International Territory: Science at Sea, Science in Space, and Science at the Poles

Friday, February 18, 2011: 3:00 PM-4:30 PM
145A (Washington Convention Center )
Whether exploring the depths of the ocean, the reaches of space, or polar realms, science in international territory is often conducted in extreme environments. Throughout the past century, these science programs have progressively grown in size, seeking to answer larger and more complicated questions. Individual labs and individual investigators turn into partnerships; these partnerships are leveraged across disciplines and institutions. For some investigations, ambitious equipment must be constructed: a ship that can drill miles beneath the seafloor, a space station that orbits the Earth, or monitoring equipment that can withstand subzero temperatures. Large facilities are often beyond the reach of individual countries and require multinational partnerships to take flight. But, does “big science” offer more than a means to leverage funding? International partnerships bring together groups of scientists trained under different academic systems with different cultural and philosophical views of the world. For the experiments to take place, these multicultural groups of scientists are often isolated in remote environments for weeks to months at a time. This session will explore three international programs taking place in remote regions: at sea, at the poles, and in space. The speakers will explore the scientific benefit to these collaborations -- how they started with necessity and developed into partnerships between researchers, ultimately transforming the science.
Organizer:
Charna Meth, Consortium for Ocean Leadership
Co-Organizer:
Susan Humphris, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Moderator:
Susan Humphris, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Speakers:
Elizabeth Screaton, University of Florida
Science at Sea: Twenty-Four Countries Exploring the Subseafloor
Sunita L. Williams, NASA Johnson Space Center
Science in Space: Five Agencies Operating in Zero Gravity
George Watters, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service
Science at the Poles: Twenty-Five Countries Protecting Living Resources
See more of: Global Collaboration
See more of: Symposia