Auburn To Build Research Center In Orange Beach

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Auburn University plans to establish a coastal engineering research center in Orange Beach on land provided by the city, Business Alabama reports. Broadly, the center will focus on water quality, habitat protection and enhancing coastal community sustainability and resilience. “The project will provide dedicated space for research of coastal environments and communities of the Gulf Coast, while also providing collaborative opportunities with other Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium institutions,” the university said. “The effects of natural and manmade disasters on the primary industries in the region have resulted in economic adjustments and dislocations, primarily through reductions in tourism and the simultaneous effects on tourism-related industries, damage to public and private infrastructure, negative impacts to agriculture and fishing-related industries, and damage to the natural environment and natural resources.”