Oceanography school accepting proposals for Endeavor

01/20/05 - The University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography is now accepting project proposals for next year's voyages on the Endeavor research vessel.According to the GSO website, the purpose of the Endeavor is to educate Rhode Islanders about the marine environment and provide a research tool for scientists.

The GSO, located in the URI Bay Campus, manages the Rhode Island Endeavor Program Members (RIEP), which is responsible for allocating funds towards expeditions on the vessel. Members of the RIEP are trying to plan ahead for the new fiscal year, which begins on July 1, by organizing the ship's schedule before the program is granted state funding.

Jeffrey Callahan, the Director of Facilities at the GSO, said that the state has a special allocation of funding for the vessel each year. He said that last year, the state awarded the RIEP $500,000.

"We don't have the money yet for this fiscal year," he said. "We want to have all the proposals ready so we can allocate our funding."

It takes about two to three months to sort out and pick a proposal, which is already a quarter of the fiscal year, Callahan said.

The opportunity to propose a project on the vessel is open to all Rhode Island citizens. According to the GSO website, each proposal will be reviewed for scientific/technical merit and feasibility.

"Projects using the ship are mainly for scientific and technical research," he said. "We will also accept proposals to upgrade the ship itself."

The Endeavor has been a part of the GSO since 1976. Callahan says the ship is in fine shape, and other funding allows for constant maintenance, but as the science has evolved the ship needs more high tech 'gizmos.'

The RIEP will review the submitted proposals on Feb 18, however the submission deadline is March 18, 2005. Information and guidelines for filling out a proposal can be found at http://www.gso.uri.edu/riep/index.html. The proposals must be submitted electronically and cannot exceed seven pages in length.