Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies

The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies (HRI) is a recently endowed and developing research institute at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Mission

The Institute's mission is to support and advance the long-term sustainable use and conservation of the Gulf of Mexico. The HRI's vision is to provide international leadership in generating and disseminating knowledge about the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem and its critical role in the economies of the North American region.

Goal

HRI encourages a tri-national responsibility and approach to understanding the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, including the United States, Mexico, and Cuba. It promotes excellence and innovation in interdisciplinary scientific research, public policy initiatives, and education of the public.

Endowment history

A $46 million endowment was given by Mr. Edward H. Harte, philanthropist and former publisher of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, and the State of Texas provided an additional $18 million to build a facility to house HRI.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

The HRI's new state-of-the-art facility is located right at the front of campus at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC). The university lies a convert|240|acre|km2|sing=on island just minutes from downtown Corpus Christi. The University currently serves more than 8,500 students. The university is a member of the Texas A&M University System.

Facts

To date, a 30-member Advisory Council has been formed, planning meetings have been held in Corpus Christi, Houston, New Orleans, Sarasota, Washington, D.C., Havana, Monterrey, and Veracruz, and a convert|57000|sqft|m2|sing=on building has been built and occupied (November 2005). Early Gulf-wide collaborative and cooperative activities include:
* [http://gulfbase.org/ GulfBase.org] online research database
*State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit 2006 (Conference)
*Gulf exploration

HRI Research Programs

*Coastal and Marine Policy & Law
*Marine Biodiversity & Conservation Science
*Ecosystem Studies & Modeling
*Geographic Information Science
*Ocean & Human Health
*Socioeconomics

External links

* [http://harteresearchinstitute.org/index.html Official website]
* [http://www.tamucc.edu/ Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi]
* [http://gulfbase.org/ GulfBase.org]