MIT Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Joint Program

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is located in the village of Woods Hole on Cape Cod. Research scientists are in residence there year-round studying various aspects of the oceans. WHOI scientists and engineers have a long tradition of collaborative work with MIT professors on oceanographic problems and the two Institutions have offered joint graduate degrees since 1968. See "Joint Program with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution" in the MIT Bulletin.

Under the auspices of the UROP program, MIT undergraduates can work on research projects with WHOI scientists and engineers, for MIT credit or for pay. They are not eligible for MIT UROP funding, however, unless the project is actively co-supervised by an MIT professor.

Timing: Although IAP and summer are the ideal times to seek out a WHOI UROP, projects are available year-round. You need not be in residence at WHOI to work with a WHOI staff member. Regularly scheduled commercial transportation is available to and from Woods Hole village during IAP and the summer term. During the fall and spring terms, free transportation is provided to WHOI on Tuesdays and Thursdays via the Joint Program Office, 54-911. Also, several Athena Clusters are located at WHOI.

Housing: You are responsible for securing your own housing if you are in residence in Woods Hole. There is a Housing Office at WHOI that will help you find accommodations in the local area, but this is not guaranteed. Start early to make arrangements for the summer months.

Examples of General Research Areas Available at WHOI:

Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering: Underwater acoustics, fluid dynamics, ship hydrodynamics; structures in the areas of vibrations, offshore platforms, moorings, ships, and anchors; marine geology and biology, signal processing, instrumentation, robotics, optics, and deep submergence engineering.

Biological Oceanography: Phytoplankton ecology; red tides; acoustic telemetry and the behavior of sharks; microbial ecology and food web dynamics; genetic and physiological regulation of luminescence in marine bacteria; nutrient cycling in coastal systems; microbiology of hydrothermal deep-sea vents; molecular toxicology and carcinogenesis of marine organisms; ecology and molecular phylogeny and cyanobacteria.

Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry: Environmental radioactivity; carbon transport to the deep ocean, stable-isotope paleoclimatology; natural isotopes in corals as indicators of past climate; effects of biogenic surfactants on air-sea gas exchange; applications of mass spectrometry in marine chemistry; sediment chemistry and the ancient environment; trace element geochemistry; hydrothermal systems; photochemistry of natural waters.

Marine Geology and Geophysics: Beach erosion; sea-level rise; global climate change; gravity anomalies and analysis of earth structure; nature and evolution of the crust; mid-ocean ridge processes; global geochemical cycles; seafloor; heat flow; laboratory automation and robotics.

Marine Policy and Management: Marine resource economics; the economic effects of environmental change; coastal resource management; statistical procedures for the analysis of ecological data; policy and global climate change.

Physical Oceanography: Abyssal general circulation; western boundary currents and the use of tracers in determining ocean circulation; air-sea fluxes; response of the ocean mixed layer of atmospheric forcing; internal waves; oceanographic instrumentation; meandering motions of the Gulf Stream.

UROPs available at MIT

For a list of MIT professors associated with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, please see the Joint Program Web Site at: http://web.mit.edu/mit-whoi/www/ under the appropriate discipline.

It is important to remember that if you choose to work at WHOI with a WHOI scientist, you are not eligible for funding from the UROP Office. Therefore you MUST work out funding with the individual WHOI scientist if you are doing a UROP for pay.

For a list of MIT professors associated with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, please see the Joint Program Web Site under the appropriate discipline. Many of these scientists also have a listing on the Joint Program Web Page (http://web.mit.edu/mit-whoi/www/)and a description of current research at WHOI is available here.

After you have made arrangements to do work at WHOI under UROP, you must bring a copy of your typed proposal and the signed UROP cover sheet to the authorized UROP Payroll person at MIT. No student may begin work at WHOI until this person cosigns your proposal as the 'Dept/Lab. UROP Supervisor'.

Further Information: Contact Ms. Schwartz, MIT/WHOI Joint Program Administrator and follow all UROP procedures for pay or credit.

Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering

Dr. W. Rockwell Geyer, Bigelow 106, 508-289 -2868, rgeyer@whoi.edu

Physical oceanography of estuaries and bays, e.g., Massachusetts Bay, Amazon River outflow.

