Ship-based Science Technical Support in the Arctic (STARC)

This project provides NSF with Ship-based Science Technical Support in the Arctic (STARC) to satisfy two main functional requirements: (1) to plan, coordinate and deliver scientific technical support onboard USCGC Healy in a manner that augments the role of the USCG marine science technicians, and (2) to coordinate with NSF, USCG and the academic community to provide for the operation, maintenance and upgrade of science equipment installed or used on Healy. The awardee will employ an approach based on best practices within the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) tailored to the support needs of Arctic research projects.

The spectrum of research enabled by the proposed technical support collectively achieves far-reaching broader impacts through the training and learning of students, increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in research, disseminating results that enhance scientific and technological understanding, and informing policy making for the benefit of society. STARC technicians train and educate cruise participants and Coast Guard technicians and share new tools and techniques with colleagues throughout UNOLS, thus broadening the technical knowledge base that supports U.S. oceanographic research.

The technical services will also support the acquisition and appropriate dissemination of shipboard data, in concert with national resources such as NSF’s Rolling-Deck-To-Repository program, so that shipboard data will be submitted to US national data centers in a timely manner and made broadly available to the academic community and the public at large.

A STARC Arctic Coordinator at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) will coordinate seagoing research support needs of Arctic projects scheduled on USCGC Healy with researchers, the USCG and NSF, and will be supported by a team of technical experts from Oregon State University (OSU), University of Washington (UW) and SIO. As projects are identified for the upcoming field season a lead technician will be assigned to each seagoing project to organize and execute requisite technical and logistical activities for each cruise leg.

The Arctic Coordinator will develop staffing schedules for each deployment, as well as pre- and post-deployment activities and off-season maintenance. By distributing project support across qualified lead technical staff, the Arctic coordinator can continually advance long lead time improvements to science equipment in coordination with NSF, USCG, and the academic community.

These activities will be planned and provided in close coordination with the USCG and with approval from NSF. Under the supervision of the Project PI, the Arctic Coordinator will develop an annual program plan and annual reports that will be submitted to NSF for approval.

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.