UNOLS Issues 2008-2009

Major Issues and Guiding Principles for UNOLS
2008-2009

Table of Contents:

UNOLS Mission & Vision Statements
What the Charter Says
Goals
2007/2008 Important Issues and Objectives

UNOLS Vision and Mission Statements

Vision - The US Ocean Science research and education programs are healthy and vigorous, thanks to broad access to the best possible mix of modern, capable, efficiently run, and well-operated research vessels, aircraft, submersibles and other major shared-use facilities.

Mission - UNOLS provides a primary forum through which the ocean research and education community, research facility operators and the supporting Federal agencies work cooperatively to improve access, scheduling, operation, and capabilities of current and future academic oceanographic facilities.

What the Charter Says

The UNOLS Charter was originally adopted in 1972 and serves as the bylaws and guiding document for operation of the organization. The introduction and objectives underscore the overall purpose of UNOLS

INTRODUCTION

Recognizing the need for coordinated use of federally supported oceanographic facilities, the community of academic oceanographic institutions, which use and operate those facilities, by virtue of this Charter, do hereby establish an organization of academic oceanographic institutions. The organization shall be named the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS). UNOLS is solely an advisory body. Execution and enforcement of its recommendations are matters for member institutions and for agencies, which fund the construction and operation of UNOLS facilities.

OBJECTIVES

An objective of UNOLS is to coordinate and review the access to and utilization of facilities for academic oceanographic research, and the current match of facilities to the needs of academic oceanographic programs. UNOLS makes appropriate recommendations of priorities for replacing, modifying or improving the numbers and mix of facilities for the community of users. Another objective is to foster federal and other support for academic oceanography, thereby continuing and enhancing the excellence of this nation's oceanographic program. Emphasis is placed on ships and other seagoing facilities.

Goals for 2009

Promote broad, coordinated access to oceanographic research facilities
- Maintain a system and procedures that facilitate and promote broad access to research vessels and other major ocean science facilities.
- Support coordinated, efficient and effective scheduling of research vessels and facilities.
Support continuous improvement of existing facilities
- Foster co-operation among facility operators, funding agencies and research scientists with the goal of continuously improving the quality and capability of existing ocean science facilities and the quality, reliability and safety of their operation.
Plan for and foster support for the oceanographic facilities of the future
- Provide leadership and broad community input to the process of planning for and supporting the improvement, renewal and addition of facilities required to support the ocean sciences in the future.
Investigate the feasibility of a more flexible UNOLS to meet the needs of additional users.

Work with the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, the National Research Council, and the federal agencies to ensure that the fleet is right sized and has the right capabilities for ocean sciences in the coming decades.

Contine to lower barriers to effective use of UNOLS ships caused by disabilities, gender, or other special situations.

2008/2009 Important Issues

Issue: Flexibility
o Our science is being supported by a more diverse array of stakeholders, paradoxically at the same time that support for UNOLS is getting less broad in its base.
o We need to better understand this divergence (cost problems, insurance issues, mission mismatches, different decision timescales, etc.) and do what we can to reconverge.
o Suggest that this is a task for an ad hoc subcommittee to investigate problem and make recommendations.

Issue: Planning for the Future
o The fact that facilities costs are exceeding funds available is not just a UNOLS problem, nor even just an OCE problem
o For that reason, the solution is unlikely to come from UNOLS working unilaterally, but rather UNOLS working in concert with Ocean Leadership, the agencies, and institutions.
o Facilities must be right sized for the budget and appropriately designed for the science mission.
o UNOLS must be ready with its input as the expert on ship operations and must be at the table, but will not be able to solve the problem alone.

Issue: Maritime Personnel
o Crew and marine technician retention has always been a challenge for UNOLS vessels.
o The issue is now reaching crisis proportions with the boom in the offshore industry, which makes it very difficult for academic salaries to compete.
o So much specialized training is invested into each shipboard crewmember to meet the regulations that turnover is a huge financial loss.
o UNOLS is examining strategies for addressing this issue.

Issues: Equal Access
• Fewer agencies supporting fleet operations at historical levels
• Difficult to keep a talented group of technical support at sea, with increased needs for high levels of training
• Overall higher costs (fuel, SOLAS, Homeland Security, etc.)
• Using the fleet in different, more efficient ways
• Need to begin thinking about more fuel-efficient ships of the future
• Additional facilities beyond fleet?
Issues: Equal Access
• We are making progress in ADA access.
• UNOLS will experiment with online training to increase awareness on what actions constitute sexual harassment and the negative consequences of such behavior on UNOLS vessels.

The University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System is an organization of 61 U. S. institutions that have academic research and education programs in the ocean sciences and an interest in promoting the best possible national shared use facilities to support these programs. Eighteen of the UNOLS institutions are operators of these major shared use facilities, including research vessels, submersibles, aircraft and major instrumentation. Facilities are owned either by one of the Federal agencies or by individual institutions. UNOLS serves in an advisory role to the facility operators and to the supporting Federal agencies, and as a coordinator or facilitator of community-wide efforts directed toward scheduling, access, and improvement of existing facilities, and planning for future facilities.



