Updated: February 27, 2009

Agenda

UNOLS COUNCIL MEETING

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

Moss Landing, CA

March 11-12, 2009

 

A pdf version of the agenda is available at <200903cncag.pdf>

 

Day 2 – Wednesday, March 11th: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories – Seminar Room:  Joint session of the Fleet Improvement Committee and Council

 

0800    Coffee and Pastries

 

0830    Call the Meeting:  Vernon Asper, UNOLS Chair, will call the meeting to order and provide an opportunity for introductions.

·         Accept the minutes of the October 2008 Council Meeting. <http://www.unols.org/meetings/2008/200810cnc/200810cncmi.pdf>

 

0845    UNOLS 2009 Fleet schedules, estimated operation costs, and 2010 ship scheduling – Mike Prince and Stan Winslow

 

0915    Agency Reports – Budgets and renewal efforts:

·         NSF – Bob Houtman

-          Budget projections

-          Regional Class Status

-          ARRV Construction Status

-          Replacement Human Occupied Vehicle (RHOV)

·         NOAA - Bill O’Clock

·         NAVY – Tim Schnoor

-          Budget projections

-          Ocean Class Acquisition Process - Status

 

0945    Summary of Fleet Improvement Committee Meeting and Action Items – Dave Hebert

 

0945    Fleet Improvement Plan – draft document:

·         The draft plan is available at <http://www.unols.org/committees/fic/FIP05/document/FIP2009_draft-020609.pdf>.  Discuss steps for finalizing. - Dave Hebert and Vernon Asper

·         Discussion on issues and strategies for implementing the Fleet Improvement Plan recommendations on ship renewal.

 

1030    Break

 

1045    Interagency Working Group on Facilities – Report on the IWG-F Federal Facilities and Infrastructure Inventory task and planned IWG-F activities - Bob Houtman

 

1105    National Research Council Studies:

·         Evolution of the National Oceanographic Research Fleet. - The study is funded by the Office of Naval Research.  The description and membership can be found at <http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/projectview.aspx?key=49014>.  The OSB Committee held their first meeting on January 29th. Vernon Asper, Mike Prince, and Dave Hebert provided a presentation. – Vernon Asper will report on the meeting.

·         NAS Study on Ocean Infrastructure - Status?

 

1130    Consortium for Ocean Leadership – Report on Ocean Leadership meeting and items of interest to UNOLS. A 2009 UNOLS Goal is to work with Ocean Leadership, the NRC, and the federal agencies to ensure that the fleet is right sized and has the right capabilities for ocean sciences in the coming decades. – Marcia McNutt and Mike Prince

 

1200    This concludes the joint meeting of the FIC and Council.

 

Lunch Break

 

1300    Crew and Marine Technician Recruitment and Retention – Report on the outcome and recommendations from the February Workshop - Stewart Lamerdin

 

1345    Establishing Facility Renewal and Upgrade Priorities – The UNOLS Policy on Committee Recommendations to Agencies included the task that UNOLS establish facility priorities.  At the last meeting it was suggested that facility renewal/upgrades be organized into categories of near term, intermediate term, and long term priority OR high, medium, low priority.  Discuss strategies for moving forward with this task. – Vernon Asper

 

1430    Break

 

1445    UNOLS 2009 Goal - Investigate the feasibility of a more flexible UNOLS to meet the needs of additional users.  - 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.  We need to better understand this divergence (cost problems, insurance issues, mission mismatches, different decision timescales, etc.) and do what we can to re-converge.  NSF and ONR have been asked for guidance regarding the conditions in which outside funding for ship use could be sought and scheduled.  Form an ad hoc subcommittee to investigate the problem and make recommendations. - Vernon Asper

 

1530    Ad-hoc Committee on Data Management Best Practices and Rolling deck to Repository (R2R) Project – Status report of their efforts and a summary of the R2R February Workshop will be provided.  (Mike Prince and Jon Alberts)

 

1600    Safety Standards - The draft safety standard documents are available at the URLs below for Council review.  The Council is requested to consider approval at the March meeting.

·         Research Vessel Safety Standards http://www.unols.org/publications/manuals/saf_stand/2006/2008_RVSS_Revision.html  

·         Safety Standards for Human Occupied Vehicles http://www.unols.org/meetings/2009/200903cnc/HOVSS_rev_0112093.pdf  

 

1620    Revival of SCOAR – A candidate for the Chair Position has been nominated and is willing to serve.  Plans for reconvening the committee are underway. – Mike Prince

 

1635    Continue to lower barriers to effective use of UNOLS ships caused by disabilities, gender, or other special situations. – Mike Prince has polled the UNOLS Representatives to determine which institutions have harassment training programs and how many need it. Based on demand, a voluntary on-line training program could be developed. Status report – Mike Prince

 

1645    The Future of R/V Gould Operations in the Antarctic – Mike Prince

 

1700    Adjourn Day 1

Day 2: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories - Seminar Room

 

0800    Coffee and Pastries

 

0830    Open Day-2 of the Meeting:  Vernon Asper, UNOLS Chair, will reconvene the meeting.

 

0845    Status of UNOLS Office Transition – Jon Alberts and Mike Prince

 

0900    Code of Conduct for Marine Scientific Research Vessels – UNOLS has recommended that the Federal Agencies endorse the ISOM Code of Conduct for Marine Scientific Research Vessels that addresses the Impact of Research Vessels on the Environment and impact of regulations on the conduct of research.  – (Bob Houtman and Tim Schnoor)

 

0915    Post Cruise Assessment Reports – Discussion about the need to implement revisions to the UNOLS PCAR form and to create separate forms for Captains and Marine Technicians.  – Mike Prince

 

0945    Other Business:

·         Annual meeting:

o        Date

o        Keynote Speaker suggestions

·         Form Nominating Committee to review Council membership and positions opening, and to recruit individuals to stand for election in 2009.

·         Calendar of UNOLS meetings for 2009

·         UNOLS Council Summer Phone/Web Meeting – Dates

 

1015    Break

 

1030    Committee Activities and Issues requiring Council Attention: Committee Chairs will have an opportunity to raise any other issues requiring Council attention.  Written reports will be available in advance of the meeting.

·         FIC (Dave Hebert)

·         AICC (Carin Ashjian)

·         DESSC

·         RVOC (Pete Zerr)

·         RVTEC (Rich Findley)

·         SCOAR (Mike Prince)

·         SSC (Stan Winslow)

·         MLSOC (Steve Holbrook)

 

1145    Opportunity for Additional Reports

 

1200    Adjourn