2010 UNOLS Council Slate

 

Elections will be held at the UNOLS Annual meeting on 14 October 2010 to fill the Council member terms that will expire this year.  UNOLS Nominating Committee members Bruce Corliss (Chair), Peter Wiebe, and Wilford Gardner have assembled a slate of candidates for the UNOLS Council positions to be filled.  This election will be held in accordance with the UNOLS Charter as readopted 12 October 2007.  The slate and information about the candidates can be found below.

 

CHAIR-ELECT (2 year term) – Individual affiliated with any UNOLS Member Institution

 

Dr. Christopher I. Measures, University of Hawaii

 

Dr. Peter B. Ortner, University of Miami/RSMAS

 

NON-OPERATOR REPRESENTATIVE (3 year term) – Individual affiliated with any designated UNOLS Non-Operator Member Institution

 

Dr. Bernard Coakley, University of Alaska Fairbanks

 

Dr. John M. Morrison, University of North Carolina at Wilmington

 

 

AT-LARGE REPRESENTATIVE (3 year term) – Individual affiliated with any UNOLS Member Institution

 

Dr. Daniel J. Fornari, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

 

Dr. Nancy N. Rabalais, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium

 

Additional Changes to the Council Membership

 

At the close of the 2010 Annual Meeting, the following changes in the UNOLS Council membership will take place:

 

·        The current UNOLS Council Chair, Dr. Vernon Asper, will become the Council Immediate past Chair.

 

·        The current Council Chair-Elect, Dr. Bruce Corliss, will become the UNOLS Council Chair.

Candidates for Council Chair-Elect Position

 

Dr. Christopher I. Measures, University of Hawaii

 

Statement of Interest for Chair-Elect Position:

 

Over the last two decades oceanographic research has moved into a new phase that seeks global descriptions of the oceans on a regular basis, along with the traditional curiosity-driven research.  In addition, concern from the public and elected leaders with global climate change will inevitably drive an increasing demand for oceanic monitoring which will be facilitated by satellites, moorings, AUVs and novel sampling devices.  These platforms will all need surface ship support and thus will drive an increased need for vessels with significantly improved capabilities for deploying and recovering instrumentation as well as improved means to download data products from remote instrumentation in real time. Finally, the increasing desire amongst researchers and modelers to develop an integrated understanding of how oceanic processes interconnect across the traditional thematic boundaries has resulted in the assembly of large multi-disciplinary ship-based science groups which increases demand for bunk, laboratory and deck space.  However, while US scientists have been at the forefront of developing global-scale international research programs, the infrastructure of the US research fleet has been deteriorating rapidly, to the point where it will be questionable if the US will continue to be able to participate effectively in the programs that its own scientists have helped create.

 

As the organizing body for US oceanographic research infrastructure, the UNOLS council and its leadership are the interface between scientific users and operators and the organizations that provide the funds to acquire and operate them.  Thus, UNOLS presents the community overview of the state of, and the needs for, research infrastructure in the US.  Since 2000 there have been 5 national reports that have detailed the reasons to develop a comprehensive long-term plan for recapitalization of the UNOLS fleet, to maintain its size and increase its capability.  During that same period, though, plans were scaled back to the point where the current implementation plan envisages a 40% reduction in the academic fleet by 2025.  Two of our general purpose global class ships are now over 40 years old, built before even the first global program, GEOSECS, was implemented, and more than 10 years beyond the usual retirement date of research vessels.  Despite tremendous efforts on the part of the operators to maintain these vessels, breakdowns are inevitable and likely to increase in the future, disrupting carefully constructed national and international programs.  This lack of progress in implementing the carefully thought out recapitalization program comes despite the concerted efforts of UNOLS council, its leadership and subcommittees; clearly, we are not being heard.

