Developing Science Mission Requirements for a New, Globally-Ranging U.S. Drilling Vessel

 

The National Science Foundation has asked the U.S. Science Support Program for assistance in developing Science Mission Requirements, or SMRs, for a globally-ranging riserless U.S. drilling vessel to address high priority scientific objectives outlined in the 2050 Science Framework: Exploring Earth by Scientific Ocean Drilling. To provide this input, USSSP has assembled a steering committee to oversee the canvassing of the U.S. community, the prioritization of objectives within the Framework, and the development of engineering, technical, and laboratory recommendations for a globally-ranging, riserless drilling and coring vessel. These recommendations can then be used by NSF should it enter into a Conceptual Design Process for such a vessel.

 

The SMR effort will begin with an online community survey, which will be accessible from February 1 through March 21. During this period, the steering committee will institute periodic virtual question and answer sessions to allow community members to ask questions about the survey and the general SMR effort. After the survey period closes, responses will be assessed by the steering committee, which will subsequently implement several virtual forums to refine, discuss, and further prioritize the survey results. Finally, an in-person community workshop will be held on May 17-18. The steering committee will then produce a draft report, which will be posted online for review, comments, and suggestions. Only after the community has had the opportunity to comment on the draft report will the final report be submitted to NSF.

SMR Steering Committee

 

Brandon Dugan (Colorado School of Mines, co-chair)

Rebecca Robinson (University of Rhode Island, co-chair)

Joyeeta Bhattacharya (University of Oklahoma)

Stephanie Carr (Hartwick College)

Tim Collett (U.S. Geological Survey)

Justin Dodd (Northern Illinois University)

Patricia Fryer (University of Hawaii)

Patrick Fulton (Cornell University)

Sean Gulick (University of Texas Austin)

Hiroko Kitajima (Texas A&M University)

Anthony Koppers (Oregon State University)

Jay Miller (retired, JOIDES Resolution Science Operator)

Yair Rosenthal (Rutgers University)

Masako Tominaga (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Marta Torres (Oregon State University)

Julia Wellner (University of Houston)

Larry Krissek (Ohio State University, ex-officio)

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Science Mission Requirements Survey

The survey will open on February 1. All survey responses provided by March 15 will be used to guide the virtual forums and in-person workshop. Completion of the survey will serve as one part of your application for attending the in-person workshop. The survey has 28 questions and should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. The survey is designed to be completed in one sitting. You can navigate backward and forward while taking the survey but once you submit the completed survey you cannot access it again. To streamline the process, we encourage you to review the NEXT Workshop Report and 2050 Science Framework prior to completing the survey and having the reports accessible when you take the survey.

 

 

Virtual Workshops

 

Registration for the virtual SMR workshops is now open. These will provide community members with the opportunity to address high priority issues identified by the steering committee in response to the survey results, and/or to contribute additional thoughts if they will not be attending the in-person workshop. Throughout the virtual workshop period, the steering committee will continue to aggregate community input from the survey and these online meetings, and hone the agenda for the in-person workshop. The virtual workshop schedule is as follows (all times Eastern):

 

SMR Topic 1: Coring Capabilities (Session A)

Monday, April 4; 4–6 PM. Register here. Draft agenda is here.

 

SMR Topic 1: Coring Capabilities (Session B)

Wednesday, April 6; 9–11 AM. Register here. Draft agenda is here.

 

SMR Topic 2: Mission-Critical/Time-Sensitive Measurements (Session A)

Monday, April 11; 4–6 PM. Register here. Draft agenda is here.

 

SMR Topic 2: Mission-Critical/Time-Sensitive Measurements (Session B)

Wednesday, April 13; 9–11 AM. Register here. Draft agenda is here.

 

SMR Topic 3: Downhole, Observatory, and Near-Seafloor Capabilities (Session A)

Monday, April 18; 4–6 PM. Register here. Draft agenda is here.

 

SMR Topic 3: Downhole, Observatory, and Near-Seafloor Capabilities (Session B)

Wednesday, April 20; 9–11 AM. Register here. Draft agenda is here.

 

SMR Topic 4: Vessel Operations (Session A)

Monday, April 25; 4–6 PM. Register here. Draft agenda is here.

 

SMR Topic 4: Vessel Operations (Session B)

Wednesday, April 27; 9–11 AM. Register here. Draft agenda is here.

 

 

SMR In-Person Workshop

The in-person Science Mission Requirements (SMR) Workshop will take place on May 17-18, 2022 at the Allegro Royal Sonesta Hotel in Chicago, IL. The workshop will build on information gathered by the community SMR survey and discussions held during the series of four topically-focused virtual workshops described above. All travel, hotel, and meal costs will be covered by USSSP. To apply, use the button above to access the USSSP application portal. Note that you must have completed the SMR Community Survey to be eligible to attend the workshop.

Questions? Inquiries about the workshop can be sent to the steering committee co-chairs:

 

Brandon Dugan, Colorado School of Mines (dugan@mines.edu)

Rebecca Robinson, University of Rhode Island (rebecca_r@uri.edu)