Dr. Stephen Brandt

Dr. Stephen Brandt, director of Oregon Sea Grant, will serve as the first chair of Oregon State University’s new Marine Council, intended to bring together OSU’s ocean and coastal programs to address key marine science issues.

University Provost Sabah Randhawa formally announced the new council’s formation today. It will include representation from each of the 10 OSU colleges, departments and institutes working in ocean and coastal science, along with Vice President for Research and the Vice Provost for Outreach and Engagement.

The goal, according to Randhawa, is to provide an integrated, coordinated and collaborative approach to addressing marine science issues and opportunities.

With eight of its 11 academic colleges and multiple centers, institutes and programs engaged in marine science, and more than 37 percent of the institution’s research dollars going toward ocean-related issues and programs, OSU  aspires to being  recognized as a national and world leader in advancing the  fundamental understanding of ocean processes and their role in earth systems, as well as the role the oceans play in the environment, the economy and human society.

A full description of the new council and its goals is available here in .pdf format.

Brandt, director of Oregon Sea Grant since early last year, came to OSU from Michigan, where he had directed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Research Lab since 1997.