 

Dr. Mark Grosenbaugh, Blake 203, 508-289 -2607, mgrosenbaugh@whoi.edu

Hydrodynamic modeling of ocean vehicles; dynamics of oceanographic moorings; vortex-induced vibrations of marine cables; fish propulsion.

Dr James R. Ledwell, Bigelow 103A, 508-289 -3305, jledwell@whoi.edu.

Mixing in the ocean interior, tracer fluxes across the air-sea interface and the sediment-water interface, design of tracer release, sampling and analysis systems, modeling of experimental results.

Dr. James F. Lynch, Bigelow 209, 508-289 -2230, jlynch@whoi.edu

Ocean acoustic tomography, acoustic remote sensing of sediment transport, bottom interacting ocean acoustics.

Dr. Timothy K. Stanton, Bigelow 201, 508-289 -2757, tstanton@whoi.edu

Acoustics, development of sonar echo interpretation techniques for the remote sensing of marine life and seafloor, physics/scattering theory.

Dr. Dana R. Yoerger, Blake 207, 508-289 -2608, yoerger@whoi.edu

Underwater robotics, underwater vehicle dynamics and control, manipulator design and control, application of transputers to distributed real-time control.

Biological Oceanography

Dr. Donald M. Anderson, Redfield 3-32, 508-289 -2351, danderson@whoi.edu

Phytoplankton physiological ecology; red tides and other bloom phenomena; ciguatera; dinoflagellate toxins; dinoflagellate resting cysts; molecular and immunological probes.

Dr. Carin J. Ashjian, Redfield 2-44, 508-289 -3457, cashjian@whoi.edu

Zooplankton ecology, biological/physical associations and influence of advection on species distributions and community structure, remote sensing of zooplankton (acoustic, video), Arctic ecosystems, eastern and western boundary currents.

Dr. Hal Caswell, (508) 289-2751, hcaswell@whoi.edu

Mathematical population and community ecology; matrix population models for organisms with complex life cycles; life history theory; recruitment; nonlinear dynamics and chaos; population-level ecotoxicology; conservation biology; marine mammal and seabird populations.

 

Dr. John W. H. Dacey , Redfield 3-22, 508-289 -2327, jdacey@whoi.edu

Biogeochemistry of trace gases in surface ocean and wetlands; physiological and biophysical ecology of marsh plants and marine macrophytes.

Dr. Cabell S. Davis, Redfield 2-22, 508-289 -2333, cdavis@whoi.edu

Zooplankton: species population dynamics, trophic interactions, production rates, seasonal species succession, biological/physical interactions controlling species distributions; mathematical modeling, laboratory culture, and field experimental work.

Dr. Sonya Dyhrman, (508) 289-3608, sdyhrman@whoi.edu

Physiological ecology of bloom forming phytoplankton, nutritional controls on primary production, nutrient metabolism in phytoplankton, cellular indicators of nutrient stress, single-cell probes for physiological condition.

 

Dr. Scott M. Gallager, ESL, 508-289 -2783, sgallager@whoi.edu

Functional morphology of locomotion and feeding in mero- and holoplankton; population ecology of bivalve larvae in the plankton; mechanisms of biomineralization in phyto- and zooplankton.

 

Dr. Rebecca J. Gast, Redfield 3-24, 508-289 -2564, rgast@whoi.edu

Protistan molecular phylogeny and ecology and the genetic regulation of algal/protist symbiotic interactions.

Dr. Mark E. Hahn, Redfield 338, 508-289 -3242, mhahn@whoi.edu

Chemical-biological interactions in marine animals. Specific interests include: biochemical and molecular mechanisms of toxicity; comparative toxicology of chlorinated dioxins, biphenyls and related compounds in fish, birds, and marine mammals; function and evolution of the Ah receptor (dioxin receptor); bioactive marine natural products; alterations in gene expression produced by marine pollutants; function and regulation of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes; development and use of cell culture systems for studying chemical-biological interactions; regulation of heme synthesis in fish.

 

Dr. Darlene R. Ketten, Shiverick/Lab, 508-289 - 2731/3593, dketten@whoi.edu

Sensory mechanisms of marine organisms; evolution of marine mammals; three- dimensional imaging and modeling of structural adaptations of aquatic vertebrates; underwater acoustics; underwater hearing.

