ONWARD

About

Adapted: http://www.commonissues.org/waterborne-diseases/

ONWARD (Open Network for Water-Related Diseases) is a project funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) of UK and is dedicated to developing a network of scientists and stakeholders sharing a common interest in better understanding of environmental controls on outbreaks of water-related diseases; the role of societal engagement in countering it; and in forecasting, early warning and risk mapping of water-associated diseases through the use of remote sensing, field observations and mathematical modelling. Our vision is to enable cost-effective, regularly updated, geo-referenced early warning for areas vulnerable to water-associated diseases, which in turn will enable preventive measures to be deployed in a timely manner to minimise the probability of epidemics. It is an open network committed to promote better dialogue and collaboration among experts from all relevant disciplines (including, but not limited to, microbiologists, molecular biologists, environmental scientists, remote-sensing scientists, medical practitioners, and social scientists) and with stakeholders, including the general public.

The A.G. Huntsman Foundation is pleased to announce that the 2021 A.G. Huntsman Medal will be awarded to Shubha Sathyendranath in recognition of her outstanding research achievements in the development of the use of optics and satellites in marine science as well as her dedication to developing international cooperation and capacity building in oceanography and ocean-colour remote sensing.

Dr. Shubha Sathyendranath is a merit scientist in the Remote Sensing Group at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK. Her research focuses on understanding the interaction of light with the ocean biota and the consequences for marine ecology, biogeochemistry and climate. She applies marine optics and ocean colour remote sensing to topics such as development of algorithms for interpretation of satellite data, light penetration underwater, phytoplankton functional types, ecological provinces in the ocean, marine primary production, biological-physical feedbacks in the ocean, phytoplankton phenology, carbon cycling, the use of ocean-colour data in climate studies and the dynamics of waterborne diseases. Her work with the Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean and other international initiatives, such as the International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group has advanced international collaborations in remote sensing.

Dr Trevor Platt, the fifteenth recipient of the A.G. Huntsman Award (1992), is recognized for his extensive and clear-sighted contributions to our understanding off the functioning of the pelagic ecosystem, especially of plankton in the open ocean. His studies progressed logically from investigations of the spatial inhomogeneity of plankton distribution in response to the power spectrum of turbulence, through the physiological responses off the growth of cells in response to light and nutrients, to dimensional analysis and the size structure of pelagic food chains. In recent years, he has joined his accumulated understanding of physics and algal physiology to the new possibilities offered by satellites remote sensing of the ocean.

Together with his wife, Dr. Shubha Sathyendranath, he has developed techniques for the critical computation of the productivity of oceanic plant cells on a global scale. The analytical solutions and algorithms to compute integrated plant production through the water column, advanced by Dr. Platt, place the critical calculation of annual global production by marine plants within reach for the first time.

THE A.G. HUNTSMAN AWARD was established in 1980 by the Canadian marine science community to recognize excellence of research and outstanding contributions to marine sciences. It is presented by the Royal Society of Canada. The award honors marine scientists of any nationality who have had and continue to have a significant influence on the course of marine scientific thought. The Award is named in honor of Archibald Gowanlock Huntsman (1883-1973), a pioneer Canadian oceanographer and fishery biologist.

The A.G. Huntsman Award was established through principal contributions from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Natural Resources Canada, the Province of Nova Scotia, and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. Additional endowment was granted by the LiFT Family Fund through Gift Funds Canada.

The lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia is Honorary Patron of the A.G. Huntsman Award.

News

New! Call for applications - NF-POGO-JAMSTEC Fellowship for Shipboard Training on the GO-SHIP P4W Expedition

The 2025 JAMSTEC GO-SHIP P4W expedition will traverse the western end of 10°N line (P4W) in the tropical northwest Pacific Ocean, observing a variety of Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs), including temperature, salinity, oxygen, major nutrients, dissolved inorganic carbon, and microbial communities. This expedition will contribute to the GO-SHIP observation network, which aims to detect long-term changes in ocean properties across all major ocean basins.

Please visit https://mailchi.mp/8ca0e0c8626b/p4w25 for more details.

IMPORTANT DATES:

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS	1 November 2024
Arrival in Yokosuka	31 March 2025
Joining the ship	3 April 2025
Leaving the ship	11 May 2025
Leaving Yokosuka	16 May 2025

Relevant Publications

Al Malki A, Brumfield KD, Tsui CKM, Anand A, Rashed SM, Ibrahim E, Al Shamari H, Huq A, Colwell RR, Fotedar R. Draft Genome Sequences of Seven Vibrio cholerae Isolates from Adult Patients in Qatar. Microbiol Resour Announc. Mar 4;10(9), 2021.
Anas, A., Chekidhenkuzhiyil, J., Nilayangod, C., Krishna, K. and Raju, G.T.. Prevalence of obligate and facultative anaerobic bacteria in the mudbank along the southwest coast of India. Regional Studies in Marine Science. 42, p.101660, 2021.
Anas, A., EM, B.T., Jasmin, C., Chandran, C., Vipindas, P.V., Narayanan, S. and KU, A.J.. Microbial community shifts along an estuarine to open ocean continuum. Regional Studies in Marine Science. 41, p.101587, 2021.
Anas, A., Krishna, K., Vijayakumar, S., George, G., Menon, N., Kulk, G., Tharakan, B.. Dynamics of Vibrio cholerae in a typical tropical lake and estuarine system: potential of remote sensing for risk mapping. Remote Sensing. 13(5), 1034, 2021.
Anas, A., Sobhanan, J., Sulfiya, K.M., Jasmin, C., Sreelakshmi, P.K. and Biju, V.,. Advances in photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology C: Photochemistry Reviews. p.100452, 2021.
Anas, A., Sukumaran, V., Devarajan, D.N., Maniyath, S., Chekidhenkuzhiyil, J., Mary, A., Kuttan, S.P. and Tharakan, B.. Probiotics inspired from natural ecosystem to inhibit the growth of Vibrio spp. causing white gut syndrome in Litopenaeus vannamei. 3 Biotech. 11(2), pp.1-14, 2021.