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The last few months of the calendar year are always my favorite. The seasons are starting to change; universities are back in session; there is a rich schedule of conferences, convenings, and events; our members get to choose their annual award winners and board members; and there are so many incredible opportunities to visit, talk, and connect across our marine technology community.
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I hope you are enjoying the midyear wherever that may find you on our ocean planet. As we move into July, I’m pleased to share important updates about our MTS Awards and Elections.
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July 15, 2024
Most of our team was in Kingsport, Tennessee, last week for the 22nd MATE ROV Competition World Championship. Alongside members of our Board, we watched and celebrated the competitive spirit, collaboration, and ingenuity of 78 teams of students from around the world. This year’s championship was the largest in MATE history; more than 1,000 students and mentors, along with family, friends, and volunteers participated.
On May 7th, the Eckerd MTS Student Section hosted an event titled MTS: Your Career in Ocean Science, featuring a brilliant presentation by Samantha D'Angelo, a recent graduate from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus. She received her Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology and completed a minor in Environmental Science and Policy. This coming fall, Sam will be pursuing her Master's degree in Physical Oceanography at the USF College of Marine Science.
On Tuesday, June 4, NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad testified before the House Science Committee on his agency’s fiscal year 2025 (FY25) budget request. The discussion highlighted the importance of NOAA's work on environmental science, climate resilience, and weather forecasting—especially given the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. Concerns were raised over proposed funding cuts to critical programs within the National Ocean Service and the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, which could impact NOAA's capacity to execute its mission effectively. Read ESP Advisors’ summary here.
May has been a busy month! I am pleased to report on two events which highlighted the core strengths of MTS.
The Texas A&M Ocean Engineering Banquet marked a significant milestone as the first event of its kind, organized by student organizations of the Department of Ocean Engineering. Spearheaded by the MTS Student Section at Texas A&M College Station, the banquet celebrated the achievements of graduating students and brought together the department's sponsors, partners, and alumni for an evening of camaraderie and networking.
For eight years, the Marine Technology Society (MTS) has partnered with Northwestern Michigan College and Rutgers University to offer the MTS Summer Workshops. The Workshops provide students with the opportunity to explore various technologies and deploy equipment for collecting data relevant to diverse investigations.
The transition to boreal Spring each year brings with it a familiar flurry of activity and energy around us: blooming trees and flowers draw in pollinators and birds; we clean our gardens, garages, and yards in anticipation of growth and renewal; and, the smells of fresh cut grass, mulch beds, and outdoor grilling draw us outside. In the same vein, MTS is abuzz with activity and energy as we launch into the start of our large event calendar, kickstart the annual MATE ROV Competition through regional competitions, and celebrate the tail-end of the academic year for our students and faculty members.
As part of the International Seabed Authority's expert scoping workshop "Charting Future Horizons: Harnessing Advanced Technologies for the Protection and Sustainable Use of the International Seabed," held on April 3-5, 2024, Alex Barnard from the MTS Marine Mineral Resources Committee presented, "Robotics and Automation in Deep Sea Mining," with co-authors Bramley Murton (National Oceanography Centre), Andrew Ziegwied (MTS's Uncrewed Maritime Systems Committee and Open Ocean Robotics), and Justin Manley (President of MTS). This presentation emerged from a collaboration between MTS's Marine Mineral Resources and Uncrewed Maritime Systems Committees, and the National Oceanography Centre. It highlighted the important role of advanced marine technology in seabed management and protection, emphasizing the need for mission-specific platforms and sensors for environmental and resource assessment. The content was organized into two modules: Environmental and Resource Assessment and Emerging Trends in Robotics.
MTS had a major presence at Oceanology International (Oi) 2024, hosting several high-profile sessions and maintaining a booth throughout the conference.
The Department of Commerce and NOAA provided $3.9 million in awards to help small businesses improve climate resilience in communities across the nation through the Ocean-based Climate Resilience Accelerators program as part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, and in alignment with the National Climate Resilience Framework. Concurrently, the Marine Technology Society's Ocean Enterprise Initiative will host a webinar series, open to the public, for the recipients of these grants. This webinar series commences in April and will continue through July 2024.
The nonprofit professional societies, Marine Technology Society (MTS) and the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society (OES) (hereafter Societies) are looking to grow the OCEANS Conference and Exposition and are looking for a partner who can provide innovative solutions. The Societies are seeking a Conference Manager and a Professional Conference Organizer (PCO) for the OCEANS Conference and Exposition. The Conference Manager shall be independent of the PCO team. OCEANS Conference and Exposition is held annually in the fall in North America, and in the Spring/Early Summer in Asia and Europe in alternating years. The Societies are seeking a single Contractor to administer the North American, Asia, and European conferences. Teaming and or sub-contracting arrangements are permissible if there is a lead organization that will provide overall administration of the team and serve as the single point of contact for all OCEANS communications with the Societies.
A handful of MTS staff and board members have just returned from New Orleans after an exciting and engaging 2024 Ocean Sciences Meeting at the Morial Convention Center. MTS has not traditionally had a large presence at this meeting, but with our growing membership and expanding programs, we were excited to both exhibit and host a handful of sessions as an integral part of the official program.
