Aquarius 2010: Partnerships

NOAA’s Office of Marine Sanctuaries would not be able to conduct the Aquarius 2010 mission without the partnership of the following organizations:

Partners in Science
The University of North Carolina Wilmington owns and operates the Aquarius Reef Base in partnership with NOAA.

California State University, Monterey Bay is providing the expertise of Dr. James Lindholm of the Institute for Applied Marine Ecology and three graduate students.

University of Connecticut is providing the expertise of Peter Auster and Dr. Lindholm of the Institute for Applied Marine Ecology and three graduate students.

The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) is providing the expertise of Drs. John Burke and Chris Taylor who will be the primary leads in the acoustic monitoring aspect of the Aquarius mission, with support from Brian Degan.

Partners in Education
The National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS) is working with the NOAA ONMS in its educational outreach efforts to inner-city schools throughout the country.

Morgan State University is contributing the expertise of Dr. John Parker to the Aquarius team as a result of NABS outreach efforts.

Multicultural Education for Resource Issues Threatening Oceans (MERITO) is a California-based organization that is assisting with educational outreach to Hispanic communities.

Program Funding
The National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation is sponsoring the Aquarius 2010 mission with a $100,000 grant from the AT&T Foundation.

Other NOAA offices involved
Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
NOAA’s educational partnership program
National Center for Coastal and Ocean Science (NCCOS)