John Kerry Congratulates Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution For Receiving Nearly $100 Million In Federal Funds

08/23/2007 -- BOSTON - Senator John Kerry today congratulated the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) on its receipt of a $97.7 million federal research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The funding is part of the NSF's $331 million Ocean Observatories Initiative. It will be used to build an ocean observation system of buoys and robotic underwater vehicles in the waters off of Cape Cod, that will allow researchers to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts, more closely track the effects of climate change, and better monitor commercial fisheries and red tide blooms.

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WHOI is also receiving $10 million from the state.

"Our state is ranked #2 in green jobs, and this new funding will only improve our ability to discover important breakthroughs on oceans and climate change, while creating good jobs right here in Massachusetts," said Senator Kerry. "I commend the NSF for recognizing the stellar work done by WHOI and providing it with the funding it needs to continue its research. I also applaud Governor Patrick and Lt. Gov. Murray for providing additional funding from the state to augment the award."

The awards are the largest in the history of WHOI and come nearly a year after it was forced to cut jobs because of a lack of federal financial support.

Source: Senator John Kerry