Ship Operations: R/V ROBERT GORDON SPROUL

This cooperative agreement renewal continues NSF support of R/V Robert G. Sproul, a local class vessel, owned and operated by the University of California, San Diego, as a member of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet.

The vessel will continue to carry out NSF peer-reviewed sea-going science. SIO's ship operations 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.

SIO's management of Robert Gordon Sproul enables research, education and training that advance discovery and understanding, and supports strongly collaborative, multi-disciplinary and multiinstitutional use of the vessel. Through UNOLS, SIO coordinates the shared use of Robert Gordon Sproul with scientists and sponsors so shipboard capabilities meet the 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 discovery, technical development, and learning. SIO's operation of Robert Gordon Sproul leverages institutional programs that complement NSF’s mission to promote achievement and progress in science, engineering and education for the benefit of the nation.

The vessel is also integral to undergraduate teaching, as exemplified by more than a dozen Scripps classes that use shipboard experiential learning as a gateway to geoscience careers for diverse students. As a broadly subscribed shared-use facility, Robert Gordon Sproul similarly contributes to the education, training and outreach missions of scientists from institutions across America who conduct their research and educational programs on board.

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.