In accordance with the Society’s bylaws, the terms of three Council members expire this year. Council members rotating off are John Cullen (Biological Oceanography), Karen Heywood (Physical Oceanography) and Lisa Rom (Education). The Society thanks these Council members for their time, dedication, concern and valuable contributions to the organization. Candidates have been identified for each of the positions available, and brief biographical sketches for each of the candidates are provided below.

Biological Oceanography Councillor
> Mark A. Moline
> Susanne Neuer
> Deborah K. Steinberg

Education Councillor
> Susan Cook
> Jan Hodder
> Blanche W. Meeson

Physical Oceanography Councillor
> Laurence Padman
> Janet Sprintall
> Andreas M. Thurnherr

The Council is the governing body of the Society. Therefore, voting in this election is an important function of membership. The persons elected will participate in directing the affairs and determining the future of the Society. Each candidate has been advised of the responsibilities and duties of the position for which he/she is standing, and each is prepared to devote the necessary time and attention to conduct the Society’s business.

Ballots will be mailed to each active member along with their dues renewal notice, and must be received by TOS no later than December 23, 2011.

Biographical sketches for each candidate are provided below.

BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY COUNCILLOR CANDIDATES

Mark A. Moline

Mark A. Moline is a Professor of Biology at California Polytechnic State University and serves as Director of the Center for Coastal Marine Sciences. In the spring of 2012, he will assume the Director position at the University of Delaware’s School of Marine Science and Policy. He received a B.A. in biology at St. Olaf College (1987) and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara in aquatic science (1996).  He was a postdoctoral associate at Rutgers University in 1997.  He has worked in several areas of biological oceanography including phytoplankton physiology, community structure, ecology, trophic interactions, climate change biology, polar ecosystems, bioluminescence, coral reef biology, coastal dynamics, estuarine systems, and remote sensing.  His work also includes transitioning autonomous underwater vehicles and ocean observing approaches to address these topics as well as examining the scales of biological organization in the ocean.  He is the recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientist and Engineers, NASA’s New Investigator’s Award, ONR’s Young Investigator Award, and the Distinguished Scholar Award from Cal Poly. He is currently the recipient of the Fulbright Arctic Chair in Norway.  He serves on the California Ocean Protection Council’s Science Advisory Committee, is a Senior Fellow of the California Council on Science and Technology, has served on a number of executive and technical committees of the NSF’s Ocean Observatory Initiative, and served as Associate editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research (2008-2011).  He has author/co-authored over 60 papers in refereed literature and makes an effort to disseminate science results to the general public through local publications, public field trips, and public lectures. He is a member of the American Geophysical Union, the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, the Phycological Society of America, and has been a member of TOS since its second year.  Mark looks forward to working with the TOS council integrate ocean science across disciplines, simulate learning and career opportunities for students, and increase public awareness of the ocean.

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Susanne Neuer

Susanne Neuer is an Associate Professor of Biogeochemistry in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University.  She received a Bachelors degree in Biology from the University of Kiel, Germany, a MS in Oceanography from the University of Washington and a PhD from the College of Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University.  She completed postdoctoral training in marine biogeosciences at the University of Bremen in Germany before moving to Arizona.  While in Bremen she helped build the open-ocean time-series station ESTOC (European Station for Time-Series in the Ocean, Canary Islands), and had a leading role in CANIGO (Canary Islands, Azores, Gibraltar Observations) a large EU funded project on the oceanography of the eastern subtropical Atlantic. Her research bridges biogeochemistry and plankton ecology, particularly focusing on the biological carbon pump, its relationship to plankton community composition and surface productivity, the role of Saharan desert dust and deep particle advection. She participated in 20+ cruises, five of which as chief scientist. Her group has published on the differences of the biological carbon pump and nutrient budgets between the eastern and western subtropical Atlantic, and has applied DNA based molecular techniques to help decipher the contributors to particle flux.  At ASU she has been teaching Oceanography, Ecology, Environmental Life Sciences and Marine Biology; she has also helped the development of the interdisciplinary graduate program “Environmental Life Sciences” which she is currently chairing. She is also active in the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) and is currently serving on its national board as councilor. She is a member of the Association for Limnology and Oceanography, the American Geophysical Union, the Association for the Advancement of Science and has been a member of TOS since its inception. She looks forward to serving TOS as councilor; working on issues related to education, equity, international collaborations as well as outreach of the society.

