Welcome from Director Gary Griggs

The oceans matter to us all and our survival may well depend on them. They provide us with food and energy, affect our weather and climate, and inspire and sustain us. Yet they also receive our discharge and runoff, are being overfished and abused, and have a fever, which is getting worse. We really only have one interconnected global ocean, and it will require the best science, and the most creative minds to solve the problems we have created. We need educators to help the rest of us understand the issues and make sustainable decisions for the future. We have exactly enough time to save the oceans and the planet if we start right now.

The Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is on the forefront of marine science research and education. With an internationally recognized group of faculty and researchers, state-of-the-art facilities, and an unsurpassed location, the institute is building a national center for marine sciences. The strength of the center is based on a broad spectrum of research support facilities, state and federal agency programs, and an uncommon commitment to marine education that serves the UCSC undergraduate and graduate students, as well as K-12 students and the general public.