September 10-12, 2024
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and dedicated to the memory of Dr. Larry Atkinson, the Ocean Observatories Initiative Facility Board (OOIFB) hosted an Ocean Observatories Initiative (NSF OOI) Community Workshop that focused on the science and education initiatives that can be addressed using data from the NSF OOI Pioneer Array, which was recently relocated to the Southern Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB). The event brought together a diversity of scientists, resource managers, educators, and other stakeholders to learn about the capabilities of the Pioneer MAB Array and the cutting-edge research that can be achieved in this new location. The workshop also provided a forum to facilitate cross-network collaborations, identify strategies for better engaging current and future users of NSF OOI, foster the research and proposal development process, and enable broader impact activities. NSF OOI Program team members and NSF representatives were on hand to answer questions and provide information on NSF OOI operations.
Approximately 90 participants gathered in-person as well as online for the 2.5 day workshop. Participants represented 14 different states and ~ 40 different academic institutions, Federal agencies, and other organizations. Plenary presentations, breakout sessions, panel discussions, and other workshop activities generated key conversations in physical, biological, and biogeochemical oceanography, technology, data access, and more. Participants learned about past research and assessed current knowledge and gaps in the MAB, guided by insights from local stakeholders to align research priorities with community needs and potential research priorities.
The workshop was planned by an active committee of OOIFB members, OOI representatives, NSF representatives, and local stakeholders.
Pioneer MAB Array Community Workshop Planning Committee:
- Dax Soule, Queens College (OOIFB Chair)
- Kendra Daly, University of South Florida (OOIFB Immediate Past Chair)
- Al Plueddemann, WHOI (OOI Coastal and Global Scale Nodes Team)
- Paulinus Chigbu, University of Maryland Eastern Shore (OOIFB member)
- Ruoying He, North Carolina State University (OOIFB member)
- John Wilkin, Rutgers University (OOIFB Member)
- Mike Muglia, Coastal Studies Institute (OOIFB Member)
- Lynn Leonard, University of North Carolina, Wilmington
- Margie Mulholland, Old Dominion University (workshop host)
- Donglai Gong, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
- George Voulgaris, National Science Foundation
- Holly Morin, University of Rhode Island (OOIFB Admin. Support Office)
- Karen Besson, University of Rhode Island (OOIFB Admin. Support Office)
- Dani Bailey, University of Rhode Island (OOIFB Admin. Support Office)
In addition to the full workshop agenda, presentations, recordings, and other resources are available through the links below. If you have any questions about the Pioneer MAB Workshop, please contact Holly Morin (holly@ooifb.org).