 

In the course of my ~35 year research career as a geochemist specializing in shipboard trace element determinations, I have been a direct beneficiary of the UNOLS system.  While the vast majority of my work has been on UNOLS vessels, I have also participated in research cruises aboard ships from the UK, Germany, Russia and Canada, providing insights into different modes of ship operation.  My research has, and still does, involve me in large international global programs.  I have also been involved in many smaller scale curiosity-driven projects.   I believe that these experiences have given me a good perspective of the needs of a broad range of the scientific user community.  The many interactions I have had with ship operators in organizing and conducting this research have also given me a keen sense of the operational constraints that operators face in mounting expeditions and maintaining vessels.   As a member of FIC and the design team for RV Kilo Moana I have also had direct experience in shipbuilding and the many pitfalls that are associated with that process.

 

I do not have a simple answer to why we have not been able to implement the recapitalization of the research fleet as originally envisaged, but I do believe that this is a critical problem for the oceanographic research community and UNOLS.  If elected, I would work with the council and its leadership to persuade lawmakers of the urgency of replacing our ageing infrastructure and that UNOLS, given its role in representing the larger oceanographic research community, be the voice that determines the rate and type of asset acquisition.

 

Recent events in the Gulf of Mexico may help forward this agenda since they clearly illustrate both the ease with which human activities can precipitate environmental disasters and the need to have research infrastructure readily available to deal with the problems.  The timetable for research vessel design and construction is very long compared to the immediate need to develop a scientific understanding of, and provide a response to, environmental problems.

 

Biographical Sketch:

 

Professional Experience:

1996-current:     Professor, Dept. of Oceanography, Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa

2001-2003:        Chair, Dept. of Oceanography, Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa

1989-1996:        Associate Professor, Dept. of Oceanography, Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa

1985-1989:        Principal Research Scientist, Dept of Earth and Planetary Sciences, MIT

1981-1985:        Research Associate, Dept of Earth and Planetary Sciences, MIT

1978-1980         Post doctoral associate, Dept of Earth and Planetary Sciences, MIT

 

Education:

1972, B.Sc. (Honors)           Chemistry               University of Southampton              

1974, M.Sc.                        Oceanography         University of Southampton              

1978, P.hD.                         Oceanography         University of Southampton              

                                                              

Research Interests: 

 

Seagoing Experience:  Since 1974 participated in ~ 50 research cruises (including several Alvin submersible operations) covering every ocean basin.  In total ~ 3.5 years at sea.

 

Professional Memberships and Recent Service:

 

Publications:  Author or co-author of approximately 80 peer reviewed publications, numerous abstracts and several reports.

 

UNOLS Activities:

 

Website:  http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/oceanography/faculty/chrism/TraceMetalLab/Welcome.html

Dr. Peter B. Ortner, University of Miami/RSMAS

 

Statement of Interest for Chair-Elect Position:

 

I would like to be considered for the position of Chair-Elect and am eligible because of my affiliation with a UNOLS institution, the University of Miami, as Research Professor and Cooperative Institute Director.  I have served as Chair of our Ship Operations Subcommittee for nearly a decade. As indicated in the accompanying CV, I have been going to sea and conducting oceanographic research for nearly 40 years on UNOLS vessels, international vessels, U.S. Government vessels (NOAA and USCG) and commercial vessels.  Although a biological oceanographer, my collaborators have included physical oceanographers, chemical oceanographers and acousticians and our work has taken us to the arctic, the tropics and all the major oceans.  Perhaps most importantly I am intimately familiar with UNOLS, having been elected to two successive terms as a Council member.  During the last years of that service, I was a member of an Executive Subgroup the Chair established to set agenda’s and advise her as required between regular meetings.  I found my training as a lawyer to be relevant to a number of issues (e.g.- revising the charter and establishing a fair and transparent process for recommending ship layup sequences).  My familiarity with the funding agencies also proved very useful.  I had a thirty year career as a federal scientist with NOAA but also worked at the National Science Foundation even while my own work in technology development was most often funded by the Office of Naval Research.   All that I would be bringing back to UNOLS were I elected. 

