Hazards & Explosives Research, 7 Taylor St, Narragansett, RI 02882, US

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, independent, nonprofit corporation dedicated to research and higher education in ocean science and promotes the development and use of advanced instrumentation and systems (including ships, vehicles and platforms) at sea and in the laboratory. The institution was founded in 1927 when a National Academy of Sciences committee concluded the country needed a worldwide program of oceanographic research. The committee s recommendation led to the founding in 1930 of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The research group has more than 350 research projects underway at any given time. The range of investigation includes such diverse topics as geological activity deep within the earth, plant and animal populations and their interactions in the oceans, coastal erosion, ocean circulation, and global climate change. The institution is headquartered in Woods Hole, Mass.