The students are beginning an ocean-mapping training program sponsored by the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO), a more than 100-year-old international ocean mapping effort. Their tuition, travel, housing, books and computers are being funded by the Nippon Foundation, a Japanese charity which has pledged $5 million to the program for the next five years. UNH was selected to offer the program from among seven university applicants in five countries.

“UNH is the emerging powerhouse in ocean mapping. Our program is fairly new, but it’s on its way,” said program director David Monahan. “UNH is the place where everyone wants to be right now.”

That is certainly true of the students just beginning the one-year certificate program. Selected from among 57 applicants from 32 nations, they come from countries adjacent to some of the poorest-mapped parts of the deep ocean: Nigeria, Argentina, Peru, India, Kenya, Fiji and Japan. Most work doing ocean mapping for their home governments or research organizations.

“The idea is that with the training they receive here, these students will be able to multiply deep-ocean mapping expertise when they go home,” explained Monahan. “Their first task will be to teach others.”

The students will spend the next two semesters honing their ocean-mapping skills before heading out on research vessels next summer.

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