 

We are in an especially challenging time for oceanography and for UNOLS.   Despite growing national appreciation of the enormity of the challenges posed by climate change, energy and environmental degradation and widening recognition of the fundamental role the oceans play in all of these issues, the physical resources available to the oceanographic community have simply not kept pace.  Our fleet of research ships, submersibles and aircraft (and the facilities that support them) is aging, retirement dates are extended and it has proven difficult to reconcile UNOLS Fleet Replacement Plan with the overall federal plan. Even our newest vessels are relatively inefficient and none take advantage of the latest green technologies. All of this as economic pressures mount and the U.S. federal debt accumulates.  Perhaps most alarming of all, too many of our young scientists are discouraged and are taking their science in directions that avoid requests for ship-days.  They are convinced doing so hurt their funding prospects at NSF.    

 

Arguing for the fleet per se is an inherently losing argument.  One has to begin with a convincing argument that certain information is essential to address compelling societally significant problems and then prove that the best way to obtain that information requires manned vessels despite all the other tools now at our disposal.  UNOLS and its Chair can’t solve all these problems or win these arguments alone but they can contribute significantly to doing so.

 

Sincerely,

Peter Ortner

 

Biographical Sketch:

 

Professional Experience:

Present:            Director, Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies

Research Professor, Department of Marine Biology and Fisheries (MBF)

1994-Present:    Adjunct Faculty, University of Miami School of Law

1978-Present:    Member Graduate Faculty, University of Miami

1978-2007:        Adjunct Professor, Department of Marine Biology and Fisheries, UM/RSMAS

2004-2007:        Chief Scientist, NOAA/Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML)

2003-2004:        Acting Laboratory Director, NOAA/AOML

1995-2002:        Division Director, Ocean Chemistry Division, NOAA/AOML

1975-1976:        Assistant Professor, Department of Earth Sciences and Geology, Bridgewater State College

1985-1995:        Supervisory Oceanographer, Ocean Chemistry Division, NOAA/AOML

1987-1988:        Special Programs Director, Division of Ocean Sciences, National Science Foundation

1977-1985:        Research Oceanographer, Ocean Chemistry Division, NOAA/AOML

 

Education:

1970 B.A.         Philosophy                                                              Yale University

1978 Ph.D.       Biological Oceanography                                         Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

1992 J.D.          Environmental Law (Magna cum Laude)                  University of Miami School of Law

1993                 Ocean and Coastal Law (LL.M. coursework only)    University of Miami School of Law

 

Research Interests:  Physical regulation of biological systems; coastal zone management, ecosystem restoration, and fisheries management science and policy; coastal ecosystem effects of hurricane landfall; coastal ecosystem implications of regional and global climate change and climate variability; trophic relationships in marine plankton communities; phytoplankton physiology, nutrient uptake and trace metal interactions; zooplankton biochemistry; fisheries oceanography; marine sources of biogenic volatiles and radiatively important trace substances; and, zooplankton sampling technology, particularly optical and acoustic.

 

Seagoing Experience:  Participant in over 90 oceanographic research cruises aboard UNOLS and NOAA vessels. Chief Scientist on more than 30 of these cruises.

 

Professional Service and Memberships (select and recent):

 

Publications: Over 60 journal articles, book chapters, and peer-reviewed technical reports.

 

UNOLS Activities:

 

Website:  http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/divs/mbf/People/Faculty/Ortner/

  

 

 

Candidates for Council Non-Operator Representative Position

 

Dr. Bernard Coakley, University of Alaska Fairbanks

 

Statement of Interest:

 

During my career, I have had the opportunity to work on a variety of ships, large and small. I have invested substantial time in developing portable data acquisition systems for MG&G programs in different settings, on varied ships and for sometimes unusual objectives. Each of these projects has forced me to consider how a ship is a type of tool. Some uses effectively exploit the capabilities of a vessel. Other times you have to struggle to make something work. Recognizing the opportunities and limitations presented by different vessels is critical to effective science planning.

 

Since 1993, I have worked primarily in the Arctic Ocean. I have directly participated in three cruises on US Navy submarines (SCICEX) and two cruises on the USCGC Healy.  The unusual conditions in the Arctic Ocean impose restrictions on how data can be acquired effectively, but the unsolved problems of tectonics and paleo-climate at high latitudes make the extra efforts worth it. Similarly, the lack of regular UNOLS platforms capable of operating at high latitude makes every cruise a somewhat specialized undertaking.

