WHOI Names Abbott President, Director
; The board of trustees of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) announced that Dr. Mark Abbott has accepted the position of president and director of the institution. Assuming the office October 1, 2015, Abbott will become the 10th director in WHOI's 85-year history, succeeding Susan Avery, who served from 2008 to 2015. A biological oceanographer whose research focuses on the interaction of biological and physical processes in the upper ocean, Abbott joins WHOI from Oregon State University where he served as dean and professor in the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric
Bellingham Named Director of WHOI Robotics Center
co-founder of Bluefin Robotics in 1997, a Massachusetts-based company that develops, builds and operates autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Bluefin was later acquired by Battelle. “We are thrilled to welcome Jim to Woods Hole Oceanographic,” said WHOI President and Director Susan Avery. “His combination of a strong academic research background, entrepreneurial business savvy, and experience working with other academic, nonprofit, private sector, and government sectors will help advance the field of marine robotics and speed its application for science and a broad range
Ocean Science and Exploration Focus on Capitol Hill
Explorer and director James Cameron will be on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, June 11, with Dr. Susan Avery, president and director of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for a series of public events and a Senate hearing. Central to their visit is the display of the Deepsea Challenger, the only human-occupied vehicle currently able to access the deepest parts the ocean. Cameron developed the vehicle over seven years and used it in March 2012 to dive to the deepest spot in the ocean, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. One year later, Cameron donated the vehicle to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
James Cameron Gifts 'Deepsea Challenger' to Woods Hole
and science platform. WHOI is a place where the system will be a living, breathing and dynamic program going forward." "We are delighted that Jim has agreed to join the Center's Advisory Board, a group distinguished by its members' deep experience and commitment to ocean science," says Susan Avery, president and director of WHOI. "By virtue of much of his work in the ocean, he is in a perfect position to provide fresh perspectives on the challenges we face. It's just one manifestation of the kind of sustained partnership developing between WHOI and the Cameron team."