Ed Overton, professor emeritus in LSU’s School of the Coast & Environment, and his team of scientists were recently honored with the Superior Accomplishment Award by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, Office of Response and Restoration, for extraordinary sustained support and contributions to the ongoing efforts to mitigate the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

“The LSU [environmental] chemistry team has provided pivotal support to NOAA for analytical chemistry and data analysis, both in the field and in the lab on a continuous basis since last April,” said Chief of the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration William Conner in the award notice. “LSU’s ‘can-do’ attitude and solution-oriented posture contributes significantly to success of the NOAA response mission. You have provided quality service in an efficient and exceptional fashion.”

During the aftermath of the oil spill, Overton’s lab evaluated samples for NOAA, performing chemical analyses to determine toxicity levels and other important qualities of the oil. His lab has been studying the environmental impact of oil spills for NOAA since 1984, analyzing samples, interpreting data and developing conclusions about how to use mitigation strategies.

Overton’s team members include research associates Scott Miles, Buffy Meyers, Heng Gao and Lee Levergne, with valuable support from Robert Wong.

“My research group colleagues certainly rose to the challenge and provided 24/7 support to NOAA during the frantic days when oil was gushing into the Gulf,” said Overton. “Their contributions cannot be overstated.”