Under this award the principal investigators will organize the sixth and seventh Physical Oceanography Dissertation Symposium (PODS) conferences in Honolulu, Hawaii from 3-7 October, 2010 and 7-11 October 2012. These symposia were established in 2002 to bring together, for the purposes of scientific discussion and interactions, a group of oceanographers who had either recently graduated, or were soon to graduate with PhDs in physical oceanography. The goal of these meetings is to provide these individuals with an opportunity to present their dissertation research in an open forum in front of their professional peers and to forge professional relationships between the participants that would facilitate their future research and academic careers. This program is modeled after the highly successful Dissertations in Chemical Oceanography (DISCO) meetings, which first met in 1978, and is formatted in a similar manner. It is anticipated that the DISCO symposia will be held in parallel with the PODS symposia and that there will be interaction between the participants in both of these meetings, broadening the perspectives of all participants. Support for the DISCO meetings is being pursued in a separate proposal, but interaction between the two groups is an integral part of the goals of the proposed PODS symposia. A broad international announcement of the PODS symposia will be made to physical oceanographers working at academic institutions in both the US and other countries to develop an applicant pool. From this pool, agency personnel will select invitees. The meeting consists of a series of sessions grouped by research subject area that are chaired by selected invitees and will also include student-led discussion periods. In addition to an initial presentation by an invited senior scientist in the field, there will also be presentations by, and discussion with, agency personnel explaining funding mechanisms and strategies. Participants will form break-out groups to discuss current issues in research, as well as obstacles and opportunities to career paths in the field, then provide feedback on these issues to agency personnel through formal presentations. By bringing the two separate symposia invitees together in evening discussion sessions revolving around specific topics, the goal is to broaden the disciplinary expertise of the participants, promote future collaborations, and to make connections between their research and the education of future generations of scientists. Logistical support for these symposia will be provided by the University of Hawaii?s Conference Center (PI Yamashita) in the Outreach College, as well as from two faculty members (co-PIs Measures and Selph) from the Department of Oceanography.
Broader Impacts: The PODS symposia will produce a cohort group of early career professionals in the field of physical oceanography, serving to create a peer-mentoring group that will last throughout their careers. In addition, the cross-disciplinary contacts arising from the combination of the DISCO and PODS meetings will foster future inter-disciplinary understanding and collaborations. These individuals play a critical role in improving our understanding of Ocean and Earth Science processes, which provide the scientific framework vital for developing rational climate related policies.
