Funding to support the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System Office

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The University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System, (UNOLS) is a consortium of sixty-one U.S. academic institutions and facilities with research and educational programs in the ocean sciences. Of these institutions, there are fifteen institutions which operate the twenty oceanographic research ships which form the U.S. Academic Research Fleet. This proposal is for the University of Rhode Island?s Graduate School of Oceanography to host the UNOLS Office for a second term of five years from 2014 to 2019. The UNOLS Office is comprised of five full time and two part time employees. Under the guidance and leadership of the UNOLS Office, much of the work is done through the volunteers from the scientific community who serve on our nine standing committees. The UNOLS organization, founded in 1971, has played an important role in coordinating and improving the operations of the nation?s Academic Research Fleet. One of the important focus areas for UNOLS is to coordinate and schedule these national assets, to plan for the future, and to be able to identify and meet the scientific infrastructure requirements of the U.S. oceanographic research scientists, students and technicians. This enables the United States to make advances in science, education, and the public awareness of our natural environment. One of the critical functions that the UNOLS Office performs, through broad community involvement, is to assist in prioritizing the resources within the available budgets to ensure the advancement of the field of oceanography. It is through the UNOLS efforts that we are able to assist the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies with providing community feedback and input on the future direction of oceanographic research in the United States. Through the various UNOLS meetings, workshops, reports, studies, and daily communication, UNOLS provides a conduit for open dialog between the agencies supporting this research and the scientific community being served. The NSF?s mission to ?promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense? are all aided by the UNOLS Office?s ability to bring together the scientific minds to identify what are the science questions that need to be answered, and then to provide the safe platforms to conduct this important work. It is through the UNOLS consortium that we are able to bring together a broad community of scientists, students, ocean engineers and technicians; a diverse group of academic research institutions and our federal partners; and of the greatest importance, the next generation of early career scientists who will help advance the field of marine science to meet the challenges which we will face. The University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System, (UNOLS) is a consortium of sixty-one U.S. academic institutions and facilities. Within this consortium there are twenty oceanographic research ships which form the U.S. Academic Research Fleet. The UNOLS Office serves as a mechanism for the development and sharing of science mission requirements and the articulation of the science drivers, which will help determine the direction of the oceanographic programs within the academic community. The UNOLS Office facilitates closer collaboration of a diverse group of intellectual talent, which solves the scientific and technical challenges facing scientific research. Through the nine standing committees within UNOLS, areas such as data management, development of tools for deep sea research, Fleet modernization, safe operation of vessels at sea, working in extreme polar environments, marine seismic exploration, efficient ship scheduling, and the enhancement of research through new technology such as unmanned aerial vehicles and deep sea ocean observatories are all effectively addressed. It is through the efforts of UNOLS that marine research programs are able to enjoy access to the sea. From large international, multidisciplinary research programs looking at biogeochemical cycles and large-scale distribution of trace elements which are critical for marine life, to near shore studies trying to understand the effects of pollutants on both human and marine organisms, the UNOLS Office and our members all work collectively to meet these challenges and advance the field of oceanographic research.