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Applied Ocean Science and Engineering
Biological Oceanography
Chemical Oceanography
Marine Geology and Geophysics
Physical Oceanography
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Ocean research is a lot like climbing a new route to the top of a mountain. Every time you go out to sea there's something new... Besides, neither place is very crowded.—Charles Hollister, Former Joint Program Dean

The biggest questions in earth and ocean science require that scientists must take a broad view, with respect to the relevant basic science disciplines and whether their research is experimental, theoretical or observational. Between MIT and WHOI, Joint Program students have unmatched access to the myriad of resources - the ships, instruments, computers and scientific guidance - needed to approach the biggest questions.

To see how Joint Program students cultivate their research interests in the MIT/WHOI Joint Program, view interviews with 2006 Ph.D. recipient Jim Thomson and 2007 Ph.D. recipient Regina Campbell-Malone.
Jim Thomson Windows Media    Quicktime    iPod compatible

Regina Campbell-Malone Windows Media    Quicktime    iPod compatible


Students in the Joint Program are treated like junior colleagues and contribute in essential ways to the scientfic vitality and productivity of MIT and WHOI. Former WHOI President and Director Bob Gagosian noted that Joint Program students play an "essential role...in making WHOI a national treasure, a global leader in going to sea to understand how the oceans work."

For examples of the research that intrigues scientists here, select one of the five disciplines:

Applied Ocean Sciences and Engineering
Keywords: fluid mechanics, acoustics, vehicles, instruments

Biological Oceanography
Keywords: phytoplankton, zooplankton, microbial ecology, marine mammals, environmental toxicology, larval ecology, benthic ecology, mathematical ecology, population genetics, microbiology, fish ecology, biogeochemistry

Chemical Oceanography
Keywords: air-sea exchange, atmospheric chemistry, biogeochemistry, carbon cycle science, environmental chemistry, geochemistry, global change, ocean tracers, radiochemistry

Marine Geology and Geophysics
Keywords: seafloor volcanic, tectonic and hydrothermal processes, mantle dynamics, ocean crustal structure, continental rifting, paleoceanography, paleoclimatology, coastal processes

Physical Oceanography
Keywords: physics, fluid dynamics, applied mathematics, observations, theory, modeling, ocean circulation, climate