The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), is a science-driven ocean observing network that collects and delivers physical, chemical, geological, and biological ocean data from more than 900 instruments. The network consists of various platforms including moored buoys, cabled arrays spanning the seafloor and water column, and autonomous underwater vehicles. Active and passive acoustic instruments including echosounders, current profilers, bioacoustic sonars, broadband hydrophones, and low frequency hydrophones, are part of the NSF OOI sensor network.
From July 14-18, 2025, the NSF-funded OOI Facility Board (OOIFB) will host a summer school focused on the access, analysis, and interpretation of acoustics data and introducing complementary oceanographic data available through the NSF OOI. This week-long, intensive program will feature a mix of targeted lectures, hands-on tutorials, and practical exercises working with real-world examples and NSF OOI data products. The summer school is being co-chaired by Dr. Wu-Jung Lee and Dr. Shima Abadi.
Participants can expect to finish the 5-day program with:
- A high level understanding of how sound propagates under water and the main factors influencing propagation.
- An awareness of passive and active acoustic instruments deployed through NSF OOI (e.g. hydrophones and echosounders) and the data sets available.
- The ability to navigate NSF OOI data portals to access and download acoustic and oceanographic data products.
- Basic processing methods for acoustic data (including coding, and working with data in JupyterHub environments).
- A comprehensive understanding about what scientific questions can be addressed using NSF OOI data.
- Connections to a network of professionals who are using or planning to use NSF OOI data in their research and education activities.
This summer school is aimed at researchers with an interest in underwater acoustics, and the use of OOI data in their research and education activities. A basic understanding of acoustics is preferred, but not required. High-level primers on underwater acoustics will be provided each day of the summer school. Participants should also have a general understanding of oceanography. Additionally, some background knowledge/experience with coding is required. All relevant experiences will be considered in the application review process. Please note: Python will be the main programming language used in workshop tutorials, but participants will have the opportunity to work on their language of choice.
Approximately twenty-five advanced graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and/or early-career scientists, from a breadth of research disciplines will be selected as participants. Other career level researchers are encouraged to apply and will be considered.
This summer school will be hosted at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. Participation will be in-person only and all selected participants must be available to attend all five days of the course. Travel support is available for summer school participants; however, only applicants from U.S. institutions can be supported.
Interested individuals: please submit this online application by 11:59 pm (ET) on March 18, 2025. Participant selections and notifications will be made by April 3, 2025.
For reference, this draft agenda provides a broad outline of program scope and goals. A more detailed agenda, and other summer school materials and resources, will become available in the coming months.
If you have any questions, please contact Holly Morin (holly@ooifb.org).
