ACADEMIC REPORT for 2004-2005

College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences

2004-2005 highlights
Programmatic achievements

Initiatives in support of teaching

We have over 20 undergraduate students paired with COAS faculty on oceanic and atmospheric science research projects. Seven of these students are from the HonorsCollege.
We have significantly expanded our e-campus offerings, with nearly 100 students enrolled in COAS courses.

Major research/scholarship initiatives

We have hired eight new faculty in the past year, mostly at the assistant professor level. Their specialties range from climate modeling to fisheries oceanography to coastal ocean dynamics.
The Oregon Coastal Ocean Observing System (OrCOOS) is part of the OSU Federal Agenda and has been proposed for funding by the US Senate Appropriations Committee. OrCOOS will provide real-time data streams in support of research, management, and education.
The NOAA Cooperative Institute for Oceanographic Satellite Studies has expanded its budget nearly ten-fold over the last three years and is playing a national leadership role in setting the future capabilities in ocean remote sensing.
COAS researchers continue to develop new tools for studying our Earth system, including advanced X-ray equipment to study the recent history of ocean sediments, gas samplers to study forest respiration, a new generation of modular sampling systems to study hydrothermal systems at the bottom of the ocean, and energy systems that utilize microbial activity.
We completed the pre-design for an EarthSystemsScienceCenter that would support new initiatives in Earth System research, education, and outreach.
We have completed initial site development for the ExpeditionSupportCenter that will enable field and sea-going research.

Major outreach/engagement initiatives

COAS faculty collaborated with other OSU faculty to provide information and insight on the 26 December tsunami.
Participated in the Memorandum of Understanding between OSU and the Oregon Coast Aquarium for joint education/outreach programs.
COAS provided half-time support to Liz LaPolt for OSU Federal Relations.

National/international impact of programs and initiatives

COAS faculty received over $28M in competitive research awards.

COAS faculty have helped guide the development of major new initiatives in the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program and the NSF’s Ocean Observatories Initiative.
COAS faculty are leading the development of the next-generation ocean color sensor to be flown in geostationary orbit to study coastal ocean processes.
COAS and other OSU faculty will present findings from their Artic research this fall to a meeting of the US Arctic Research Commission, which is a Presidential commission meeting in Corvallis.
COAS faculty participate in many national committees that are establishing the Nation’s research agenda, including ocean carbon cycling, ecosystem-based management of ocean resources, ocean/atmosphere climate variability, atmospheric science facilities, satellite remote sensing, ocean and atmospheric modeling, ocean observatories, gas hydrates, and paleotectonics.
Faculty recognition and awards

John Allen was selected as a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and recipient of the Henry Stommel Research Award “for his insightful and rigorous elucidation of ocean processes over the continental shelf and slope.”
Former Dean G. Brent Dalrymple received the National Medal of Science.
The Native Americans in Marine and Space Sciences program (administered by COAS, Judith Vergun, Director) received the 2004 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.
Kelly Benoit-Bird received a Young Investigator award from the Office of Naval Research, one of 28 awards made nationally.
Bill Rugh was named Outstanding Faculty Research Assistant by the OSU Faculty Senate.
Ten COAS faculty were profiled in a special issue of Oceanography highlighting women in the ocean sciences.
Student recognition and awards

Bayley Graduate Fellowship – Michael Wetz
Yerex Graduate Fellowship, 1st Runner-up – Angel White
Frolander Graduate Teaching Assistant Award – Leah Bandstra
Minority Group Graduate Student Pipeline Fellowship – Brie Lindsey and Cristina Orrico
NASA Earth System Science Graduate Fellowship – Wiley Evans and Angel White
Oregon Laurels Scholarships – 7 1st year students and 4 supplemental awards

