Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research welcomes the Nippon Foundation and POGO to Helgoland

In Full:

Mr Kentaro Ogiue, representing the Nippon Foundation (NF) together with representatives from the POGO Secretariat (Plymouth) visited the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) recently. The purpose of the visit was to cement the partnership between NF-POGO and AWI. Following on from the successes of Phase I, for which previously the Centre of Excellence of Observational Oceanography was hosted by the Bermuda Institute for Ocean Sciences, the new Centre of Excellence will now be hosted by AWI for Phase II.

The NF-POGO Centre of Excellence at AWI will contribute to a long-term sustained effort to improve capacity building in observational oceanography on a world scale. The training provided will enable a global network of the alumni from the NF-POGO Centre of Excellence to establish working relationships and to assist each other in research and the monitoring of the ocean.

Ten scholars per year will be trained at the NF-POGO Centre of Excellence at AWI in integrated, multi-disciplinary oceanography. Scholars will receive one month of formal introductory training, after which more detailed courses will be provided on core skills and specialised scientific topics such as modelling, remote sensing, ocean-atmosphere interactions as well as training in instrumentation, sample collection and analytical protocols. The Centre of Excellence will be conducted at AWI’s site in Helgoland with focus on open-ocean sciences and also at AWI’s site in Sylt where shelf/basin interactions are topics of study.

Speaking from Helgoland Mr Kentaro Ogiue, Chief Manager of the Maritime Affairs Department of the Nippon Foundation announced “The Nippon Foundation is highly impressed by AWI’s activities and is very pleased to confirm its intention to work with AWI as a partner and host of the new Centre of Excellence of Observational Oceanography”.

Prof Trevor Platt, Executive Director of POGO said “This is a decision of major importance for POGO, for which the capacity building programme is of high priority, the Centre of Excellence being its flagship initiative”.

Prof Karin Lochte, Director of AWI commented “Thank you to the Nippon Foundation and POGO for coming all this way. We are very proud to be hosting the new NF-POGO Centre of Excellence and look forward to working together to make this a success”.

Prof Karen Wiltshire, Director of the Biological Station Helgoland & of the Wadden Sea Station Sylt, AWI said “We are delighted to have been selected to host the new NF-POGO Centre of Excellence. Our mission is to provide world class education and training courses in the field of observational oceanography”.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors:

The Nippon Foundation (NF) was established in 1962 as a non-profit philanthropic organization, active in Japan and around the world. Initially its efforts focused largely on the maritime and shipping fields, but since then the range of activities has expanded to education, social welfare, public health, and other fields—carried out in more than 100 countries to date. Together with more than 20 partner organisations in Japan and worldwide it is funding and assisting community-led efforts aimed at realising a more peaceful and prosperous global society.
www.nippon-foundation.or.jp

The Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO) is an international network of collaborators that fosters partnerships to advance efficiency and effectiveness in studying and monitoring the world’s oceans on a global scale. POGO is a partnership of institutions involved in oceanographic observations, scientific research, operational services, education and training. POGO also includes representatives of existing international and regional programs and organisations.
www.ocean-partners.org . Media contact: Dr. Vikki Cheung Tel: +44 (0)1752 633424; Email: pogoadmin@pml.ac.uk

The Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) carries out research in the Arctic and Antarctic as well as in the high and mid latitude oceans. The institute coordinates German polar research and makes available to national and international science important infrastructure, e.g. the research icebreaker “Polarstern” and research stations in the Arctic and Antarctic. AWI is a member of POGO.
www.awi.de