We Need Your Voice

We are halfway through the year, and last week students from around the world competed at the MATE World Championship in Newfoundland, Canada, piloting ROVs they designed and built themselves. If you want a single image of the impact our organization can generate, that is it. Young engineers solving real ocean problems, surrounded by the industry, agency, and academic leaders who will one day hire them, fund them, and work alongside them in our field. 

That scene is a good place to take stock. At the midpoint of the year, three things come up again and again when I talk with members. 

First, our events are where the work we support and shape gets done. The Buoy gathering this spring, the mini TechSurge and TechCafe at NYSERDA earlier this month, MATE last week, the Next-Generation Maritime Autonomy TechSurge alongside our annual MTS/Oceaneering Symposium and Crab Feast in October are not just items on a calendar. They are where introductions can evolve into partnerships and ideas shape programs. Ocean Exchange, running its first regional competition in Canada with MEOPAR this September and through the annual prize event in Florida in October has only sharpened that.  

Second, our network itself is a primary asset. MTS spans industry, government, the NGO community, and academia, and it reaches members at every career stage. Few organizations connect a student building a first prototype and a senior official shaping national policy inside the same community. We do, and members tell me they see and value it. 

Third, our workforce efforts are being noticed and gaining traction. MATE, our microcredentials, EMERGE, student scholarships, and our summer experiential workshops are not nascent projects. They are increasingly cited as a model for how this field builds its own talent. That recognition is earned, and it belongs to everyone who teaches, mentors, and hosts. 

This is also a season of stewardship for MTS. Our COO search is making strong progress, and the right hire will help us operate more effectively as the platform organization we have become, one that holds MATE, Ocean Exchange, Ocean Enterprise Initiative, and our membership together as a single enterprise. Board elections are coming as well. I would ask you to treat that not as a formality but as a moment to help set our direction. Good governance does not happen above the membership. It happens through direct engagement by our community. We need your voice and your vote to shape the coming years. 

So as we move into the second half of the year, I want to underline that your participation is so important. Join a committee. Show up to your local section event. Come to our gatherings. Take part in the next round of Dialogues with Industry. And tell us plainly what you need and where you want MTS to show up. This community is strongest when it is led by its members, and the second half of this year is a great time to help shape what comes next.  

Warmly, 

Chris Ostrander

CEO, The Marine Technology Society