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Deborah K. Steinberg

Deborah K. Steinberg is Professor of Marine Science at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), The College of William and Mary.  Her major areas of interest are zooplankton ecology and biogeochemical cycling, particle export, coastal and deep-sea food webs, effects of climate change on plankton communities, and science education.  She received her B.A. in 1987 from the University of California Santa Barbara, and Ph.D. in 1993 from the University of California Santa Cruz.  Prior to coming to VIMS in 2001 she was a Research scientist at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences where she coordinated the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study

program (1995-2000). Her current research programs and cruises include the western Antarctic Peninsula, Amazon River plume, Sargasso Sea, and Chesapeake Bay. Honors include the Dean’s Prize for Advancement of Women in Marine Science at VIMS, the College of William & Mary Term Distinguished Professor of Marine Science, and the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Ocean Sciences Sverdrup lecturer. She is currently an Associate Editor of Deep-Sea Research I, member of the Board of Trustees of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, and a University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) council member. She has been a member of TOS since its inception, and has also served as Secretary of AGU Ocean Sciences section (2002-2006), AGU Ocean Sciences Executive Committee member (2006-2008), and chair or co-chair of Scientific Program Steering Committees for two Ocean Sciences meetings, the 3rd International Joint Global Ocean Flux Study Open Science conference, and an Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER) workshop.

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EDUCATION COUNCILLOR CANDIDATES

Susan Cook

Susan B. Cook is the Director of COSEE Florida, a Center within the NSF funded Centers for Ocean Sciences Education initiative, located at Indian River State College in Ft. Pierce, Florida.  She received her B.S. degree from Tulane University and her Ph. D, from Duke University.  Her postdoctoral work was at the Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College and Harvard University.    She has 28 years of experience in ocean education including a position as Assistant Director for Education at the Bermuda Biological Station (1983-1992), Education Director at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (1992-2001), and Education Director at the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education and the Consortium for Ocean Leadership from 2004 to 2009.  She served as Associate Program Director in the Ocean Sciences Division at NSF from 2001-2004 and co-PI/PI for the COSEE Central Coordinating Office from 2004 to 2009.  In addition to COSEE, the major programs she has either directed or created include the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) at CORE, the SSU-HBOI Undergraduate Summer Program: A Bridge to Research for Minority Students in the Marine Sciences at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution and the REU Site Program at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research (now the Bermuda Institute for Ocean Science).   She has been a member of TOS for about 20 years and is also a member of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, the American Geophysical Union and the Marine Technology Society serving as the Chair of its Education committee from 2008 to 2011.   Working with Gisele Muller Parker, she co-chaired the OSEC (Ocean Societies Education Collaborative) workshop that brought representatives of 10 professional societies together to learn about each other and discuss collaborative efforts (workshop report in Oceanography 22(3):262–267). Sue will contribute her expertise and experience in ocean education to help TOS bring its interdisciplinary focus to bear on the challenges facing ocean and science education in the world today.  

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Jan Hodder

Jan Hodder is a marine biologist and an Associate Professor at the University of Oregon’s Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB).  She received a B.Sc. in marine science from the University of Liverpool and her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon. Her research interests have centered on the ecology of marine birds and mammals. She is OIMB’s Academic Coordinator and oversees the UO’s marine biology major and OIMB’s summer undergraduate teaching program that serves both UO and non-UO students. She is the Director of the Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE) - Pacific Partnerships.  She recently served as a PI of OIMB’s GK-12 “Learning About Where We Live” project and is also part of the Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching (FIRST) project that provides professional development, focused on teaching inquiry-based, student-centered undergraduate biology courses, for biology post docs and faculty. At the UO she has been recognized for her teaching as a recipient of the Biology Teacher recognition award and as a Williams Teaching Fellow.  She served as president of the Organization of Biological Field Stations from 2006 – 2008 and is a member of the education and diversity committee of the National Association of Marine Laboratories and a member-at-large of the Western Association of Marine Laboratories. Jan looks forward to working with TOS and its members on efforts to increase ocean literacy in all segments of the educational continuum.

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Blanche W. Meeson

Blanche Meeson is a physical scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). She received a bachelors degree in Marine Science from San Jose State University, San Jose, CA and a masters and PhD in Botany and Algal Physiology, respectively, from University of California, Santa Barbara. She has been actively engaged in science education for the last 15 years working in national planning for IOOS educational initiatives, creating learning resources, and management of educational programs for NASA.

At the national planning level, she was responsible for building community consensus among the ocean research and education community resulting in the national vision, goals, and framework for implementation of education allied with the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS).

In the learning resources area, she has designed and implemented demanding collegiate research internship opportunities; created on-line learning resources for high school and undergraduates that integrate scientific research, data collections, and classroom ready analysis tools; and spearheaded the collaboration between GSFC scientists and a Maryland school district to create a modern version of Earth science—Earth system science. The curriculum was deployed in 12 comprehensive high schools and served as the model for other districts. Finally, she produced an award-winning educational video (two Telly Awards) to accompany the Earth science curriculum.

In the management arena, she spearheaded engagement of GSFC’s Earth (atmosphere, ocean, land, hydrology) scientists in a range of educational and public communication activities e.g., educational symposia, radio and television interviews, and presentations to senior federal officials in the White House and on Capitol Hill. She managed the implementation of NASA’s Earth science education activities, focusing on improving the quality, availability, and affordability of NASA’s learning resources; and improving the coordination, collaboration, coherence and accountability of these education activities.

