2005 UNOLS Annual Meeting

Last Update: October 8, 2005

Tentative Agenda

UNOLS ANNUAL MEETING
8:30 A.M., Friday, 14 October 2005
National Science Foundation, Room 1235
4201 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA

A copy of this agenda can be downloaded at <200510anuag.pdf>.

0800 Coffee and Pastries

0830 Introduction and Welcome - Peter Wiebe, UNOLS Chair, will call the meeting to order and will give a brief summary of the issues of current interest to UNOLS. He will also summarize the major accomplishments within UNOLS over the last year. Participant introductions.

Keynote Panel Address

The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy's recommendations for a coordinated and comprehensive national ocean policy "An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century," were provided to the President and Congress one year ago. In response, the Administration has developed the “U.S. Ocean Action Plan,” which outlines immediate, short-term and additional long-term actions that provide direction for ocean policy. Similarly, the U.S. Congress has conducted various oversight hearings and is acting on important legislation designed to implement many of the Commission's recommendations.

Key participants in these important processes will address the UNOLS annual meeting in a panel comprised of Dr. David Halpern from the the President's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and former Ocean Commission staff member Mr. Peter Hill (now with CORE). Also invited and planning to participate if posssible is Ms. Margaret Spring, Senior Minority Counsel, Oceans and Fisheries Subcommittee of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation.

An opportunity for questions and discussion with the panel and other representatives of our supporting Federal Agencies will be included as part of the program.

Budget Shortfall and Impact on Fleet Operations and Facility Construction Plans: Introduction by Peter Wiebe

UNOLS Fleet Renewal Activities - Reports by Peter Wiebe, Dave Hebert, and agency representatives on implementation of the Fleet Renewal Plan.

Federal Agency plans for implementation:

UNOLS Membership Votes

Formation of a New Standing Committee – The Membership will be asked to vote on forming a new UNOLS standing committee to oversee science and operations for the R/V Marcus Langseth as a National Oceanographic Seismic Facility. The recommended name for the committee is the Marcus Langseth Science Oversight Committee (MLSOC). The proposed terms of reference for the committee can be viewed at <MLSOC_proposed_terms_of_reference.pdf> (Marcia McNutt)

UNOLS Elections: Elections for the following UNOLS Council positions will be held

Operator Representative (3 year term) - from among designated UNOLS Member Operator institutions

UNOLS Council Member, (3-year term) At-large, affiliated with any Member Institution.

The slate of nominees can be viewed at: <http://www.unols.org/meetings/2005/200510anu/slate05.html>.

12:00 - 1:00 PM Lunch Break

1300 COMMITTEE REPORTS – Peter Wiebe will introduce the UNOLS Committee Chairs who will report on their activities.

Research Vessel Operators' Committee (RVOC) – Tim Askew, Chair, will review the activities of RVOC in 2004/2005 and plans for the 2006 Annual RVOC meeting to be hosted by University of Washington. He will report on the status of Fleet compliance with new regulatory requirements and the RVOC Safety Committee membership.

Fleet Improvement Committee (FIC) – David Hebert, Chair, will report on the FIC activities in 2004/2005 and plans for the upcoming year. He will provide a summary of the October FIC meeting. Fleet renewal information on Ocean Class hull recommendations, Regional Class design input and UNOLS representation, and Global Class Science Mission Requirements will be provided. The status of the Fleet Improvement Plan update will be reported.

Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee (AICC) – Margo Edwards, AICC Chair, will report on the activities of the AICC in 2004/2005. She will report on science operations for Healy and the Polar Class Icebreakers in 2005 and planned for 2006. Operational funding for Healy as well as plans for the future of the the Polar Star and Polar Sea will be discussed.

DEep Submergence Science Committee (DESSC) – A DESSC member will report on DESSC activities, 2004/2005 Alvin and ROV operations, and National Deep Submergence Facility equipment/instrumentation upgrades. The status of the replacement human occupied vehicle (HOV) will be discussed. Major issues such as establishing criteria for considering new assets to the NDSF and establishing safety standards for HOVs will be addressed.

Research Vessel Technical Enhancement Committee (RVTEC) – Bill Martin, Chair, will report on RVTEC activities in 2004/2005 and plans for the 2005 RVTEC Annual Meeting to be hosted by Oregon State University.

Ship Scheduling Committee (SSC) – Rose Dufour, SSC Co-Chair, will review ship-scheduling issues over the past year including agency budget shortfalls and their impact on ship schedules. The UNOLS ship operation plans for 2006 will be reviewed.

Scientific Committee for Oceanographic Aircraft Research (SCOAR) – John Bane, SCOAR Chair will report on the committee’s activities in 2004/05 and major initiatives for the future.

Recognition of departing Council and Committee members

On-going Design and Construction Efforts:

ARRV Design status and funding

R/V Hugh R. Sharp replacement of Cape Henlopen

R/V Marcus G. Langseth Conversion

Ocean Observatories – Implementation and Timeline

Federal Agency Reports - Information from Federal Agencies (NSF, ONR, NRL, Oceanographer of the Navy including NAVO & CNMOC, NOAA, USCG, USGS, MMS, DOS and DOE) on 2005 activities and forecasts for 2006 and beyond.

Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education – A report on CORE activities of interest to UNOLS will be provided.

2005/2006 UNOLS Goals and Priorities

Peter Wiebe will present the 2005/2006 UNOLS Goals and Priorities as established by the UNOLS Council.

Issues Before UNOLS

Various UNOLS activities and issues of interest to UNOLS Members have arisen during the year. The UNOLS Chair will summarize the issues below and introduce them for discussion. [Please note – Fleet Renewal Activities will be addressed during the morning discussions and are not included here.]

UNOLS Election Results

UNOLS Office Review and Competition

Shipboard Over-the-Side Handling Systems - Preliminary Findings

Other Business

UNOLS Appointments to Committees: The UNOLS Chair will announce new appointments to the Executive Committee and standing committees in accordance with the UNOLS Charter.

Adjourn