BIOS is pleased to announce that it TENTATIVELY has been awarded a renewal for the Nippon Foundation-POGO Centre of Excellence (CofE) in Observational Oceanography. If approved, the Centre will offer a 10-month course at Bermuda on Observational Oceanography. Tentative Programme dates are from 1 August, 2010 to 31 May, 2011. We anticipate that travel and living expenses of trainees will be covered by NF-POGO CofE.

The goals of the Nippon Foundation (NF) - Partnership for Observations of the Global Ocean (POGO) Centre of Excellence (C of E) at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) are to expand world-wide capacity to observe the oceans, to develop human resources in developing countries; to expand international networking in ocean sciences, with an emphasis on training young scientists from developing countries; and to strengthen ocean networking relations between developed and developing countries.

The training will promote excellence in integrated, multidisciplinary oceanography on a global scale. The syllabus will include:

• Ship-board training on the R/V Atlantic Explorer - our goal is to provide numerous days at sea for each participant;
• A program that emphasizes Core Skills required by scientists (e.g., com munication skills, both written and oral, numeracy, information technology, and science management);
• Observational Oceanography training using state-of-the art instrumentation from BIOS faculty and staff involved in the eight BIOS time-series/ observatory programs;
• Observational Oceanography workshops delivered by previous NFPOGO Visiting Professors including Drs. Trevor Platt, Robert Frouin, and others; and
• Guest lectures/workshops by the numerous research scientists who visit BIOS each year for work on the R/V Atlantic Explorer.

In the Newss

November 6^th: POGO students received their certificate for completing the Data Management module

VENUE AND BACKGROUND

• Hydrostation "S", the longest, year-round database at one point in the open ocean;
• The Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS);
• The Oceanic Flux Program (OFP);
• The Bermuda Microbial Observatory;
• The Bermuda Bio-Optics Program;
• The Bermuda atmospheric monitoring programs (e.g., based on AEROCE);
• The Global CO2/Ocean Acidification Programme;
• The Marine Environmental Programme (MEP), a network of nearshore research;
• The Bermuda Environmental Quality Program, with a focus on local and global water/atmospheric systems.

BIOS is home of the 168 foot R/V Atlantic Explorer. With a dedicated student lab and berths for up to twenty-two scientists, we anticipate students will spend considerable time at sea as part of the C of E Course.

FORMAT OF THE PROGRAMME

Training Aboard the R/V Atlantic Explorer will be an important element of the training session, with sea berths made available to trainees whenever possible. Each trainee will spend as much time as possible at sea. Course work and assignments will be modified according to the ship's schedule.
Development of Core Skills will be done as a month-long set of workshops, designed for students entering a graduate programme in oceanography.
Hands-on Training in Observational Oceanography will be accomplished by a series of seven to ten workshops, each approximately two weeks in duration, emphasizing various oceanographic components, including topics such as satellite oceanography, ocean physics, geochemistry, biology, ocean-atmosphere interactions, microbial communities, and deep sea moorings.
Student projects will be conducted with BIOS staff. Long long-term ocean observation data will be analyzed and/or modeled with the goal of finalizing data sets for publication in the peer-reviewed literature.
Workshops and/or Lectures by Visiting Scientists, including hosted work on the R/V Atlantic Explorer, will be interspersed throughout the programme.

ELIGIBILITY AND PROSPECTS:

The course is aimed primarily at applicants from developing countries, but strongly-motivated applications from those in developed countries will also be considered. In order to promote networking around the world ocean, we anticipate accepting ~8 students from developing countries and ~2 students from developed countries including Japan. Trainees must have at least a first degree in science. Preference will be given to applicants who currently hold a position in a research or academic institution in a developing country and anticipate returning to the country after completion of training at the NF-POCO C of E. Candidates from developing countries have to demonstrate immediate relevance of their training to on-going or planned observations in their home country. Students from developed countries must demonstrate their participation in this program will improve observational oceanography in poorly observed areas of the world oceans.

Preference will be given to those with a leaning towards quantitative analyses of biological, physical, and/or chemical data from the marine environment. The course is seen as the beginning of a long-term, sustained effort at capacity building in observational oceanography in the southern hemisphere. The activities of the trainees will be monitored for some years after the completion of the course. It is also anticipated that the strongest participants will have further opportunities for advanced training and scientific exchange with POGO member institutions in other locations around the world. It is expected that the legacy of the course will endure far into the future

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURE

Applications are invited from trainees from developing countries and developed countries. To enhance international networking, preference will be given to trainees who have close affiliations with institutions that have participated in prior POGO programmes, such as the NF-POGO Visiting Professorship Programme and the POGOSCOR Fellowship Programme. Preference will be given to young researchers near the outset of their careers.All participants will be expected to be present in Bermuda for the entire duration of the programme. Trainees are encouraged to bring relevant data from their home region, and will be encouraged to analyze and publish them. The intention is to help develop a core group of researchers who will continue to study the marine ecosystems around developing countries well into the future, and who will also help train the next generation of scientists in observational oceanography in the region.

Click here to download the application form (word document).
Applications should be submitted electronically to: education@bios.edu

DEADLINE for Applications: 10^th February, 2010
Applicants will be notified if they have been selected by mid March 2010.

Course Dates:
The official dates for this programme will be announced when BIOS has been notified that funding is available. The tentative program dates are 1 August 2010 through 31 May 2011.

Course Costs:
The Nippon Foundation, acting through POGO, have TENTATIVELY provided financial support for travel and living expenses of the trainees.

The implementation of the NF-POGO program in Year 3 is subject to funding approval from the Nippon Foundation.