Growing Oceans of Opportunity: The University of South Alabama’s Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Science Expands with New Facility

The University of South Alabama’s Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Science recently unveiled the updated first floor of the Education and Outreach building, which has been transformed from a 400 sqft. basement program to over 30,000 sqft. of state-of-the-art classrooms, labs, and offices. This expansion was necessary to accommodate the growing population of undergraduate students, which has increased from 20 to 250, representing a 400% growth.

President Jo Bonner emphasized the importance of the program’s proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and the Mobile Tensaw Delta in recruiting students interested in marine and environmental sciences. This unique location offers students the opportunity to study and conduct research in diverse aquatic ecosystems just a short distance from campus.

The new facility brings with it cutting-edge technology and instrumentation worth about $2 million right at the fingertips of students. With access to these resources, students can run tests on chemical concentrations in the ocean, allowing for hands-on learning and research opportunities that were previously not available. Dr. Sean Powers, Director of the Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences expressed his excitement about this new development: “This expansion represents a significant step forward in providing high-quality education and research opportunities for our students interested in marine and environmental sciences at the University of South Alabama.”