 

I spent six years on the Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee, working to facilitate access to the Arctic Ocean and the development of USCGC Healy and USCGC Polar Sea as science platforms. While these vessels have performed ably, demand for access to the Arctic Ocean exceeds the amount of ship time available. The addition of RV Sikuliaq to the UNOLS fleet will do a lot to improve access to the Arctic Ocean and expand the quantity and quality of science that can be done in this relatively unknown, complex ocean.

 

The UNOLS fleet enables seagoing science for the US research community.  Developing new opportunities should be one of the priorities for the Council. Sustaining productive lines of research should be another. I look forward to the opportunity to serve the seagoing science community on the UNOLS Council.

 

Biographical Sketch:

 

Recent Professional Experience:

05/06-Present:      Department of Geology and Geophysics - Chairman

05/02-Present:      Geophysical Institute University of Alaska; Associate Professor - tenured July 2005

01/99-05/02:         Tulane University; Assistant Professor

10/94-12/98:         Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory; Associate Research Scientist

 

Education:

1991 Ph.D.       Geology and Geophysics      Columbia University

1989 M. Phil                                               Columbia University

1988 M.S.         Geology                              Louisiana State University

1981 B.S.          Geology                              University of Michigan

 

Research Interests: 

 

Participation in Oceanographic Cruises:  Since 1993, field research has included work aboard a variety of platforms including an ice breaker (USCGC Healy) and Navy submarines (USS Hawkbill, USS Cavalla, and USS Pargo) in the Arctic Ocean, research vessels (R/V Acadiana and R/V Eugenie) in the Mississippi River, ODP drill ship (Joides Resolution) off the Canary Islands, and UNOLS vessels R/V Thomas Washington off Hawaii and R/V Atlantis-II with Alvin on the East Pacific Rise. 

 

Professional Memberships and Service:

 

Publications:  Eleven refereed publications.

 

UNOLS Activities:

 

Website: http://www.uaf.edu/geology/department-directory/faculty/dr.-bernard-coakley/

 

Dr. John M. Morrison, University of North Carolina at Wilmington

 

Statement of Interest:

 

My research interests lie in descriptive physical oceanography; general ocean circulation; estuarine and coastal ocean processes; air-sea interaction; global ocean climate; biogeochemical processes and their effects on the biodiversity of the ocean; long-term and systematic ocean observations and management of large oceanographic field activities, ocean observing; satellite remote sensing of the ocean.

 

I am a seagoing oceanographer by experience and interest.  I have served many roles aboard ship, as a student, technician, researcher and chief scientist (I even served as a deck hand on one cruise!).  I have served as a scientist and organizer for many large-scale oceanographic expeditions, most of which were interdisciplinary in nature, during my career.  I have also served a number of roles within the academic fleet, from back in the early 1990’s when I worked for the National Academy on a report on the composition and status of the academic fleet, to a local role as Chair of the Policy Board and Chair of the Program Committee for the Duke/UNC Oceanographic Consortium.   I served as UNOLS Representative on the Regional Class Research Vessel review committee.  I have been and will continue to be a strong proponent for getting our students to sea --- even if they are modelers, they need to have seagoing experience. I am sure that my wide range of experience in the Academic Fleet will allow me to serve the community well during a time of great challenges for UNOLS and the research fleet, as the fleet ages, resources become more strained and we begin to get ready for large infrastructure programs such as OOI, IOOS and COOS.  Currently completing a 3-year team as a member of the UNOLS Council.

 

Biographical Sketch:

 

Current Positions:

2006-Present:    Full Professor, Center for Marine Science and Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 29403

2005-Present:    Adjunct Full Professor, Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC  27695-8208

Education: 

1971 B.A.         Physics                               College of the Holy Cross

1974 M. S.        Physical Oceanography       Texas A&M University

1977 Ph.D.       Physical Oceanography       Texas A&M University

 

Research Interests:  Descriptive physical oceanography; general ocean circulation; air-sea interaction and climate; ocean observing systems.

