The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York (above) is part of a consortium that is entering negotiations with the US National Science Foundation to operate a scientific drillship for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Photo credit: Steve Gottlieb.

Washington DC -- Joint Oceanographic Institutions (JOI), a consortium of eighteen universities and research institutions, announced today that it will be entering into negotiations with the U.S. National Science Foundation to operate a scientific drillship for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). If successful, the National Science Foundation would award $620-650 million over 10 years to JOI for the alliance of JOI, Texas A&M University, and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University to provide long-term management and scientific support of a non-riser drilling vessel.

JOI President Steven Bohlen stated, "This is an exciting opportunity for the oceans community. Initiation of a high-impact and far-reaching geoscience program is upon us. There are many things that will be new about the program scientifically, but underpinning U.S. performance will be a new partnership among JOI, Texas A&M, and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, which will have benefits to the delivery of science services and the success of the program."

The JOI alliance has more than 25 years of experience leading international scientific programs. Since 1985, JOI has managed the Ocean Drilling Program, the predecessor to IODP, working with Texas A&M and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory to provide leadership and expertise leading to many scientific advances, including discoveries of rapid climate change, microbes, gas hydrates, and natural hazards.

This team will build upon successes and lessons learned during ODP to form a more integrative partnership.

Dr. Michael Purdy, Director of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, explained, "The alliance has innovations in new ways to manage science support. We look forward to working on academic, research, and educational components."

IODP is scheduled to begin in October 2003 and will use multiple research vessels to provide more opportunities for oceanographic and deep Earth discovery. In addition to the non-riser vessel sponsored by the United States, IODP will utilize a riser vessel currently under construction in Japan named Chikyu ("Earth"). Plans are also underway for additional countries to sponsor special platforms, such as those to drill in shallow water and ice-covered regions.

JOI is a consortium of eighteen U.S. academic institutions that brings to bear the collective capabilities of the individual oceanographic institutions on research planning and management of the ocean sciences. Established as a private, non-profit corporation in 1976, JOI facilitates and fosters the integration of program and facility requirements for the oceanographic community.

Texas A&M University is a land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant institution located in College Station, Texas. The university's enrollment includes approximately 44,000 students studying for degrees in 10 academic colleges. The College of Geosciences at Texas A&M University is one of the largest and most comprehensive academic concentrations of geosciences students, faculty and research activity in the world.

The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, a member of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, is one of the world’s leading research centers examining the planet from its core to its atmosphere, across every continent and every ocean. From global climate change to earthquakes, volcanoes, environmental hazards and beyond, Observatory scientists provide the basic knowledge of Earth systems needed to inform the future health and habitability of our planet. For more information, visit www.ldeo.columbia.edu.

The Earth Institute at Columbia University is the world’s leading academic center for the integrated study of Earth, its environment, and society. The Earth Institute builds upon excellence in the core disciplines—Earth sciences, biological sciences, engineering sciences, social sciences and health sciences—and stresses cross-disciplinary approaches to complex problems. Through its research training and global partnerships, it mobilizes science and technology to advance sustainable development, while placing special emphasis on the needs of the world’s poor. For more information please see www.earth.columbia.edu.

Additional information is available on the web for ODP (www.oceandrilling.org, http://www-odp.tamu.edu/, http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/BRG/ODP/) and IODP (http://www.iodp.org).