 

Dr. Laurence P. Madin, Redfield 2-30, 508-289 -2739, lmadin@whoi.edu

Biology of oceanic zooplankton; distribution, energetics, and behavior of pelagic tunicates and ctenophores; comparative life-history of planktonic animals; hydromechanics of swimming and buoyancy; in situ techniques for zooplankton research; ecology of zooplankton communities.

 

Dr. Judith McDowell, CRL 213, 508-289 -2557, jmcdowell@whoi.edu

Physiological ecology of marine animals; developmental and energetic strategies of marine animals; physiological effects of pollutants on marine animals; invertebrate nutrition.

 

Dr. Lauren S. Mullineaux, Redfield 1-20, 288-2898, lmullineaux@whoi.edu

Ecology of benthic communities; larval dispersal and retention in mesoscale flows; dispersal and recruitment of deep-sea invertebrates; gene flow in patchy marine habitats; biology of benthic foraminifera.

 

Dr. Michael G. Neubert, Redfield 1-16, 508-289 -2962, mneubert@whoi.edu

Theoretical and mathematical biology, population dynamics, and community ecology; applied mathematics; nonlinear dynamics; difference equations and integrodifference equations; spatial models.

 

Dr. Robert J. Olson, Redfield 3-54, 508-289 -2565, rolson@whoi.edu

Plankton ecology, studied through the distributions of individual organisms; potential of flow cytometric technology to characterize the microscopic particles in the sea.

 

Dr. Jesus Pineda, (508) 289-2274, jpineda@whoi.edu,

http://science.whoi.edu/labs/pinedalab/
Benthic ecology; settlement and recruitment; hydrodynamic forcing on shallow water benthic communities; ecology of larvae as related to larval transport; large-scale ecology of shallow and deep-sea benthic communities.

 

Dr. Timothy M. Shank, (508-289-3392), email: tshank@whoi.edu

Molecular ecology of marine communities; local-scale genetics of larval recruitment and colonization to broad-scale gene flow and speciation; mechanisms responsible for benthic community succession and population genetic structure, including metapopulation processes and physio-chemical habitat variation; ecology, systematics, and phylogeography of invertebrates (especially crustaceans); new in-situ approaches for benthic observatory research.

 

Dr. Stefan Sievert, (508) 289-2305, email: ssievert@whoi.edu

Ecology of microbial communities at hydrothermal vents and other (marine) environments by integrating cultivation-independent and cultivation-dependent techniques; relationships between microbial populations and their bio(geo)chemical transformations in the environment; factors affecting microbial biodiversity including evolution of species, genetic variability, adaptations to extreme and dynamic conditions; ecology and systematics of sulfur-oxidizing prokaryotes including microbial ecology of filamentous-sulfur formation; environmental occurrence and importance of alternative CO2-fixation pathways in nature.

 

Dr. Heidi M. Sosik, Redfield 3-38, 508-289 -2311, hsosik@whoi.edu

Phytoplankton ecology and photophysiology; bio- optical oceanography; modeling of marine primary production; physical forcing and regulation of phytoplankton biomass and production; relationships between phytoplankton and water column optical properties.

 

Dr. John J. Stegeman, Redifled 3-42, 508-289 -2320, jstegeman@whoi.edu

Biochemical toxicology; metabolism and effects of pollutants and natural products; biochemistry, evolution and regulation of cytochrome P-450 isozymes; metabolism of steroid hormones in ma rine vertebrates; membrane-bound enzymes in deep sea animals.

 

Dr. Craig D. Taylor, (508) 289-2354, ctaylor@whoi.edu

Ecology and physiology of marine sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms; ecology and biogeochemistry of anaerobic ecosystems; development of automated instrumentation for the time-series measurement of chemical and biological properties in oceanic and coastal environments.

 

Dr. Simon R. Thorrold, ESL , 508-289 - 3366, sthorrold@whoi.edu

Fisheries ecology and oceanography, natural isotopic and elemental markers in marine populations, tracing dispersal and migration pathways of marine fish, stable isotope and trace element chemistry of biogenic aragonite.

