of the seven members on the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and the findings of the group’s final report. Ulmer, chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage, will present “Lessons Learned From the Gulf Oil Spill” in the Westmark Gold Room. The lecture is the fourth installment in the Fairbanks portion of 2011 Science for Alaska Lecture Series.

The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling was appointed by President Obama to review the events leading up to the spill and evaluate the clean-up efforts. The commission’s findings are compiled into a report, which was released on Jan. 11.

Science for Alaska is sponsored by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the UAF Geophysical Institute and Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. The series runs on Tuesdays through Feb. 22, 2011 and is free to the public.

Hands-on activities for all ages begin at 6 p.m. inside the Gold Room. Families are welcome.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Fran Ulmer, chancellor of  the University of Alaska Anchorage, 907-786-1437, or chancellor@uaa.alaska.edu. Marmian Grimes, UAF public information officer, at 907-474-7902 or via e-mail at marmian.grimes@alaska.edu.

ON THE WEB: http://www.scienceforalaska.com

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