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	Dean Farringtion, center, with graduating Joint Program students, class of 2005. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, WHOI)
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	Joint Program student Anne Thompson, center, with Bosun Peter Liarikos, left, and Jim Moffett with a Go-Flo “clean bottle,” used to sample trace metals. The team is studying effects of trace metals on cyanobacteria populations off Costa Rica. (Cedar McKay, University of Washington)
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	» Academic Programs » MIT/WHOI Joint Program » 2005 WHOI Academic Convocation & Commencement » Marine Policy Center » Woods Hole Field Station of the United States Geological Survey » New England Centers of Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (NE-COSEE)

Research and graduate education at WHOI are always closely linked. Scientists, students and postdocs all benefit from an environment where scientists teach and mentor, and researchers and students participate in the observation, experimentation, and theory of ocean sciences and engineering.

This year the Institution’s Joint Program with the Massachusetts Institution of Technology awarded 34 master’s and doctoral degrees in ocean science and ocean engineering, bringing the degree total to 722. The September commencement ceremony, attended by 22 degree recipients, coincided with WHOI’s 75th anniversary celebration, and many alumni/ae returned for graduation and other events. Twenty-five new students enrolled in the Joint Program, bringing the total fall 2005 enrollment to 139.

Thirty-five undergraduate summer fellowships were awarded in 2005 to students from 30 U.S. universities and three international schools. Fellows conducted independent research projects within WHOI research departments, the Marine Policy Center, or the Woods Hole Field Station of the United States Geological Survey. Five of the students will present their results at national science meetings.

In January 2005, WHOI held the first annual Celeste Fowler Memorial Art Show: A Celebration of Life, honoring the memory of Celeste, a Joint Program student and talented artist who died in 2004. The event showcased the artistic talents of current students, including their paintings, photography, woodworking, metalwork, drawings, knitting, quilting, and musical and theatrical performances.

WHOI hosted the biannual Ocean Science Educator’s Retreat this fall, featuring opening remarks from RADM Richard West, U. S. Navy (retired), president of the Consortium for Ocean Science and Education; a keynote address by Isaac Colbert, MIT dean for graduate students; presentations on graduate student trends; and a discussion on “Strategies for Enhancing Diversity in the Ocean Sciences.”

For the third year, WHOI continued its partnership with New England Aquarium and the University of Massachusetts, in the National Science Foundation funded New England Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence, piloting K-12 formal and informal education activities. We also continued twice-yearly “Topics in Oceanography” teacher workshops, completing the tenth in this series.

In 2005 the WHOI postdoctoral community formed a Postdoctoral Association, whose members represented the postdocs on WHOI committees, organized a day-long WHOI postdoctoral research symposium, and planned career workshops for the spring of 2006.

The Joint Program Alumni/ae Association continues to provide valuable support to the Institution, offering advice to current students, providing evaluation of graduate education efforts, and contributing financial support for student research and career activities. This year the Association presidency transferred from James A. Austin, Jr. to Paul V. R. Snelgrove.

In November, John Farrington stepped down after 15 years as dean. To honor John, his colleagues sponsored a day-long symposium on the biogeochemistry of organic compounds in the oceans. Many of John’s current and former graduate students attended the symposium. John’s legacy includes strong, highly respected and well-run academic programs, excellent students and postdocs, and a wonderful staff. This is a great legacy to inherit, and I will try to build upon this superb foundation.

—James A. Yoder
Vice President forAcademic Programs and Dean