 

Seagoing Experience:  Over the last 30 years, spent more than 30 months at sea as a student, technician and scientist; serving the role of Chief Scientist for many cruises.  Also served as logistics officer for a number of large, multi-institutional and multi-national cruises.  Cruise experience has included work aboard the UNOLS vessels: Savannah, Cape Henlopen, Cape Hatteras, Alaminos, Gyre, Knorr, Thompson, Thomas G. Thompson, Roger Revelle, Atlantis II, and Melville; non-UNOLS vessels: Susan Hudson, Cape Fear, Palmer, Researcher (Ronald H. Brown), and Explorer Of The Seas; and on international vessels, such as Sierra Negra, Yelcho, and Darwin, and on countless other smaller vessels.

 

Memberships and Professional Service (current and relevant):

·         Member International Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conferences Executive Committee, 2002—present

·         Member, NASA Ocean Color Research Team, 2002 – present.

·         Member, South Atlantic Bight Physical Oceanography and Meteorology, 2006 – present.

·         Member, Duke/UNC Oceanographic Consortium Program Committee, 1985 - 1996, 1998 - Present  (Chairman, 1986 -1992)

·         Chairman, Duke/UNC Oceanographic Consortium Policy Board, 1998 - 2009

·         Member (Alternate), Council for Ocean Leadership, 2007 – present

·         Head UNCW Oceanography CORE Facilities, 2007 – present.

·         Member Advisory Board for NOAA Cooperative Institute for Ocean Education, Research and Technology (CIOERT), 2009 – present

·         Member (Alternate), Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association

 

Awards/Recognitions: 

 

Publications: Over 40 publications and numerous published abstracts and reports. 

 

UNOLS Activities:

·         Member, UNOLS Regional Class Advisory Committee (RCAC), 2003 –2009.

·         Member UNOLS Council, 2008 – Present

·         Chairman Ad Hoc Nominating Committee for the UNOLS Ocean Observing Science Committee – 2010

 

Website:  http://www.uncw.edu/phy/fac-morrison.html

 

Candidates for Council At-Large Position

 

Dr. Daniel J. Fornari, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

 

Statement of Interest:

 

Please consider this letter as a formal application for your consideration to have me serve on the UNOLS Council, either as an at-large member or an operator member. I have been involved in oceanographic research since 1970. I have had extensive experience in both lab-based research and field work involving UNOLS vessels, and have been involved in operations at three oceanographic institutions – SIO, LDEO, and currently at WHOI for the past 17 years. I have also served as the first Chief Scientist for Deep Submergence, a Director of one of WHOI’s four internal institutes – the Deep Ocean Exploration Institute, and am now the Ridge 2000 Program Chair until ~2012. My CV is appended for your review. It lists only the most recent of the nearly 80 cruises I have participated on. I have utilized nearly all classes of UNOLS vessels, both as a participating scientist and chief scientist.

 

I believe that routine and well-managed research ship access to the oceans for a broad cross-section of scientists from all universities and institutions has been and should continue to be a hallmark of US oceanographic research. UNOLS has and continues to provide this programmatic role and has effectively managed the complex planning and scheduling tasks in collaboration with operating institutions and funding agencies – always with the interests of the research scientist at the forefront. This effective ombudsman role that UNOLS plays is unique in the international oceanographic community, and it works because of the objective and dedicated efforts of community members that offer their service. I have a broad experience in oceanographic research, in-depth knowledge of the synergy between marine operations and productive at-sea research, and a willingness to contribute to the UNOLS effort on behalf of the community.

 

Dan Fornari

 

Biographical Sketch:

 

Professional Experience:

2008-Present:    Chair, Ridge 2000 Program

2004 to 2008:     Director- Deep Ocean Exploration Institute at WHOI

2002-Present:    W. Van Alan Clark Senior Scientist Chair- WHOI

1998-Present:    Senior Scientist, Geology & Geophysics Dept. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

1993 to 2004:     WHOI Chief Scientist for Deep Submergence

1993 to 1998:     Assoc. Scientist w/tenure, WHOI

1973 to 1993:     Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, graduate student, and then researcher

 

Education:

1978 Ph.D        Marine Geology       Columbia University

1975 M.A         Geology                  Columbia University

1975 M.Phil      Geology                  Marine Geology

1972 B.S.          Geology                  University of Wisconsin-Madison

Research Interests:  Morphology and structure of mid-ocean ridges and transform faults; mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal processes; collection and interpretation of marine geophysical data including multibeam bathymetry and high resolution side scan sonar; geochemistry and petrology of ocean floor rocks, magmatic processes and petrochemical evolution of spreading centers, ridge-transform intersections, and intra-transform spreading centers; seamounts, their morphology, volcanic history, structure, and volcanic products; Alvin submersible, ROV, and AUV based deep sea research and technology development.

