Published on December 10, 2010  
Dr. David Johnson
Dr. David Johnson

Drs. David Johnson and Jennifer Layton of the Biological and Environmental Sciences department received more than $19,000 from the $500 million given by the gas industry’s British Petroleum (BP). BP pledged to give $500 million in grant money to the best scientists in states surrounding the Gulf of Mexico in order “to study the impact of the Deepwater Horizon incident, and its associated response, on the environment and public health in the Gulf of Mexico.” Samford was one of the 22 four-year universities in Alabama that received grant money for research on the present conditions in the gulf, and future effects from the major environmental event. Dr. Johnson will be researching marine ciliates in oil-spill contaminated waters, while Dr. Layton will be researching the genetic implications of relocating loggerhead sea turtle eggs from the coastline.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.