| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 14, 2015 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | January 13, 2017 |
| Award Number: | 1550501 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Brian Midson
bmidson@nsf.gov (703)292-8145 OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | July 15, 2015 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2017 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $52,953.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $52,953.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
266 WOODS HOLE RD WOODS HOLE MA US 02543-1535 (508)289-3542 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
183 Oyster Pond Road Woods Hole MA US 02543-1041 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
SHIP OPERATIONS, SUBMERSIBLE SUPPORT |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
This award provides funds for an early career development exercise using the Human Occupied Vehicle Alvin. The training will include a series of half-day, mini-courses on various aspects of Alvin dive operations, cruise planning and execution, and strategies for crafting successful Alvin proposals. The mini-courses will allow participants to explore how their specific research objectives can be accomplished with Alvin.
Participants will each have an opportunity take part in a half-day simulated Alvin dive. These 'dives' will take place in the Alvin hanger, but in many respects will simulate the experience of a dive. In particular, participants will gain an appreciation for the field of view from the submersible, the time it takes to conduct manipulations for sampling and sensor/experiment deployment, and the responsibilities of dive participants for recording data and interacting with the pilots. Dives will last 3-4h and allow the participants to gain a deeper understanding of how to execute mission-specific goals with Alvin.
The primary goal of the training is to provide new Alvin users with an opportunity to learn about the operation of the sub in the context of their research objectives. The PI will produce documentation from mini-courses to be published on the DeSSC and NDSF websites so that others who are not able to attend can benefit. Attendees will provide an evaluation of the workshop including: size and structure, topical foci of the mini-courses, simulated dive experience, and instructor effectiveness. The results of these evaluations will be synthesized in a short document to circulate at UNOLS, DeSSC, NSF, and NDSF for the benefit of future training exercises.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This project supported a workshop for early career researchers to gain a better understanding of the research submarine HOV Alvin. A small group (10) of early career researchers came to WHOI for an intensive 'boot camp' with a group (5) of experienced mentors and Alvin operations personnel. The participants worked in groups and as individuals to develop field plans for their own proposals. Of the 10 participants, 6 submitted cruise proposals as lead or co-PI. Four of those proposals were successful and three have scheduled cruises using deep-submergence vehicles. Feedback from the participants indicated that the workshop was instrumental in the development of their proposals. They also suggested that future workshops should include all of the NDSF vehicles.
Excess funds were directed towards the initial development of an event logger for use with HOV Alvin. The event logger is modeled on systems in use with several ROVs that enable scientists to document vehicle operations (e.g., on bottom), observations (e.g., fish, sea star, fault), and sampling activities (e.g., push-core collected). Unlike ROV systems, where scientists have ready access to computers and keyboards that enable detailed note taking, the Alvin event logger is a web-based application run on tablets that enables logging by button-presses so that users can spend more time looking through view ports and controlling video cameras. The resulting, time-stamped record of observations can be used for dive review, as expert annotation of video and still imagery, and to communicate observations with colleagues at-sea and on-shore. The event logger was deployed as a prototype on an Alvin research cruise in Spring 2018.
Last Modified: 07/01/2018
Modified by: Samuel A Soule
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