Science and Technology Center for Microbial Oceanography Research and Education (C-MORE)

The NSF Science and Technology Center for Microbial Oceanography Research and Education (C-MORE) focuses on the identities, roles and impacts of microorganisms in the world's largest biome - the ocean - including increased understanding of potential responses to global environmental variability and climate change.  The center has four research foci: i) genomic, physiological, and other aspects of microbial diversity; ii) the role of microbial metabolism in elemental cycling; iii) development and deployment of novel sensors and instruments for remote automated sampling and processing; and iv) computer simulation, modeling and forecasting of ecosystem processes.  Oceanographic, microbiological, genomic, geochemical, informatics and computational methods will be the means through which these foci are integrated with one another via team studies of the North Pacific subtropical gyre.  The result will be the first high resolution view of inter-dependent microbial lifestyles and processes that govern the flow of energy and elements in the ocean.

C-MORE integrates the four research themes and their objectives with a varied and diverse portfolio of education and outreach activities for students of all ages.  The Center is emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration between faculty, students and postdoctoral scientists in an accelerated fashion to train a new breed of microbial oceanographer, and is helping to train teachers and develop curricula at the undergraduate and secondary education levels.  Implementation of these activities is also designed to increase the number of students and teachers engaged in quantitative sciences and engineering, focusing on underrepresented groups in science, especially Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.

To accomplish all of this, the Center brings together individuals who otherwise have little opportunity to interact.  Housed at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the interdisciplinary team includes scientists, engineers and educators from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Oregon State University, University of California - Santa Cruz, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Additional information about the NSF Science and Technology Center for Microbial Oceanography Research and Education can be found at the C-MORE website.