Oceanography Magazine Special Issue on Graduate Education in the Ocean Sciences

Florida State University, Tallahassee FL

Investigators

Abstract

In order to support an understanding of and improvements to graduate education in ocean sciences, the PIs will develop a publication for distribution at the Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) to be held from February 21-24 in New Orleans, Louisiana. OSM is a bi-annual conference supported by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Association for Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), and The Oceanography Society (TOS). It is the largest national gathering of ocean scientists. Florida State University proposes to publish a special issue of the TOS journal Oceanography with the title "Graduate Education in the Ocean Sciences" in March 2016. This journal will be distributed at the conference and will stimulate discussion of the challenges and opportunities facing faculty, administrators, and students in today's US graduate programs in the ocean sciences at this conference. The special publication will: (1) consider future research directions and workforce needs that depend on advanced education, (2) describe key elements of the graduate degree and professional development programs offered today, (3) call attention to the unique interdisciplinary and international training opportunities offered by these programs, (4) identify changes that may be needed to better support and prepare today's students for the workforce of tomorrow, (5) reflect on (and provide guidance for) meeting the challenges of recruiting and supporting a more diverse future student cohort, and (6) catalyze discussion on what both individual programs and the broader community can do to help our students prepare for successful careers and life after graduate school. The proposed set of peer-reviewed articles plus sidebars and scientist profiles will further these objectives.