News Release

Top oil spill expert available to discuss new oil spill dispersant research

Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of New Hampshire

DURHAM, N.H. - Nancy Kinner, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of New Hampshire and an internationally recognized oil spill expert, is available to discuss new post-Deepwater Horizon (DWH) dispersant research and its use in future oil spill responses.

Kinner is known as a leading independent expert on the fate and effects of spilled oil. During the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, she was sought after for her expertise by hundreds of national media outlets and testified before federal lawmakers three times. In addition, she has taken a leadership role in creating and disseminating scientific knowledge in support of clean-up efforts, convening several high-level meetings among spill responders, scientists, and other stakeholders including in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska.

She can be reached directly at 603-479-3777 or nancy.kinner@unh.edu.

Kinner will speak at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference in San Antonio Friday, Feb. 16, 2018, at 11 a.m. ET at the Austin Convention Center, room 17B. She will speak during the session "Oil and Water Do Mix: The Fate of Dispersed Oil Droplets in the Sea." According to Kinner, the state-of-science of dispersants and dispersed oil has exponentially expanded since the DWH spill in 2010. Research indicates that much smaller droplets are created by applying chemical dispersants to oil slicks, or at the wellhead, after a blowout. This creates new realities for protection of human health, biodegradation and oil exposure routes for marine habitat.

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The Coastal Response Research Center, founded at UNH in 2004, is a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and UNH that addresses a range of hydrocarbon-based spill topics with national and international stakeholders in government, industry, and academia. It draws on UNH's expertise in marine science, ocean and environmental engineering, and environmental science as well as New Hampshire's independent position as a state with no oil production or refining.

The University of New Hampshire is a flagship research university that inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top ranked programs in business, engineering, law, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. UNH's research portfolio includes partnerships with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, receiving more than $100 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.


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