Strategic Plan Implementation
Focus for 2004-2005

Enhancing Student Success

Expand atmospheric science faculty and teaching facilities
Completed remodel of StrandAg 324 to support computer-based instruction.
Hired two nationally-recognized faculty in climate processes and air/sea interaction.
Restructured student office spaces to provide better co-location between students and faculty.
Develop pilot Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) with HonorsCollege students, including Honors section of OC331.
Began with an initial cohort of 20 undergraduates (2nd and 3rd year), of whom 7 are HC, linked with faculty mentors and summer research projects. In addition to an hourly wage, students have undertaken research topics that may develop into a senior thesis project. We have many more faculty interested in advising such undergraduate projects, and additional topics are advertised through the HC website and HC newsletters. To promote recruitment of HC student into this REU program we will offer OC331 (Introduction to Oceanography) as an HC course in Fall 2005.
Expand e-campus course offerings.
We have developed and delivered ATS210 (Introduction to Atmospheric Sciences), which is required for several on-line undergraduate majors. This course had 45 students enrolled in its first offering. We have also increased offerings of OC/GEO103 (Exploring the Deep) to Spring and Summer terms, 2005.
Develop proposal to NSF for summer REU site program.
After discussion with PIs of similar REU site programs at HMSC and the Hinsdale Wave Facility, we have agreed to join forces in a COAS-wide REU site program in marine studies, that would begin summer 2007, following the completion of the current HMSC program. In the meantime, we will focus on further development of the COAS-HC REU program, and re-creating the native Americans REU program in collaboration with four other Colleges (see “Proposed Goals for 2005-2006”)

Increasing Research and Outreach

Continue present hiring plan and develop a refined future plan, focusing on Earth System science.

Eight faculty hired in the last year, with two searches underway. This completes the first 4-year hiring plan, with a total of 20 new faculty hired in this period.
Negotiations are underway with a prospective faculty member in geobiology, in support of one of the Provost’s research initiatives.
With these new hires and our many active, externally-funded emeritus faculty, we have exhausted our available office and laboratory space. In order to continue new faculty hiring (which is necessary simply to preserve the size of the teaching faculty), we need to identify and remodel additional laboratory and office space.
A new Faculty Hiring Consultation Committee was convened and has met extensively. It has created a sequenced list of future faculty recruitments. Based on demographic considerations and expectations of moderate increased space availability from OSU over the next 4 years, it is anticipated that the full faculty will endorse the FHCC recommendations, leading to 5 searches in 2006, 4 in 2007, and 3 in each of the following 2 years. In the absence of new space, only about 1 search/year will be possible.

Develop Oregon Coastal Ocean Observing System for the OSU/OUS Federal Agenda.

OrCOOS was part of the OSU Agenda. COAS leadership made visits to the entire Oregon Congressional delegation, coordinated by Liz LaPolt. ORCOOS was added to the Senate appropriation bill for NOAA.
We have begun to develop a management strategy for OrCOOS that would engage agency and private sector partners.
We are cooperating with other regional ocean observing systems in the Pacific Northwest.

Develop real-time displays at HMSC.

This is ongoing in collaboration with CIOSS.

Expand and upgrade office/lab space in Weniger Hall as well as in Burt and Strand Ag Halls.

In collaboration with Dean Sherm Bloomer, we have identified some space that might be available for a temporary loan to COAS. We have just completed a walk-through with COS leadership. If suitable space is available, we will need to locate additional funds for remodeling, as the costs will far exceed our normal BUC allotment. Remodeling costs for modern laboratories (with no special features) have been averaging $150/ft2.
COAS has continued its facilities upgrade program (funded partially from BUC's); during 2004-2005, four major laboratory remodels/renovations were completed in Burt and Weniger Halls to support new faculty and new programs. A new compute server/networking facility was installed in Strand Ag.
In conjunction with Geosciences in the College of Science, renovated and upgraded the Microprobe Lab in Burt and installed cutting-edge equipment capable of remote data acquisition and analysis. This facility supports remote collaboration with PSU researchers.

Complete pre-design for the new EarthSystemScienceCenter building and develop funding plan.

In collaboration with Geosciences, the pre-design has been completed. We presented the plan to the OSU University Campaign. Although the ESSC is not a formal part of the Campaign, we are pursuing other funding plans, and we have started working with the OSU Foundation to develop a fundraising plan focusing on major donors.
We have presented opportunities for a mix of private gifts, bonding, and State funds to the Provost, the VP for Finance, and the CEO of the Foundation as well as to the COAS Board of Advisors.
We are planning a fall retreat with key COAS and Geosciences alumni to develop our fundraising strategy.
The OSU Foundation will be hiring a development officer dedicated to COAS needs.

