Term: Summer Quarter 2019 | Issue: 7
NEWS
NEW International Collaboration Agreements
Over the last several months, UC San Diego and Scripps Oceanography have signed a number of collaboration agreements with international partners. These Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) state our intention to work together as institutions on a variety of topics including various research themes, faculty and student exchanges, conducting of joint seminars and workshops, and more. We are pleased to announce our recent agreements with the following institutions:
  • University of Western Australia, Australia
  • Peking University, China
  • Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography, France
  • University of Haifa, Israel
  • National Taiwan Ocean University, Taiwan
To view all of Scripps' MOUs, visit our International Relations webpage (login required). For any questions regarding our new agreements, or for assistance establishing an agreement, please reach out to [email protected]
POGO Workshop on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
This past May, POGO's Biological Observations Working Group, which is chaired by Scripps Director Dr. Margaret Leinen , organized a workshop on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence for Biological Observations in Ostend, Belgium. Forty-one participants were divided into 3 domain-specific groups: acoustics, genomics, and imaging. Participants came from several countries within Europe, as well as India, Mozambique, South Africa, Brazil, Japan, and Australia.

Scripps postdoc Dr. Eric Orenstein (who also served as lead organizer of the ML/AI workshop), co-led the imaging session with Dr. Simon-Martin Schröder of Kiel University. The six workshop tutorial leaders are developing a white paper that will cover the details of the workshop structure, critical areas for capacity building in biological observations, and recommendations from tutorial leaders along with supplemental materials. Additionally, the tutorial leaders are working on making the data and materials available broadly online through the Ocean Teacher e-Learning Platform. 
VISITS AND EVENTS
Visit from Indian Environmental Agencies
Leadership from India's Ministry of Earth Sciences, National Institute of Ocean Technology, and National Center for Coastal Research will be visiting Scripps on September 13th. The delegation is interested to learn about our research, our current collaborations with Indian institutions, and opportunities for future partnerships.

If you are interested in meeting with the delegation from India, please contact [email protected]
Ocean Obs '19
Ocean Obs '19 will be taking place in Hawaii on September 16-20 in Honolulu, Hawaii. This decadal conference brings together expert scientists, governments, and NGOs to discuss the latest technologies and strategic goals in ocean observations.

The topics and sessions were informed by white papers, many of which were submitted by Scripps researchers. Several Scripps researchers will be attending the conference and Scripps Oceanography is an official sponsor of the meeting. Our contribution helps to provide funding for researchers from developing nations to attend the meeting.
University of Concepcion Research Symposium
From October 9-11, Scripps will be hosting researchers from the Universidad de Concepcion (UdeC) to participate in a workshop aimed at increasing our engagement in joint proposals, co-mentoring of students, faculty and student exchanges, joint cruises, and more.

Following the workshop, on Friday, October 11th, six members of UdeC faculty will be participating in a symposium to present their research, and opportunities for Scripps students and faculty to get involved:
Speakers include:
  • Dr. Fabian Tapia: Time-series measurements in Chile
  • Dr. Renato Quiñones: Aquaculture
  • Dr. Cristian Gallardo: Aquaculture, parasites and diseases, population genetic structure
  • Dr. Humberto Gonzalez: Southern high latitude ecosystems- South America & Antarctica
  • Dr. Silvio Pantoja: Patagonian research, breakthrough results in a changing environment
  • Dr. Sergio Neira: Fisheries and whales
Please join us on Friday, Oct. 11 at the Martin Johnson House from 1pm- 5pm to hear about research opportunities in Chile. Directly following the event, the Director's Office will be hosting TG to welcome our visitors.
INTERNATIONAL FUNDING
RESEARCH FUNDING
The U.S.-Egypt S&T Joint Fund was established to foster research collaboration between Egyptian and U.S. scientists. Award up to $200,000 USD maximum for each country's research team for a 2-3 year period.
Deadline: September 5, 2019

Fulbright Scholarship
Offers nearly 470 teaching and research awards in over 125 countries. Opportunities are now available for university faculty and administrators.
Deadline: September 16, 2019

IODP explores Earth's climate history, structure, mantle/crust dynamics, natural hazards, and deep biosphere. IODP facilitates international and interdisciplinary research on transformative and societally relevant topics using the ocean drilling, coring, and downhole measurement facilities
Deadline: October 1, 2019

NatGeo and  Microsoft’s AI for Earth  program are partnering to support novel projects that create and deploy AI tools to improve the way we monitor, model, and ultimately manage Earth’s natural systems for a more sustainable future. Topics broadly considered in climate change (inc extreme weather), agriculture, and water.
Deadline: October 9, 2019

The IGCP financially supports about 30 projects per year which are assessed by a peer-review process and have a lifetime of five years. Annual funding levels range between 5,000 and 10,000 USD to be used exclusively for meetings or workshops.
Deadline: October 15, 2019

Long Term Ecological Research synthesis working groups organized through the LTER Network Office (LNO) are intended to support collaboration on many LTER projects. The LNO expects to award 2-4 synthesis working groups at a funding level of up to $55,000 per year for up to two years.
Deadline: October 23, 2019