	Major Issues and Guiding Principles for UNOLS 2008-2009 Table of Contents: UNOLS Mission & Vision Statements What the Charter Says Goals 2007/2008 Important Issues and Objectives UNOLS Vision and Mission Statements Vision - The US Ocean Science research and education programs are healthy and vigorous, thanks to broad access to the best possible mix of modern, capable, efficiently run, and well-operated research vessels, aircraft, submersibles and other major shared-use facilities. Mission - UNOLS provides a primary forum through which the ocean research and education community, research facility operators and the supporting Federal agencies work cooperatively to improve access, scheduling, operation, and capabilities of current and future academic oceanographic facilities. What the Charter Says The UNOLS Charter was originally adopted in 1972 and serves as the bylaws and guiding document for operation of the organization. The introduction and objectives underscore the overall purpose of UNOLS INTRODUCTION Recognizing the need for coordinated use of federally supported oceanographic facilities, the community of academic oceanographic institutions, which use and operate those facilities, by virtue of this Charter, do hereby establish an organization of academic oceanographic institutions. The organization shall be named the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS). UNOLS is solely an advisory body. Execution and enforcement of its recommendations are matters for member institutions and for agencies, which fund the construction and operation of UNOLS facilities. OBJECTIVES An objective of UNOLS is to coordinate and review the access to and utilization of facilities for academic oceanographic research, and the current match of facilities to the needs of academic oceanographic programs. UNOLS makes appropriate recommendations of priorities for replacing, modifying or improving the numbers and mix of facilities for the community of users. Another objective is to foster federal and other support for academic oceanography, thereby continuing and enhancing the excellence of this nation's oceanographic program. Emphasis is placed on ships and other seagoing facilities. Goals for 2009 *Promote broad, coordinated access to oceanographic research facilities* Maintain a system and procedures that facilitate and promote broad access to research vessels and other major ocean science facilities. Support coordinated, efficient and effective scheduling of research vessels and facilities. *Support continuous improvement of existing facilities* Foster co-operation among facility operators, funding agencies and research scientists with the goal of continuously improving the quality and capability of existing ocean science facilities and the quality, reliability and safety of their operation. *Plan for and foster support for the oceanographic facilities of the future* Provide leadership and broad community input to the process of planning for and supporting the improvement, renewal and addition of facilities required to support the ocean sciences in the future. Investigate the feasibility of a more flexible UNOLS to meet the needs of additional users. Work with the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, the National Research Council, and the federal agencies to ensure that the fleet is right sized and has the right capabilities for ocean sciences in the coming decades. *Contine to lower barriers to effective use of UNOLS ships caused by disabilities, gender, or other special situations.* 2008/2009 Important Issues *Issue: Flexibility* o Our science is being supported by a more diverse array of stakeholders, paradoxically at the same time that support for UNOLS is getting less broad in its base. o We need to better understand this divergence (cost problems, insurance issues, mission mismatches, different decision timescales, etc.) and do what we can to reconverge. o Suggest that this is a task for an ad hoc subcommittee to investigate problem and make recommendations. Issue: Planning for the Future o The fact that facilities costs are exceeding funds available is not just a UNOLS problem, nor even just an OCE problem o For that reason, the solution is unlikely to come from UNOLS working unilaterally, but rather UNOLS working in concert with Ocean Leadership, the agencies, and institutions. o Facilities must be right sized for the budget and appropriately designed for the science mission. o UNOLS must be ready with its input as the expert on ship operations and must be at the table, but will not be able to solve the problem alone. *Issue: Maritime Personnel* o Crew and marine technician retention has always been a challenge for UNOLS vessels. o The issue is now reaching crisis proportions with the boom in the offshore industry, which makes it very difficult for academic salaries to compete. o So much specialized training is invested into each shipboard crewmember to meet the regulations that turnover is a huge financial loss. o UNOLS is examining strategies for addressing this issue. Issues: Equal Access • Fewer agencies supporting fleet operations at historical levels • Difficult to keep a talented group of technical support at sea, with increased needs for high levels of training • Overall higher costs (fuel, SOLAS, Homeland Security, etc.) • Using the fleet in different, more efficient ways • Need to begin thinking about more fuel-efficient ships of the future • Additional facilities beyond fleet? Issues: Equal Access • We are making progress in ADA access. • UNOLS will experiment with online training to increase awareness on what actions constitute sexual harassment and the negative consequences of such behavior on UNOLS vessels. The University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System is an organization of 61 U. S. institutions that have academic research and education programs in the ocean sciences and an interest in promoting the best possible national shared use facilities to support these programs. Eighteen of the UNOLS institutions are operators of these major shared use facilities, including research vessels, submersibles, aircraft and major instrumentation. Facilities are owned either by one of the Federal agencies or by individual institutions. UNOLS serves in an advisory role to the facility operators and to the supporting Federal agencies, and as a coordinator or facilitator of community-wide efforts directed toward scheduling, access, and improvement of existing facilities, and planning for future facilities.
© 2009 University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System