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DESIREE PLATA: I think it might not be obvious to people
right away why you would need to or want to study processes
that go on in the ocean.
It might seem kind of esoteric or far away or other.
But really, what people need to remember
is that humans are part of the Earth ecosystem.
We're inextricably linked.
KEN BUESSELER: When you think of climate change,
you often think of what we experience on land.
We know that gases, greenhouse gases,
carbon dioxide in particular, is going up in the atmosphere.
But what you might not be thinking about
is, well, where else does that carbon go?
And a lot of it ends up in the ocean.
DESIREE PLATA: And so what's key about this
is that oceanographers and Earth scientists are really
critical to help us understand how
man's influence on the Earth's system
is going to influence the oceans and ecosystems there, but also
how we might adapt or respond to those changes.
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EDWARD BOYLE: The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
was founded in 1930.
And there's a fairly long history of involvement
back and forth between people at MIT and Woods Hole.
But the joint program was founded in 1968.
There was a two-page memorandum of understanding
that was signed by the presidents of both institutions
at the time.
In the initial days, from the MIT perspective,
access to Woods Hole ships at sea
was a big feature for MIT, who had no ships and no access
to the ocean.
But we had oceanographers and engineers
that wanted to study the sea.
So we started going down to Woods Hole.
DESIREE PLATA: When the joint program was founded,
this was a really unique and exceptional partnership
that was formed.
MIT was this great, intellectual, innovation
powerhouse.
And Woods Hole was this remarkable seagoing institution
where you could have access to the sea
and really go to places where people hadn't gone before.
Bringing the two together helped foster an environment
where we could train the next generation of Earth scientists
and oceanographers to really approach
problems systematically with deep educational context,
but also with access to the experimentation
that they needed that was available at the Woods Hole
Oceanographic.
MICHAEL FOLLOWS: So collaborations
within and across the institutions
are really important in fertilizing
new kinds of science and new kinds of breakthroughs.
And they enable the students to do new kinds of work.
PARIS SMALLS: The reason I joined the program was
because we cannot afford to wait to be able to address
the climate crisis.
To have these large institutions tell you, hey,
I see what you want to do.
And this is how we can support you, as opposed to them saying,
no, you have to stick to this one thing and this one path.
And that's what you're stuck on.
So the freedom to be able to execute on and have
your interests come to life has been incredibly rewarding.
KAYLA GARDENER: So for me, fieldwork
is one of the best parts of my job.
It is one of the coolest experiences you can have.
And for me, fieldwork looks like going out
to sea on research vessels for several weeks at a time.
It's hard work, for sure.
It can be an overwhelming experience.
But for me personally, it's overwhelming
in the best sort of way, to be able to be
so hands on with this zone that no one is really
getting to visit.
And to be on the frontier of that science
is such a unique opportunity.
I get to have this once in a lifetime experience
that no one else I know who's in my position is getting.
SAMANTHA CLEVENGER: So many people
in the field, no matter where they are now,
went through WHOI in some way, whether that
was sailing on WHOI ships or being students here,
scientists here, postdocs here, and who
are some of the best people in the field.
MICHAEL FOLLOWS: At Woods Hole, there's
about 1,000 people, scientists, and technicians and engineers
and researchers, all working on every aspect of oceanography.
That makes it one of the most concentrated and biggest
oceanographic institutions in the world.
SAMANTHA CLEVENGER: And in terms of day-to-day research here,
if you have a research problem, you
can just think of the top five people
in that particular niche of a topic.
And they're either down the hallway
or have some association with WHOI.
It's a really incredible place in terms of connections
and just having access to really anything you need.
MICHAEL FOLLOWS: As a species in a society,
we really want to understand the planet that we live on
and our place in it.
And what we need are people who understand the Earth
system, who understand how the climate system works,
who understand how to interact with that system
in order to take care of it and be part of it.
And the joint program uniquely produces
people with the background, the knowledge, the experience,
and the skill sets to be an integral part of addressing
those questions into the future.
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