U.S. Consul General Karen Grissette welcomed senior leadership from Arizona State University (ASU) and the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) to celebrate their new partnership with enthusiastic community stakeholders. The new partnership will enable scientists and researchers to better understand ocean health and climate science. The engagement supported a first-time visit to Bermuda by leadership from the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at ASU, including Vice President and Vice Provost Dr. Peter Schlosser, Dean of Natural Sciences Kenro Kusami, Vice President for Legal Affairs and Deputy General Counsel Lisa Loo and Executive Director of Development Ryan Robinson.
During an event to mark the partnership with the ASU delegation and BIOS President Dr. William Curry, BIOS Board Chair Stephen Weinstein, and Deputy Board Chair William Charrier, the Consul General lauded both leading research institutions for formalizing their partnership. “I am delighted to celebrate this new partnership that will benefit Bermudians and Americans,” said U.S. Consul General Grissette. “I believe this partnership, with a leading U.S. research institution now formally on the island, will inspire Bermudians to explore climate science and STEM opportunities, and to become leaders in these disciplines.”
BIOS is a world-class ocean science research and education facility which boasts the longest-running time-series on seawater chemistry, biology, and physics. “For BIOS, the merger with ASU provides an excellent growth opportunity by providing a stable career pathway for our scientists, a large pool of excellent undergraduate and graduate students and talented engineers for developing the sensors and robotic systems needed to monitor the inevitable changes in the ocean during the coming decades,” said BIOS President and CEO Bill Curry.
Both institutions shared their excitement about this major development that will advance understanding of the ocean’s contributions to Earth’s overall health, provide stable career pathways for scientists, and present opportunities for American and Bermudian students. “The partnership between ASU and BIOS will allow us to expand our joint capacity for finding solutions to the most pressing problems facing our planet. As anchored in our charter ASU will serve the needs of Bermuda as it is now part of our community,” said Vice President and Vice Provost, Dr. Peter Schlosser, Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.
The celebratory event to mark the partnership included government, education and climate research stakeholders who can leverage the ASU-BIOS relationship to develop additional initiatives that provide opportunities for even more Bermudians. The Consul General was joined by Her Excellency Governor Rena Lalgie, Deputy Premier Walter Roban, President of Bermuda College Dr. Duranda Greene, Vice President of Bermuda College Dr. Phyllis Curtis-Tweed, government representatives, non-governmental organizations, and other community stakeholders who have an interest in cultivating the intersection of education and climate change research.
Deputy Premier Walter Roban expressed his support for the collaboration and highlighted its potential to have a local impact. “I am excited about the partnership that has formed between ASU and BIOS…This is an absolutely significant partnership that is going to transform BIOS and can potentially transform even education here in Bermuda because of the mandate that ASU has, the longstanding research institution that BIOS is, and the door that is opening up in Bermuda to other educational opportunities, because even though this is a focus on ocean sciences, it’s clear that ASU does a whole lot more,” Roban said.
Arizona State University President Michael Crow announced the partnership on October 21, 2021, and stated at the time, “when you couple the science-based efforts at BIOS in the Atlantic to our Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science efforts led by Greg Asner in the Pacific, a clearer picture of the overall ocean dynamics and health will begin to come into full view. We expect that this new partnership will be a huge benefit to all Earth scientists seeking a clearer and more concise view of the ‘state of the planet.”
For more information about Arizona State University and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, visit: https://globalfutures.asu.edu/
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