This project funds the activities of the National Coordinating Office for the U.S. GLOBEC program, presently located at Rutgers University. The national office for U.S. GLOBEC provides coordination and support for the regional programs, scientific planning and communication. As the program has concluded its regional programmatic efforts, and has entered its Pan-Regional Synthesis phase, the emphasis has shifted from scientific planning for the local field programs to an emphasis on coordination and planning for comparative studies, and for integration within and between regional studies. The National Coordinating Office is responsible for the effective conduct of the biannual meetings of the Scientific Steering Committee (SSC), including all pre- and post-meeting administrative activities, and all on-site logistical support. With the SSC, it coordinates the synthesis activities within the three U.S. GLOBEC regional programs, and assumes responsibility for the preparation and processing of Announcements of Opportunity for GLOBEC research. In addition to the "routine" functioning of the SSC, the National Coordinating Office has the ongoing responsibility: 1) to ensure that successful pan-regional synthesis efforts take place linking all three GLOBEC regional programs, 2) to encourage and to execute international comparative studies, 3) to inform the scientific community, the public and policy makers of the contributions of U.S. GLOBEC, and 4) to contribute to planning efforts for post-GLOBEC programs and products. The National Coordinating Office will facilitate these goals by a wide range of coordination and outreach activities. These will include: the hosting of yearly Pan-Regional Synthesis Workshops; the organization of special sessions at national conferences, and special volumes of synthesis publications; the dissemination of Program results through web sites, and through other written media (GLOBEC International and PICES newsletters, etc.); the transitioning of Program results to ecosystems-based management and educational applications; the evaluation of potential post-GLOBEC activities; and the coordination of a final U.S. GLOBEC Symposium.
Broader Impacts: The significance of the national office activities extends well beyond the day-to-day operations of the U.S. GLOBEC Scientific Steering Committee. The U.S. Office and its personnel are responsible for ensuring the successful outcome of the Pan-Regional Synthesis phase of U.S. GLOBEC and the continuing impact of the Program as a whole. Therefore, the National Coordinating Office must first provide the framework within which successful pan-regional synthesis and integration can occur. Second, it must see that results from the U.S. GLOBEC Program reach the broadest national and international constituencies. Thirdly, the National Office must ensure that lessons learned within the U.S. GLOBEC program are instrumental in the planning for future post-GLOBEC programs. Finally, it must work to entrain a fresh cohort of science investigators into the final phase of the Program.