Solicitation is designed to link U.S. research networks with foreign research networks to coordinate interdisciplinary approaches to large scale research challenges.
LOI Due: December 21, 2019
STUDENT FUNDING
Scholarships of up to $30,000 AUD to facilitate participation in CCAMLR Scientific Committee workshops or working group meetings, relevant preparatory meetings, and exceptionally, meetings of the Scientific Committee, over a period of 2 years.
Application due: October 1, 2019

Research scholarships are awarded for research or study at all Swiss cantonal universities, universities of applied sciences and the two federal institutes of technology. 
Deadline: October 5, 2019

Provides scholarship awards of up to $40,000 to support graduate level study or post-doctoral research in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, sustainability, medicine and health sciences and interdisciplinary studies
Applications open: September 1, 2019
Application due: October 15, 2019

The Short-Term Fellowship Program allows selected candidates to come to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, and is an excellent resource to provide support for graduate students and introduce them to tropical research.
Deadline: October 15, 2019

Scholarships for undergraduate or graduate women enrolled in an accredited course of study in the field of underwater archaeology.
Applications open: September 1, 2019
Application due: October 31, 2019

Supports New Americans, immigrants or the children of immigrants, who are pursuing graduate school in the United States.
Each Fellowship supports one to two years of graduate study in any field and in any advanced degree-granting program in the U.S.
Deadline: November 1, 2019

The program provides support for women pursuing full-time graduate or postdoctoral study in the U.S. who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. A limited number of awards are available for study outside of the U.S.
Deadline: November 15, 2019
GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT SPOTLIGHT
The French Ameri-Can Climate Talks on Biodiversity (FACT-B) are a part of France’s broader efforts to make biodiversity conservation a priority at the international level. The public conference series raises awareness and reinforces exchanges between scientists and experts on climate and biodiversity issues. Our Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (CMBC) partnered with the Scientific Office of the French Embassy to bring a FACT-B Conference to Scripps on May 29, 2019.
We were joined by esteemed researchers and leaders in the global effort to understand and conserve biodiversity. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an intergovernmental organization under the United Nations. IPBES Executive Secretary, Dr. Anne Larigauderie, discussed a global biodiversity assessment released by IPBES earlier in the month. The report garnered much media attention for the claim that over 1 million species are at risk of extinction. This report is vitally important to creating a baseline of current knowledge and inspiring a call to action to preserve these important species and ecosystems. In addition, we were joined by Dr. Jean-François Silvain of the Foundation for Biodiversity Research (FBR) in France. Dr Silvain discussed the need for biodiversity monitoring in areas that are particularly vulnerable to changing environmental conditions: marine protected areas, coral reefs, polar regions, etc.
Two researchers from Scripps, Dr. Lisa Levin and Dr. Doug Bartlett, took the discussion a little deeper, looking at the biodiversity of deep sea ecosystems. Dr. Levin discussed the vastness of these ecosystems and explained they they account for greater than 90% of ocean volume, but are mostly unknown. Without understanding exactly which species are present, the role they serve in their ecosystems, and the value those ecosystems provide, how can we begin to understand and preserve biodiversity? Dr. Doug Bartlett discussed his research and several explorations of deep sea environments such as methane seeps and hydrothermal vents. The audience learned about the incredible diversity of microbes in these deep environments, and the extraordinary roles they can play.

The session was moderated by Scripps' postdoctoral scholar Dr. Natalya Gallo. Dr. Gallo did a fantastic job drawing the discussion to important topics such as the importance of international collaboration, the importance a single species can have in an ecosystem and on a global scale, and how we can use the upcoming UN Decade of Ocean Science to draw attention to the vital issue of preserving biodiversity on land and in the sea.
From left to right: Dr. Natalya Gallo (Scripps), Dr. Lisa Levin (Scripps), Dr. Doug Bartlett (Scripps), Dr. Jean François Silvain (FBR), Dr. Anne Larigauderie (IPBES)
INTERNATIONAL POSTDOCS & JOBS
Successful applicants are expected to conduct scientific work independently on research topics of their own choice or to become involved in research already being conducted at JAMSTEC. A mentor will be assigned to each JAMSTEC Young Research Fellow and will facilitate his/her research activities and evaluate their research progress each year. Available in any natural science or engineering field.
Deadline: August 28, 2019

The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), a permanent research institute based at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan, is seeking a pioneering, enthusiastic, collaborative, and open-minded scientist to establish a research program in origin of life studies as a tenured faculty member of the university (Associate or Full Professor level). They are particularly interested in the broad areas of chemistry and/or biology to further strengthen our in-house collaboration between theorists and experimentalists.
Deadline: August 30, 2019

If you have a PhD or a minimum of 4-years of full time research experience, you can apply to these amazing fellowship opportunities and choose any country in Europe for up to 2 years. Researchers of all nationalities and research fields are eligible, including social sciences, arts and humanities. 
Deadline: September 11, 2019

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is searching for the leaders of tomorrow – from Brazil, China, India, Russia, and the USA. The German Chancellor Fellowship offers you an opportunity to take the next career step in Germany – irrespective of your field of work. In order to apply, develop your own project idea and find the host of your choice to mentor you. Once your host has confirmed, you can apply for a fellowship.
Application due: September 15, 2019

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program provides funding to the very best postdoctoral applicants, both nationally and internationally, who will positively contribute to Canada's economic, social and research-based growth. Fellowships offered in Health research, Natural sciences and/or engineering, Social sciences and/or humanities
Application due: September 18, 2019