A groundbreaking was held Monday for Mississippi State University’s Northern Gulf Aquatic Science Lab, a first-of-its-kind facility that will focus on aquatic food safety, quality assessment, and processing and product development.
Officials from the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation, Jackson County Board of Supervisors, Jackson County Port Authority, and Mississippi State unveiled the lab’s future home at the Sunplex Industrial Complex in Ocean Springs. With the groundbreaking, Jackson County is slated to become one of the few counties nationwide that have two flagship research institutions. The University of Southern Mississippi houses its Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, as well.
According to a press release from the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation, the investment to bring another academic lab to the area is part of JCEDF’s “Industry 4.0” plan, which is focused on research and development as a driver of economic growth.
“We believe in creating relationships with our partners, going beyond recruiting to work together to ensure long-term success,” JCEDF Deputy Director Mary Matha Henson said. “Working with a flagship university like Mississippi State will continue to give Jackson County opportunities to diversify our economy and bring in high-skilled, high-paying jobs to support an industry that is an economic driver and an integral part of the Gulf Coast’s fabric.”
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With a statewide seafood industry that contributes more than $300 million to the economy, the Northern Gulf Aquatic Science Lab is expected to meet a critical need in testing seafood safety and paving the way for future innovation through research.
Upon completion, the facility will be the first of three planned structures housing a biosafety laboratory for testing pathogens and toxins. There will also be an analytical chemistry lab for measuring chemical residues in water and aquatic food products. Both will combine to help Mississippi-based seafood processors, who currently rely on out-of-state laboratories for testing.
“A major limiting factor for aquatic foods safety testing here in Mississippi is that no such facility is available, so our local processors have to send samples as far away as Galveston, Texas,” said James Henderson, professor and center head of Mississippi State’s Coastal Research and Extension Center. “This facility will allow us to expedite that process.”
