Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) proposes to continue operating the research vessel Sally Ride to support NSF-funded scientific research for the five-year period 2018 -2022. Sally Ride is a capable, well-equipped general-purpose Ocean Class research vessel that is owned by the US Navy and has been operated by SIO since the ship's introduction into the US Academic Research Fleet in 2016. As a large shared-use facility scheduled within the collaborative framework of the University-National-Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), Sally Ride will host scientists from across the United States to undertake research in a variety of disciplines. The ship will be operated in a manner that promotes safety, capability and efficiency in order to maximize NSF's investment in the ship and in the programs that are conducted on board. SIO employs a disciplined approach to vessel maintenance, regulatory compliance, foreign clearance, crewing and logistics so that scientific missions can becompleted successfully and on schedule.
The observation, measurement, and collection of samples and data are accomplished on an ocean-basin scale by scientific missions aboard Sally Ride. SIO-operated ships have played a critical role in the exploration of our planet since 1907, and continue to contribute significantly to the U.S. ocean research effort. SIO's ship operations department supports NSF core values of scientific excellence, organizational excellence, learning, inclusiveness and accountability. The vessel management and operations proposed here enable transformative scientific research in physical and biological processes in the natural environment upon which human well-being depends. The intellectual merit of this proposal is amplified by the combined merit of research projects undertaken by scientists on board. During 2018, Sally Ride will support seven different NSF-sponsored programs in the Pacific Ocean in marine chemistry, seafloor mapping, geophysics, crustal geochemistry, paleooceanography, marine ecology, mesozooplankton food webs, and long-term acquisition of ocean environmental data. NSF-sponsored research (including Ocean Observing Initiative) will account for 60% (145 days) of Sally Ride's work this year. The remainder of the work will be supported by NASA (44 days, 18%), the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (32 days, 13%), NOAA (20 days, 8%) and BOEM (2 days, 1 %). Each scientific program contributes its own distinctive intellectual merit.
SIO's management of Sally Ride enables research, education and training that advance discovery and understanding while achieving far-reaching broader impacts. The proposed management supports strongly collaborative, multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional use of the vessel. Through UNOLS, SIO coordinates the shared use of Sally Ride with scientists and funding agencies so shipboard capabilities meet the current and anticipated needs of the community. SIO is committed to promoting a climate of fairness, cooperation, and professionalism on board that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential ingredients of scientific discovery, technical development, and learning. SIO's operation of Sally Ride leverages institutional programs that complement NSF's mission to promote achievement and progress in science, engineering and education for the benefit of the nation. For example, SIO's UC Ship Funds Program enables graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral researchers and early career faculty to pursue independent research and instruction aboard Sally Ride via an internal peer-reviewed competitive process for ship time. The vessel is integral to SIO's K-12 education program In the Footsteps of Sally Ride, which uses oceanography to teach physical science to economically disadvantaged seventh- and eighth-grade students. As a broadly-subscribed shared-use facility, Sally Ride similarly contributes to the education, training and outreach missions of scientists from institutions across America who conduct their research and educational programs on board. As proposed here, Sally Ride will continue to serve NSF by safely, capably and efficiently facilitating multi-disciplinary scientific research to advance our understanding of our oceans and Earth.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
