Years 4-10 of a U.S. Science Support Program associated with the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program

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Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Inc. (JOI) will support the participation of just under 500 U.S. scientists in 59 multi-platform IODP expeditions during the 6.5 year period of performance. JOI will implement a basic support package for U.S. members of the expedition science parties that differs from the traditional ODP-based model used in the first 3 years of IODP. Successful planning and science development mechanisms will also be continued, such as the U.S. Science Advisory Committee, nominations and support for the U.S. representatives to the IODP's international Science Advisory Structure, U.S.-centric planning workshops and thematic working groups, co-chief scientist and mission support, and targeted funding for pre-drilling activities associated with upcoming expeditions. A modest instrument development program focusing on the development of third-party tools and their transition to community application will be continued. Intellectual merit: The award will provide the necessary funding for U.S. scientists to participate in Integrated Ocean Drilling Program expeditions, which are designed to make fundamental discoveries about Earth, Oceans and Life in the thematic areas of the deep biosphere and subseafloor ocean; environmental changes, processes, and effects; and solid earth cycles and geodynamics. Ancillary activities such as the workshop or instrument development program allow U.S. scientists to plan for (or propose new) expeditions and maximize science outcomes of their participation.Broader impacts: The program dedicates approximately 7% of total resources towards an integrated education and outreach program that leverages the substantial existing resources of the IODP to bring discoveries into wider education settings, for example involving undergraduates,graduate students, and minority American students in activities that may influence their careerchoices. Examples include graduate fellowships and undergraduate research awards that encourage students in fields that use scientific ocean drilling, a national lecture series, and partnership activities with minority-serving programs and institutions. JOI will manage a configurable pool for education activities that can be tailored to upcoming opportunities (such as access to drilling platforms for education purposes) in annual program plans. The outreach component provides mechanisms to communicate program discoveries about how the Earth system works to policy makers and society at large through focused events and media relations, and to other communities of scientists. Both the education and outreach components are coordinated with program partners such as IODP Management International and its Implementing Organizations. Due to the need to support the expected number of expeditions within the solicitation ceiling, we note that the proportion of U.S. science support funds spent on the ancillary activities of program planning and development, education, outreach, and administration will be significantly lower than in the first 3 years of the IODP.