 

Seagoing Experience:  A seagoing scientist since 1970. Dan began his oceanographic experience on the maiden voyage of the R/V Melville of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and participated in nearly 80 research cruises in the past ~40 years, many as Chief Scientists or co-Chief.

 

Professional Memberships and Recent Service:

 

Publications:  First or co-author of 110 publications in refereed journals.

 

UNOLS Activities:

 

Website http://www.whoi.edu/profile/dfornari/ 

Dr. Nancy N. Rabalais, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium

 

Statement of Interest:

 

I have served UNOLS as a member-at-large for the past three years and would like to continue to do so. LUMCON (Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium) has been an active member of the UNOLS community for many years with its UNOLS ship R/V Pelican and general support for UNOLS activities. The Pelican is the most subscribed vessel in the UNOLS fleet of most classes except the global vessels. She has earned her reputation as a “can do” vessel for the science and accolades for scheduling flexibility, shore and offshore support, safety, berthing, and food. I have been an active member of the UNOLS Council for the past three years, representing smaller research vessels and the “southern” coast, while maintaining an overall appreciation for the UNOLS operation as a whole. I recently served on the Ocean Studies Board committee on the evolution of the academic fleet resulting in “Science at Sea: Meeting Future Oceanographic Goals with a Robust Academic Research Fleet.” I serve on the UNOLS ad hoc committees for review of the UNOLS Charter and one for investigating the feasibility of a more flexible UNOLS fleet with regard to engaging non-traditional users. I am also a member of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership working group to discuss academic fleet replacement and funding models. I have been a member-at-large with my presence at UNOLS meetings, in person and on teleconferences of three hours each over two days. I plan to, if re-elected, to continue in sustained service to UNOLS. I will work with other UNOLS leaders to ensure that UNOLS is the proactive voice of the academic fleet in guiding the needs of the marine science community and development into the future.

 

Biographical Sketch:

 

Current Professional Positions:

2005-present     Executive Director, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium

1997-present     Professor, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium

Present:            Adjunct, Louisiana State University, Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences

Present:            Adjunct, Nicholls State University, Department of Biological Sciences

 

Education: 

1972 B.S.          Biology (Minor: Chemistry),             Texas A&I University

1975 M.S.         Biology (Minor: Psychology)            Texas A&I University

1983 Ph.D        Zoology (Minor: Marine Studies)      University of Texas

 

Research Interests: 

 

Seagoing Experience:  Chief Scientist on numerous cruises on research vessels in the Gulf of Mexico, and on the R/V Pelican since 1985, several cruises on the R/V Longhorn from 1976-1979 and 2004, and two cruises on the 250-ft Dong Fang Hong, Ocean University, Qingdao, China in 1986-1987.

 

Professional Memberships and Service (select and since 2005):

·         Member, Advisory Committee, NSF Environmental Research and Education directorate, 2007 – present

·         Member, Board of Directors, GCOOS, Gulf of Mexico Regional Association, 2005 – present

·         Representative, National Federation of Regional Associations, IOOS, 2008 – present

 

Awards, Commissions (since 2005)

·         Clarke Prize, National Water Resources Institute, July 2008

·         Ruth Patrick Award, ASLO, American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, 2008

·         Member, Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel, NOPP, 2002-2006.

 

Publications: 

 

UNOLS Activities:

 

Website:  Additional information about Dr. Rabalais and her research is available at :    <http://www.lumcon.edu/research/faculty.asp?name=nrabalais> and <http://www.gulfhypoxia.net>.