$35 Million Federal Award to Rockland's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory for Oceanic Research

The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades has signed a $35 million, five-year cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation to manage scientific support services for U.S. scientists conducting oceanic research.

“Researching our natural world today yields the important discoveries of tomorrow,” said Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (Westchester/Rockland), the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, announcing the agreement today. “This National Science Foundation agreement will allow Lamont-Doherty’s scientists to continue advancing our understanding of the natural world around us, and their work will provide the foundation to one day solve some of the globe’s most pressing problems. As Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will continue to fight for increased federal investments that benefit the scientific research community in the Lower Hudson Valley.”

Lamont will use the $35 million award to establish a U.S. Science Support office to manage scientific support services for the International Ocean Discovery Program, a collaboration among 26 nations to explore the earth’s geologic history and dynamics. The office will be headed by Carl Brenner, a Lamont scientist who has had extensive experience with IODP and its predecessor programs. The office will have a staff of five.

“Observatory scientists, engineers, and students have been participating in IODP programs and its predecessor programs for more than four decades,” said Lamont director Sean Solomon. “Our proposal built on that work in offering a unique and efficient management plan for this important and complex program. We are honored that NSF has entrusted the Observatory with this responsibility.”

With input from a national advisory panel, the new office at Lamont will provide monetary support for U.S. scientists participating in IODP research.

The office will also run an extensive education and outreach program aimed at teachers, students and the general public, promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

Lamont has a long history of interacting with local teachers and students primarily through annual Open House events where visitors learn about IODP and other activities at Lamont, and local teachers have been introduced to IODP science through the Earth2Class program. With the new U.S. Science Support office now located at Lamont, the opportunities for local educators to be exposed to IODP science and to use it in their classrooms will increase.

Lamont will help U.S. scientists utilize drilling vessels that retrieve samples of subseafloor sediments and rocks, and monitor the seabed.

Scientific ocean sampling has revealed the story of profound changes in earth’s environment and climate in the past, and it also provides context to understand changes now unfolding. It has been fundamental to the theory of plate tectonics, which affect everything from the locations of earthquakes and volcanoes, to the formation of ore deposits. Scientific drilling has also revealed the existence of huge, still largely unknown ecosystems extending nearly a mile below the seabed.

This mysterious environment may help us understand the evolution of life on earth, and the possibility of life in the extreme conditions of other planets. Genetic material from these environments may also someday have medical or industrial applications.

The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, a core component of the Earth Institute - Columbia University, seeks fundamental knowledge about the origin, evolution and future of the natural world. Its scientists study the planet from its deepest interior to the outer reaches of its atmosphere, on every continent and on every ocean, providing a rational basis for the difficult choices facing humanity.

PHOTO (L-R): Rockland County Legislator Nancy Low-Hogan; Congresswoman Lowey; Arthur L. Lerner-Lam, Lamont Deputy Director; Maureen Raymo, Director, Lamont Core Repository; Carl Brenner, Director of IODP U.S. Science Support Program; Dave Goldberg, Associate Director, Lamont Marine and Large Programs.

Photo Credit: Office of Congresswoman Nita Lowey