Gabriele Morra receives collaborative ocean exploration grant

Dr. Gabriele Morra, faculty member in the Physics Department, has received a new award supported by the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, a partnership between the NOAA Office of Exploration and Research, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Rhode Island, the University of Southern Mississippi, the Ocean Exploration Trust, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. This project aims to develop Machine Learning (ML)-driven surveys and mapping of the seabed using autonomous underwater vehicles, with the objective of monitoring biodiversity such as deep coral distributions. This funding (about $441,000) will support a post-doctoral researcher, a PhD student, and new computing equipment for the first two years, with a potential renewal from NOAA. Dr. Morra will work with Dr. Leonardo Macelloni (University of Southern Mississippi), a marine geophysicist with over 15 years of experience in seafloor mapping. The post-doctoral researcher and PhD student will frequently visit the Hydrographic Science Research Center, part of the Stennis Space Center, where spectral sensors will be built to work with the ML algorithms developed by Dr. Morra's group.