 

Dr. Peter L. Tyack, Redfield 1-32, 508-289 -2818, ptyack@whoi.edu

Social behavior and acoustic communication in cetaceans; vocal learning and mimicry in the natural communication systems of cetaceans; individually distinctive signature signals, vocal learning, and mimicry in the bottlenose dolphin and the sperm whale; acoustic structure and social functions of the songs of baleen whales; responses of cetaceans to human noise; playback to cetaceans of their own and conspecific vocalizations; development of methods to identify which cetacean produces a sound within a social group of conspecifics.

 

Dr. John Waterbury, Redfield 2-32, 508-289 -2742, jwaterbury@whoi.edu

Morphology, physiology, ecology, taxonomy, and molecular phylogeny of cyanobacteria, chemoautotrophic bacteria, aerobic nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and cellulolytic bacteria; symbiosis between bacterial species and between bacteria and eucaryotic organisms; ecology of cyanophages; mechanisms responsible for microzooflagellate feeding patterns.

 

 

Dr. Peter H. Wiebe, Redfield 2-26, 508-289 -2313, pwiebe@whoi.edu

The quantitative population ecology of zooplankton with emphasis on zooplankton small-scale distribution and abundance; organic matter transport into the deep-sea; the biology of Gulf Stream Rings; zooplankton associated with deep-sea hydrothermal vents; acoustical determination of zooplankton biomass, abundance, and size.

Chemical Oceanography

Marine Geology and Geophysics

Dr. Daniel C. McCorkle, McLean, 508-289 -2949, dmccorkle@whoi.edu

The carbon cycle and trace metal remobilization in deep-sea sediments, isotopic and elemental estimates of changes in ocean chemistry and global geochemical cycles.

Dr. Jerry McManus, Clark 121, 508-289 -3328, jmcmanus@whoi.edu.

Deep-sea sediments, paleoclimate variability on orbital and millennial timescales, the influence of internal systems such as ocean circulation and ice sheets on timing and magnitude of climate change, tracers of rates and flux in the ocean and sediments.

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Dr. Ann McNichol, McLean 243, 508-289 -3394, amcnichol@whoi.edu

Development of novel chemical methods for the preparation of oceanographic samples for C14 analysis by accelerator mass-spectrometry.

Robert J. Schneider, McLean, 508-289 -2756, rschneider@whoi.edu

Accelerator mass-spectrometry atom-counting for carbon isotopes and related techniques, such as sputtering targets, energy-loss detectors and ion-beam transport, applications to ocean science.

Dr. Richard P. von Herzen, Clark S 282, 508-289 -2465, rvonh@whoi.edu

Marine geothermal studies. Measurement and interpretation of seafloor heat flow throughout the world oceans.

Karl F. von Reden, McLean, 508-289 -3384, kvonreden@whoi.edu

Laboratory automation and robotics for the accelerator mass-spectrometry.

Marine Policy and Ocean Management

Dr. Di Jin, Swift 202, 508-289 -2874, djin@whoi.edu

Resource and environmental economics; offshore oil and gas exploration and production; waste management; marine pollution prevention technologies; shipbuilding and marine transportation; fisheries; marine industry productivity; quantitative methods in economic research.

Dr. Hauke Kite-Powell, Crowell 204, 508-289 -2938, hauke@whoi.edu

Analysis of public policies and private management decisions in technology-intensive industries and markets, with emphasis on interdisciplinary application of models and analytical techniques from the fields of economics, engineering and management.

Dr. Andrew R. Solow, Crowell 101, 508-289 -2746, asolow@whoi.edu

Application of statistical procedures to the analysis of earth science and ecological data.

 

Physical Oceanography

WHOI Educational Coordinators:

 

Biological Oceanography - Mike Neubert (mneubert@whoi.edu)
508-289-2962

Chemical Oceanography - Meg Tivey (mtivey@whoi.edu), 508-289--3362.

Physical Oceanography - Steve Lentz (slentz@whoi.edu)
508-289-2808

Marine Geology/Geophysics - Dan McCorkle (dmccorkle@whoi.edu), 508-289-2949. 

Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering - Tim Stanton (tstanton@whoi.edu) 508-289-2757

77 Massachusetts Avenue, Bldg. 7-104, Cambridge, MA 02139
Tel: 617-253-7306, Fax: 617-258-8816

Comments & Questions to: urop@mit.edu

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