Physical Oceanography Dissertations Symposium XII and XIII

This project funds the 12th Physical Oceanography Dissertation Symposium (PODS) conference in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in October 2022. These symposia were established in 2002 to bring together, for the purposes of scientific discussion and interactions, recent PhD graduates in physical oceanography who represent their employing institutions. Once selected to be a participant at these meetings, these individuals will be required to present their dissertation research in front of their professional peers and to forge professional relationships between the participants that will facilitate their future research and academic careers at their employing institutions.

This program is modeled after the highly successful Dissertations Symposium in Chemical Oceanography (DISCO) meetings, which were first held in 1978, and is formatted in a similar manner. It is anticipated that the PODS symposia will be held in parallel with the DISCO symposia. Support for the DISCO meetings is covered under a separate grant, but interactions between the two groups are an integral part of the goals of the proposed PODS symposia.

The PODS symposia will produce a cohort group of early career professionals in the field of physical oceanography from widely differing backgrounds and geographical origins, 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 PODS and DISCO meetings will foster future inter-disciplinary understanding and collaborations, benefitting their employing institutions.

Thus, the PODS participants will be uniquely situated to take advantage of networking between individuals and groups, which is of great importance to foster advances in scientific knowledge and preparedness to meet upcoming environmental challenges. These PODS attendees 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.

In addition, as a minority institution, the University of Hawaii fosters interactions between traditionally under-represented groups and minorities. Planned meeting activities include interactions between meeting participants and students, particularly undergraduates in the Department of Oceanography’s Global Environmental Sciences program.

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 will consist of a series of sessions grouped by research subject area that are chaired by selected invitees and will also include participant-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 breakout groups to discuss current issues in research, as well as obstacles and opportunities to career paths in the field, then provide feedback 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. The funds in this project will cover meeting venue rentals, audio-visual support costs, as well as participant support related costs of air travel, hotel accommodation, and M&IE that are not provided as part of the symposium.

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.