NEW ORLEANS LA -- A science board overseeing $500 million in
funds BP set aside to study the company's catastrophic oil spill in
the Gulf of Mexico has awarded $112 million to independent
researchers.

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative awarded the money Tuesday. The funds have been split up for eight research projects, each one led by a university based in a Gulf state.

Those universities are: the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University at College Station, Florida State University, the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, the University of South Florida, the University of Miami, Tulane University and the University of Mississippi.