The 23rd Information Transfer Meeting (ITM) is being hosted by the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) at the Airport Hilton, Kenner, Louisiana.  The purpose of the ITM is to foster sharing of information among participants about current research, accomplishments, or issues of concern to the MMS.  Presentations at the ITM pertain to the MMS Gulf of Mexico OCS oil and gas program, as well as regional environmental, social, or economic concerns, or current OCS industry activities or technologies.

Sessions for the 23rd ITM include:  Deepwater Technology, Air Quality, Sperm Whale Research, Deepwater Ecology, History of the Oil and Gas Industry, Coastal Studies, Physical Oceanography, Environmental Fates and Effects of Discharges, and Chemosynthetic Communities.

Participants can register for the conference at: http://conferences.uno.edu/MMS2005.htm.

Session Details:

Tuesday Morning

• Environmental Fates and Effects of Discharges

• Northern Gulf of Mexico Continental Slope Habitat and Benthic Ecology Study Results – Part I

• Offshore Oil Oral History Project

Tuesday Afternoon

• Acoustics in the Marine Environment

• Northern Gulf of Mexico Continental Slope Habitat and Benthic Ecology Study Results – Part II

• Socioeconomic Studies

Wednesday Morning

• Deepwater Technology

• Effects of Oil and Gas Exploration and Development on Selected Continental Slope Sites in the Gulf of Mexico Study Results - Part I

• Sperm Whale Seismic Study – Part I

Wednesday Afternoon

• Air Quality Issues

• Effects of Oil and Gas Exploration and Development on Selected Continental Slope Sites in the Gulf of Mexico Study Results - Part II

• Sperm Whale Seismic Study – Part II

Thursday Morning

• Deepwater Physical Oceanography Initiative – Part I

• Sensitive Biological Habitats of the Gulf of Mexico:  Wetlands to Coral Reefs

• Platform Ecology

Thursday Afternoon

• Deepwater Physical Oceanography Initiative – Part II

• Louisiana Oil Spill Research and Development Program (OSRADP)

• Deep Chemosynthetic Communities in the Gulf of Mexico

Don’t leave on Thursday!  All interested parties are invited to a special mini-workshop to be held Friday morning, January 14, 8:30 to 12:00.  The subject of this special session will be new research directions for future studies of deep chemosynthetic communities in the Gulf of Mexico.  MMS is in the process of formulating topics for a major study with objectives to better understand Gulf chemosynthetic communities in water depths below 1000 meters.  Please make plans to stay until Friday afternoon if this subject is of interest.

A block of rooms is being held at the New Orleans Airport Hilton, 901 Airline Drive. A single or double is $119.00, excluding taxes.  Call 1-800-HILTONS or (504) 469-5000 to make your own hotel reservation.

For more information, please email the Office of Conference Services at the University of New Orleans at http://conferences.uno.edu or call (504) 280-6680 or 1-800-258-8830.  Our FAX number is (504) 280-2393 and the TDD number is (504) 280-6680.  You may write us at University of New Orleans, Office of Conference Services, Lindy c. Boggs Int’l. Conference Center, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148.