NASA Sponsored Workshop on Calibration and Validation of Ocean Color Remote Sensing

June 12 – July 7, 2023
Bowdoin College, Schiller Coastal Studies Center (SCSC), Orr’s Island, Maine

An intensive four-week, cross-disciplinary, graduate-level workshop in optical oceanography will be offered at Bowdoin College’s SCSC. This workshop is the latest version of the optical oceanography course first offered at the Friday Harbor Laboratories in 1985, then starting in 2001 at the Darling Marine Center, and since 2021 at the SCSC. Past graduates include many of today’s leaders in oceanography.

The major theme of the workshop is calibration and validation of ocean color remote sensing. The course will provide students with a fundamental knowledge of ocean optics and optical sensor technology that will enable them to make quality measurements, assess the uncertainties associated with the measurements, and compare these data with remotely sensed ocean color measurements and derived products. The course is sponsored by NASA, the University of Maine and Bowdoin College, with the goal of preparing a new generation of oceanographers trained in the use of optics to study the oceans.

Course elements include:
• lectures on the basic theory of the light interaction with matter in aquatic environments; ocean color remote sensing and its inversion; optical sensor design and function; optical approaches to ocean biogeochemistry; computation and propagation of measurement uncertainties.

• laboratory sessions for hands-on work with optical instrumentation and training in radiative transfer software.

• field sampling of optical and biogeochemical variables in the environmentally diverse waters of coastal Maine.

• analysis of optical and biogeochemical data sets, and

• collaborative student projects.

See:
http://misclab.umeoce.maine.edu/OceanOpticsClass2021/
http://misclab.umeoce.maine.edu/OceanOpticsClass2019/
http://misclab.umeoce.maine.edu/OceanOpticsClass2017/
for previous class content and activities.

Instructors: Emmanuel Boss and Collin Roesler (coordinators), Ivona Cetinić, Meg Estapa, Andrew Barnard, Kelsey Bisson and Jeremy Werdell with Charlotte Begouen Demeaux and Patrick Gray as the teaching assistants and guest lectures by Optics Class alumni.

Dates: June 12-July 7, 2023 (arrive June 11, depart July 8th)

Costs: Room and board, as well as graduate course credits for interested students through the University of Maine will be covered through a grant for qualified participants. OCB will provide travel support for US-based participants.

Application Deadline: March 15th, 2023

Notification by: April 15, 2023

To apply: Submit the following in pdf format to opticaloceanography@maine.edu: (1) a recent transcript, (2) a current CV (two-page maximum), (3) a letter from your advisor (or supervisor), and (4) a one-page statement of how you anticipate that this course will contribute to your professional development

We are committed to bringing a cohort of students together whose background, experiences, and training result in diversity of interest, ideas, and skills from which everyone benefits.

US GO-SHIP is seeking scientists with experience in physical or chemical oceanography (hydrography) who would be interested in participating as co-Chief Scientist on the decadal re-occupation of the U.S. GO-SHIP (https://usgoship.ucsd.edu and http://www.go-ship.org) hydrographic long-line known as I05 (32°S in the Indian Ocean). This expedition is ~2 months long (Fremantle, Australia to Cape Town,  South Africa,  July to September 2023). No at-sea experience is necessary, although it can be a plus. The Chief Scientist will provide training and mentoring onboard. As the co-Chief Scientist experience is a stepping stone to future opportunities to sail as Chief Scientist preferred candidates are early career, but technicians with equivalent experience are also encouraged to apply. Contact: Alison Macdonald amacdonald@whoi.edu.

Further details on the cruise and application (Due January 16, 2023) can be found here

We have two programs in C-CoMP (https://ccomp-stc.org/) that the OCB community may be interested in – a postdoc program and a bridge-to-PhD program.

Both programs are 2-year fellowships with professional development, mentoring opportunities and rich research experiences across the ocean sciences and education research.

The postdoc fellowship asks applicants to identify a host who can advise and support a research project within the scope of C-CoMP. The host does not need to be a current C-CoMP member (nor does the prospective postdoc). More information can be found at our website.

The Bridge-to-PhD fellowship is intended to foster a diverse and inclusive research community and so will support fellows as they transition from a 4-year college degree to graduate school. These fellows will be matched with current C-CoMP laboratories and research programs from chemistry, biology, data science, modelling and education research. There is more information on our website as well.

We are hosting an information session on both programs Tuesday April 12th at 4p Eastern and interested parties can register here.

What’s behind the curtain of the NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission?

The NASA PACE Project and Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) Project Office are excited to announce the upcoming summer class “What’s behind the curtain of the NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission?”  This one-week graduate-level course will provide in-depth insight into the upcoming PACE mission that is scheduled for launch in January 2024. The course will provide instruction on passive satellite remote sensing, with foci on both ocean and atmosphere. This will encompass not just lectures on Earth science, but also potential field trips and details on PACE instruments’ performance and how they relate to derived geophysical products, uncertainties, and ultimately, Earth system models.

Our target audience includes graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and early career professionals (<4 years from terminal degree). Our hope is to engage the next generation of early career scientists in PACE, with the goal of equipping this next generation with specialized expertise in global Earth System passive remote sensing, as well as offering unique access to all elements of a major NASA flight project. In addition to PACE scientists, mission and instrument systems engineering staff will be accessible to share “behind-the-scenes” details that are often not readily available to the research community (e.g., design choices that impact products, agency hurdles that dictate the mission lifecycle, and rationales for instrument concepts).

Class details:
• Location: in-person only in the Baltimore, MD area (exact venue TBD)
• Timing: 1-5 August 2022
• Participation: ~30 student enrollments
• Cost: Travel and room/ board are covered via an OCB grant for qualified participants*
• Details on course elements: https://www.us-ocb.org/pace-mission-training-activity/
• SUBMIT APPLICATION BY 11 March 2022 (midnight ET) 

Qualified individuals from underrepresented groups in STEM will be prioritized to promote the diversity and inclusion aims of both OCB and NASA. Application requirements include:
• Contact information
• Personal statement that illustrates how this class will support your professional development and future work (limit of 1800 characters, including spaces)
• Abbreviated (2-page biosketch format) CV
• Letter of support from an advisor, mentor, or supervisor (this should be sent directly from your supervisor to the OCB Office (hbenway@whoi.edu)

Applications will be evaluated by the organizing committee based on timeliness in career and capacity to benefit from course, background and relevant experience, and capacity to play a future leadership role in PACE and/or satellite oceanography. While the majority of the class will likely be composed of US-based students, international students* will also be considered for admission. Application decisions will be distributed by April 8.

We look forward to your participation!
Jeremy Werdell
Brian Cairns
Ivona Cetinić
Antonio Mannino
Vanderlei Martins
Lorraine Remer
Pengwang Zhai
Heather Benway
Mai Maheigan
Mary Zawoysky

*International travel and associated costs to/from the class location will be the responsibility of the student or student’s home institution.

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