Construct the first phase of the ExpeditionSupportCenter.

We have completed the demolition of the unused poultry barn, provided sufficient underground power to the site to accommodate almost all of the planned multi-year development, and installed security, alarm, and communication systems to allow temporary long-term storage of environmentally controlled seagoing vans containing valuable seafloor cores collected worldwide by COAS research cruises during the past year. The storage of cores in vans is required because the OSU Northwest Core Facility (a COAS/OSU-housed national facility) is completely full.

Strengthen links with COAS alumni.

Developed COAS alumni database in partnership with OSU Alumni Association.
Established Alumni speaker series, with Dr. Gretchen Schuette (President, Chemeketa CC) as initial speaker.
Planning Marine Resource Management reunion this fall to introduce new director of the MRM program, Michael Harte.

Increasing Diversity and Community

Actively recruit new faculty from under-represented groups within the College faculty hiring plan.
Offers made to two top candidates from underrepresented groups; one accepted offer.
Hiring rate for women into tenure-track positions was at a greater rate than availability; hiring rate for underrepresented groups was at the same rate as availability. Both rates have increased over the last four years.
Three of our 20 new faculty come from overseas. About 15% of our graduate students are international.
Developed mentoring program focused on retention and College climate.
Support and expand NAMSS internship opportunities.
The current NAMSS program, supporting 12 students in research and internship projects through 2004-2005, was terminated by NSF. To broaden the opportunities for Native American undergraduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at OSU, we have enlisted the participation of four other Colleges in addition to COAS. We are seeking University support of the program on an interim basis (9 months) until ongoing support from NSF and NASA can be secured.
Coordinate MRM internships with PROMISE internship opportunities.
This is ongoing.
Participate in minority student recruiting opportunities.
We send student recruiters to the SACNAS and Geological Society of America national meetings annually. We nominated four candidates for Minority Group Graduate Student Pipeline Fellowships this year. This is by far the strongest group of minority students to apply to our graduate programs. Two awards were made (Native American and Hispanic students).
10% of our graduate applicants were from underrepresented groups; our student population varies from 10-15% from underrepresented groups.
Continue collaboration with SMILE.
Our main activity here is through our NOAA-funded CIOSS (Cooperative Institute for Oceanographic Satellite Studies). The “Oil Spill Drill” was held this spring for SMILE students.
NAMSS students have contributed as mentors to K-12 students through academic year and summer activities, and will continue to do so under the restructured program.

Self-Assessment

COAS continues to expand its engagement with undergraduates in both classroom (include e-campus) activities as well as in research opportunities. This is important for both student recruiting as well as to connect OSU undergraduates with the research enterprise. Our faculty have been enthusiastic about the students who have been working on research projects, and several HonorsCollege students may develop these projects into Senior theses. We continue to find it challenging to recruit the best students because of our soft money environment. Building a diverse student population continues to be difficult as it is for all Earth System science programs.

Our hiring plan has been an enormous success, and despite our challenging business model, we generally were able to hire our first or second choice. Our reputation as an institution with a clear vision and a dedication to research and education in Earth systems is well-established. Our new hires reflect a diverse background, including international researchers. Our challenge is to continue to hire the best available faculty in an increasingly competitive Federal funding environment. We need to be able to have sufficient funds for startup, facilities investments, and seed money for new research. With our small State funding base, this is difficult. We also need to build a strong development program with the OSU Foundation, incorporating the ESSC as one of our goals.

Promotion of Thematic Areas in 2004-2005

Our hiring of new faculty has specifically focused on researchers engaged in the study of Earth System processes. For example, one new faculty member is studying the interaction between climate change, cattle grazing practices, and the spread of West Nile Virus. Our work on the pre-design of the EarthSystemScienceCenter brought together a wide range of Earth System researchers to identify common facilities needs and research opportunities.

Several of our new faculty as well as established faculty are engaged in technology development for both field and laboratory systems. Many of these systems have commercial potential or have been licensed, in support of technological change and innovation. COAS faculty are also funded to develop advanced information infrastructure in support of ocean/atmosphere modeling and ocean observatories.

