Southern Miss Bennett Symposium Explores Ocean Technology Research

The University of Southern Mississippi's College of Science and Technology will host the eighth T.W. Bennett Symposium with the featured topic "Using Advanced Technology to Explore the Oceans," Oct. 9-10 on the Hattiesburg campus.

Dr. Vernon Asper, professor of marine science, is this year's Bennett Professorship recipient and has spent the last year planning this symposium. The opening presentation will begin at 8:30 a.m. in room 101 of the Thames Polymer Science Research Center.

As a coastal state, Mississippi has access to marine science research opportunities and critical data essential to understanding the oceans. "The more we know about the ocean, the better," said Asper. "On a larger scale, it's important to understand the ocean environment, the factors affecting it and the resources associated with it." 

The symposium will feature sessions by marine science experts from renowned ocean research institutions, including:

● Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the world's largest private, nonprofit ocean research, engineering and education organization;
● The National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology, established in 2002, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Undersea Research Program to develop and apply new technologies that enhance undersea research;
● The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NOAA Ocean Exploration program strives to engage broad audiences to enhance America's environmental literacy through the excitement of ocean discovery;
● Specialty Devices Incorporated, which designs and builds bathymetric, oceanographic and meteorological data acquisition systems; and
● The University of Southern Mississippi Department of Marine Science. Faculty research interests range from physical oceanography and data assimilation to ocean optics, marine coastal sedimentary processes, and micropaleontology, ocean productivity, geochemistry and trace chemical analysis, hydrographic science, coupled physical-biogeochemical modeling, development/application of ecosystem models and remote sensing.

"The College of Science and Technology is indeed honored to host this year's Bennett Symposium," said Dr. Rex Gandy, dean of the College of Science and Technology.  "This year's Bennett Professor, Dr. Vernon Asper, is an internationally recognized scholar and the list of speakers he has assembled for the symposium is impressive. The college thanks the Bennett family for providing the support necessary to host this activity."

Many speakers are traveling from all over the United States to speak at the symposium, including the following:  

● WHOI researchers Hanu Singh, developer of the premier photomosaicing software for producing large images of the seafloor and Dana Yoerger, builder and operator of an autonomous benthic explorer (ABE) and Sentry, two of the most capable AUV's currently exploring the oceans; 
● Oscar Schofield, professor of marine biology and ocean optics from Rutgers University;
● Two researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Hans Thomas, AUV group leader, and Bill Kirkwood, associate director of engineering;
● Justin Manley of the Battelle Corporation, who will speak on the revolutionary application of 'telepresence' on the new research vessel, Okeanos Explorer.  The Okeanos Explorer, commissioned Aug. 13 by the United States Department of Commerce, is the first federal ship dedicated solely to exploring the ocean. The vessel allows on-shore researchers access to ocean exploration activities in real-time;
● David Wells, professor emeritus of the University of New Brunswick.  Wells teaches mutibeam sonar training; and
● Presentations by researchers Karen Kohanowich and Walter Smith of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Kohanowich is acting director of NOAA's Undersea Research program.  Smith's research uses satellites to map the Earth's gravity field, and the use of gravity data to determine the structure of the sea floor and changes in the Earth's oceans and climate.

"Each has an expertise in one of the areas that we wanted to cover," said Asper. "They come from the institutions that are leading in each of these fields."

Symposium participants can expect to receive insightful knowledge on the topics of marine science and ocean research. Scholars from across the United States will be in attendance to witness cutting-edge technology and research findings during symposium sessions.  Each session will conclude with question-and-answer session to allow audiences a chance to interact with the experts.

In addition, displays in the foyer of the Polymer Science Research Center will include technology and information on national ocean research, including video of actual undersea exploration. 

Asper is director of the Undersea Vehicles Technology Center of the National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology. NIUST brings together academic and other research organizations to promote, conduct, and lead integrated, multidisciplinary undersea research commensurate with the directives of the NOAA Undersea Research Program. NIUST is based in Mississippi at The University of Southern Mississippi at Stennis Space Center and the University of Mississippi in Oxford.

The UVTC program supports the development of technologies and sensors for application on remotely operated vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicles.  Both ROVs and AUVs are unmanned vehicles used to explore the ocean and the map the sea floor. ROVs and AUVs are powered either by internal batteries or by power transmitted through a tether. 
 
"We'll have displays on NIUST and its programs as well as the capabilities of some of the new technology," said Asper. 

The T.W. Bennett Professorship was established by Mr. and Mrs. T.W. Bennett in honor of their son and his love for science.  The symposium is free of charge.  Speakers will present Thursday Oct. 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday, Oct. 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  For more information, visit the symposium Web site at http://www.usm.edu/cost/bennettsymposium/ or call the College of Science and Technology at 601.266.4883.  
 

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Eagle Ray, the University of Southern Mississippi's National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology autonomous undersea vehicle, navigates the surface of the ocean prior to descending into the ocean to complete ocean research. AUVs are unmanned vehicles used to explore the ocean and the map the sea floor and will be one of the topics of the Bennett Symposium, "Using Advanced Technology to Explore the Oceans," Oct. 9-10 on the Southern Miss Hattiesburg campus. (Submitted Photo)