Formation of a Subcommittee for a New Scientific Ocean Drilling Platform

The U.S. National Science Foundation's Advisory Committee for Geosciences (AC-GEO) established the Subcommittee for a New Scientific Ocean Drilling Platform in March of 2024. The subcommittee is outlining the key infrastructure requirements of a new scientific ocean drilling platform that most effectively addresses the Science Mission Requirements (SMRs) determined by the scientific community while meeting the operational and budgetary constraints for long-term operation. NSF has contracted the Institute for Defense Analyses’ Science and Technology Policy Institute to work with the subcommittee to provide cost estimates for construction and operation of such a platform. 

The NSF assistant director for Geosciences, in consultation with the division director for Ocean Sciences, appointed six subcommittee members to ensure a balanced representation of disciplines utilizing scientific ocean drilling, including those who have experience coordinating expeditions. Effort was also made to ensure a diverse membership of individuals from underrepresented groups, different geographic regions and varying career stages. 

The subcommittee is comprised of the following members: 

  • Samantha Bova, San Diego State University. 
  • Emily Cooperdock, Brown University. 
  • Brandon Dugan, Colorado School of Mines. 
  • Kusali Gamage, Austin Community College. 
  • Rebecca Robinson, University of Rhode Island. 
  • Masako Tominaga, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. 

 

The members of the subcommittee have terms of 18 months, through submission of the final report anticipated in March 2025. The report will be made publicly available following acceptance and approval by the AC-GEO. 

Any questions or comments should be directed to the NSF Ocean Drilling Program (odp@nsf.gov) and will be shared with subcommittee members directly. 

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