Professor Wu Lixin, vice president of Ocean University of China (OUC), who also serves as the head of National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China, visited Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) on February 18th, 2016. Together with him was Professor Lin Xiaopei, Executive Director of the Center and Deputy Director of the Key Laboratory of Physical Oceanography under the Ministry of Education (MOE). 

Dr. Mark R. Abbott, Director of WHOI, welcomed the visiting guests and both sides had a discussion on the implementation of more and deeper collaboration. During their visit, the OUC delegation has reached consensus as follows:Both OUC and WHOI shall provide financial support to the joint laboratory for their future research programs. The seed funding to start the first group of joint research projects shall be provided by WHOI. Both institutions shall expand areas of collaboration, from physical oceanography to other fields of marine science including marine geology, marine biology and marine chemistry and seek collaboration in cutting-edge disciplines.Both OUC and WHOI shall explore and create new ways to motivate successful collaboration, especially in using the joint lab as an important platform to intensify the support to scientific research by young scientists, post-doc research fellows and Ph.D. students while promoting exchanges and mutual visits of scientists from both sides. Both sides have agreed to launch the cooperation in postgraduate education. In view of WHOI’s advantageous academic disciplines, OUC shall invite WHOI scientists to the university for the purpose of lecturing and teaching marine-related courses to OUC graduate students. OUC shall come up with relevant policies to support the creative collaboration at the graduate level while seeking possibilities of credit transfer from WHOI to OUC.

Dr. Laurence P. Madin, Executive Vice President and Director of Research of WHIO (2L), Dr. Mark R. Abbott, President of WHOI (3L), Prof. Wu Lixin (4L), Dr. James A. Yoder, Vice President for Academic Programs & Dean of WHOI (3R) and Prof. Lin Xiaopei (1R) pose for a group photo.