Campaign for our Ocean Planet

"Sold out." The phrase kept ringing in my mind as I watched people enter Redfield Auditorium. Enough guests had registered to fill every single seat. I had never given a presentation to a sold-out crowd, but then again, I had never been billed as a VIP speaker alongside Brian Skerry and Sylvia Earle. I asked WHOI's Advancement team if they were sure of their choice. They were. So I took a deep breath and watched WHOI supporters file into the auditorium one by one. 

Delivering my presentation in Redfield Auditorium.
Photo by Katherine Joyce.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has launched a monumental effort: the largest campaign in history to support ocean science. As a not-for-profit institution, we are dependent on grants, contracts, and philanthropic gifts to continue doing what we do best. Federal funding for research has declined in recent years and is likely to face further cuts in the near future. Yet, we are in a critical time for ocean research, as the environment that covers 70% of our planet undergoes rapid change. WHOI's campaign is not just for the longevity of the institution - it is for our survival as a species. Advancement has rightly dubbed the $500 million fundraising goal the "Campaign for our Ocean Planet." 

My presentation went really well. I introduced the audience to shipwrecks as habitats and showed 3 studies I have conducted, using them as models for understanding a changing ocean. The sign of any presentation's success is the questions it generates, and I got really insightful questions! It was clear the audience was thinking along with me, and they even had some original ideas to enhance my next research directions. 

WHOI's leadership team at the campaign dinner.

As a busy day of presentations and community engagement wrapped up in Woods Hole, I changed clothes and headed to the campaign launch dinner. The dining room of a local inn had been transformed into a celebration of ocean science. Our President and Director, Peter de Menocal, and Chairman of the Board, Paul Salem, addressed the crowd to thank them for their support of WHOI. The Campaign Chair, Sarah Johnson, spoke to the importance of ocean science. The evening was celebratory and unifying and inspirational. I was honored to be included. 

Friends, it is an exciting time to be a WHOI scientist. I love my job - as you well know - and want to keep making new discoveries about the ocean for as long as I possibly can. There is no doubt in my mind that the campaign will be successful, and I am so pleased to be a part of it.