She has received over 30 NASA awards and awards from the Anne Arundel County Council and the public school system for her science education leadership. She has served as invited speaker, review board member, and steering group member, e.g., ORION steering committee, ORAP education sub-panel, and NERRS System Wide Monitoring Program Review Committee.

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PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY COUNCILLOR CANDIDATES

Laurence Padman

I am a Senior Scientist and Vice President at Earth & Space Research (ESR), a nonprofit institute specializing in oceanographic research. I received a B.S. in 1981 from the University of Sydney, majoring in Physics and Pure and Applied Mathematics, and a PhD in Physical Oceanography from the University of Sydney in 1987. From 1981 to 1986 I worked part-time for Exxon Australia, supervising offshore site surveys for exploration rigs and developing environmental design and safety criteria for oil production platforms. In1986 I joined the faculty at the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University (COAS/OSU), then moved to ESR in 1997. My research focuses on polar oceans, using a combination of in situ data collection, satellite remote sensing and numerical models to study a variety of processes including high latitude tides, ocean interactions with ice shelves and sea ice, ocean turbulence and dense water formation.  These studies involve numerous formal collaborations including with glaciologists, paleoceanographers, and marine biologists and geologists at several U.S. institutions and internationally. I have been a PI in eight large polar field programs including three ice camps, and was a Science Team member for NASA's ICESat 1 laser altimeter mission.  My commitment to graduate and public education is expressed through training graduate students at OSU (receiving the COAS/OSU Mentoring Award in 1997), co-advising graduate students at other institutions, contributing to workshops that help Oregon K-12 teachers introduce climate science concepts in their classrooms, and writing numerous op-ed letters to local newspapers. I have received three Excellence in Refereeing awards from AGU, representing my commitment to clarity and accuracy of science presentation. I look forward to the chance to serve on the TOS council to encourage interdisciplinary research and to improve the communication of ocean sciences to the public.

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Janet Sprintall

Janet Sprintall is a Research Oceanographer and Adjunct Lecturer at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), University of California, San Diego. She received a B.Sc. (First Class Honors) from Griffith University, Queensland, and an MSc and PhD in Physical Oceanography from the University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She was an NRC Postdoctoral Associate at the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, Washington, after which she moved to SIO where she has been ever since. Janet is an observational physical oceanographer with interests in the large-scale circulation of mass and heat in the ocean, and a specific focus on measuring and understanding the complexities of inter-basin and inter-ocean exchanges. As such, she has participated in umpteen cruises and field programs with teams of international investigators in the western Pacific marginal seas and global oceans, except the Atlantic Ocean, a shortcoming that she hopes to remedy soon. Her current research is focused on understanding the mechanisms responsible for change in Southern Ocean fronts and water masses in response to large-scale climate modes; investigating what controls the gating of the flow from the Pacific to Indian Ocean through the complex bathymetry of the Indonesian seas; and how the flow responds to local and remote forcing within the Philippine archipelago. She is an ardent supporter of [well-maintained] sustained monitoring programs that have allowed us to detect the long-term changes in the ocean, and provided valuable data to keep the models honest. The best part of Janet’s job is getting to work with bright and enthusiastic graduate students, both at SIO and internationally, who frequently bring inspiration and fresh insight into many long-standing ocean science problems across a range of sub-disciplines. Janet has recently served on the Antarctic Research Vessel Oversight Committee, is a co-chair of the CLIVAR Indonesian Throughflow Task Team, and co-leader of a mentoring group for Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to Increase Retention (MPOWIR). She is interested in working with the TOS council and its members to increase participation by younger scientists and those from developing nations, and also on issues related to education and public outreach.

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Andreas M. Thurnherr

Andreas Thurnherr is Lamont Associate Research Professor (senior staff) at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. He received a diploma in computer science and engineering with a minor in marine biology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), 1986, and a Ph.D. in physical oceanography from Southampton University (UK), 2000. Before joining Lamont as a research scientist he spent three years at Florida State University, first as a postdoctoral researcher and later as a member of the research faculty.  Andreas has been a member of TOS since 1998. He is a seagoing, observational physical oceanographer with strong interests in multidisciplinary projects. His primary research interests in physical oceanography concern processes acting near topography, horizontal and vertical dispersal in the ocean, as well as the large-scale circulation, with emphasis on the return limb of the overturning circulation (mixing and upwelling). Additionally, he is interested in oceanographic instrumentation and methods, in particular those related to the measurement of currents, internal waves and turbulence with acoustic methods (especially ADCPs). He has been serving on a variety of committees, including the RIDGE2000 steering committee (2006-2008), the SCOR/Interridge working group on Hydrothermal energy transfer and its impact on the ocean carbon cycles (since 2008), and the IEEE Current Measurement Technology Committee (since 2005). Andreas is interested in working with the TOS council not only on issues related to physical oceanography but also, in particular, to foster multidisciplinary, collaborative oceanographic research

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