OrCOOS will deliver real-time observations to help manage the natural resources of our coastal ocean. Our new Marine Resource Management director will guide this program to new areas of management, including ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries. We have hired a fisheries oceanography who will work with other COAS faculty on issues of climate change and fisheries.

Over 750 undergraduates every year take a course in oceanic or atmospheric science. We have greatly expanded the opportunities available for OSU undergraduates to become engaged in research as part of a strong curriculum and basic inquiry in the arts and sciences.

Other initiatives and their outcomes

We have reformed our annual review and assessment process for faculty. The primary outcomes of the evaluation process will be salary and workload. Salary outcomes will consider merit as well as equity. Workload outcomes will consider changes in position description, course loads, and other activities. Evaluations will be based on teaching load and quality, research productivity, and service. For these three areas, the evaluation will consider:

Teaching

Number of classes per year

Enrollment

Number of supervised graduate students

Undergraduate involvement (HonorsCollege theses, interns, etc.)

Course evaluations

Peer review of teaching, if applicable

Other education/curriculum development activities

Research productivity

Papers, with an evaluation of impact

Invited talks

Grants submitted and grant expenditures

Chief scientist of field campaigns

Lead investigator of multi-institutional projects

Prizes, recognition

Gap support

Service

National committees

Professional society committees

University committees

Organizer of special sessions and workshops

Reviews

Student recruiting

Enhancing College diversity

Public outreach

The evaluation process is based on an activity report filled out by the faculty member to capture information in these three areas, including an updated CV. The report also includes an area for a self-assessment (including a discussion of major accomplishments) and a work plan for the next review period. The Dean reviews the material and provides a written summary and evaluation.

We have completed the first year of this process, and it has been much more fulfilling for both the faculty member and the Dean. The challenge is the limited funds that will be available for merit increases.

Scorecard
Performance on college-level metrics
Faculty Receiving National and International Recognition in Research – 3 ISI Highly Cited authors, 1 National Medal of Science, 1 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, 1 AMS Fellow, 1 AMS Stommel Research Award, 1 ONR Young Investigator
Undergraduates in Research Projects – Over 20 undergraduates have partnered with COAS faculty on research projects, including seven from the HonorsCollege.
Leveraging resources
COAS received over $28M in competitive Federal grants, on a State base budget (exclusive of returned overhead) of about $2.4M. Given the increasing level of competition for Federal funds and the number of grants per faculty member, this award rate is unlikely to increase substantially unless we continue to increase the number of faculty.
We continually seek ways to streamline our operations and reduce administrative costs, but ever-changing OSU requirements and processes make this very difficult.
Proposed Goals for 2005-2006
Enhancing student success
Develop the COAS-HC REU program with the first offering of OC331H.
Co-support (with Geosciences) a Program Coordinator for REU and e-campus courses.
Collaborate with HMSC and Ocean Engineering in proposing to NSF a broad summer REU site program, to begin 2007.
Develop a strategic plan for the MRM program, assessing program focus areas and faculty needs.
Increasing research/scholarship and outreach
Implement the second phase of the faculty hiring plan, with a continuing emphasis on Earth System science.
Pursue faculty hiring opportunities in atmospheric science and MRM.
Develop a management and implementation plan for OrCOOS.
Explore opportunities for directed research plans in the interactions between carbon cycling, ecosystem structure and function, and climate processes.
Expand and upgrade office/lab space in Weniger Hall.
Implement fundraising plan for the ESSC.
Continue to develop the ExpeditionSupportCenter.
Continue upgrades of selected laboratories to support new instrumentation and research programs.
Continue to develop the COAS Alumni Association, especially with regard to advising current students about career planning.
Enhancing diversity and community, including international dimensions
Convene a COAS Diversity Advisory Board of State and national leaders to learn from best practices and establish a program at COAS.
Foster community collaborations and interactions in the workplace and in the social environment.
Develop a broad REU internship program for native American undergraduate students at OSU, with participation from the Colleges of Science, Agriculture, Engineering, and Forestry, to begin June, 2006
Continue to send student recruiters to SACNAC and GSA national meetings (October, 2005)
Develop partnerships with government agencies in New Zealand in to support student projects and internships in SW Pacific fisheries and coastal management.