Participating Institutions

Interest in the marine sciences and oceanography at the University of Rhode Island dates back to the mid-1930s when the Narragansett Marine Laboratory was established. With significant reorganization and considerable expansion, the initial marine program became the University's Graduate School of Oceanography in 1961.

In 1971, the University was designated one of the original group of national Sea Grant Colleges. The Sea Grant College Program, which emphasizes applied marine studies and public service, involves departments and faculty members throughout the University and is under the supervision of the Vice Provost for Marine Programs, who is also Dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography.

In 1989, the Graduate School of Oceanography was named a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center of Excellence in coastal marine studies. Recently, the National Research Council ranked the Graduate School of Oceanography's Ph.D. program one of the best in the country and fifth among oceanographic institutions.

Research at the Bay Campus is conducted on approximately 200 research programs which have a combined budget of approximately $23 million in federal funds. This research ranges from the dynamics of present-day ocean circulation to the nature of ocean circulation 100 million years ago, and from the role of bacteria in carbon cycles to the communication of whales and dolphins. The research activities at GSO require an extensive and specialized array of scientific and technical equipment and services. Many of the laboratories and instrument facilities are state-of-the-art and unique to GSO.

In 1927, a National Academy of Sciences committee concluded that it was time to "consider the share of the United States of America in a worldwide program of oceanographic research."

The committee's recommendation for establishing a permanent independent research laboratory on the East Coast to "prosecute oceanography in all its branches" led to the founding in 1930 of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. A $3 million grant from the Rockefeller Foundation supported the summer work of a dozen scientists, construction of a laboratory building and commissioning of a research vessel, the 142-foot ketch Atlantis, whose profile still forms the Institution's logo.

WHOI grew substantially to support significant defense-related research during World War II, and later began a steady growth in staff, research fleet, and scientific stature. Over the years, WHOI scientists have made discoveries about the ocean that have contributed to improving our commerce, health, national security, and quality of life. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, independent, not-for-profit corporation dedicated to research and higher education at the frontiers of ocean science.

Its primary mission is to develop and effectively communicate a fundamental understanding of the processes and characteristics governing how the oceans function and how they interact with the Earth as a whole. It is the goal of the Institution to be a world leader in advancing and communicating a basic understanding of the oceans and their decisive role in addressing global questions.