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| North American Society for Oceanic Studies | |
|---|---|
| Name | North American Society for Oceanic Studies |
| Abbreviation | NASOS |
| Formation | 1987 |
| Type | Learned society |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Region served | North America |
| Membership | Scholars, educators, policymakers |
| Leader title | President |
North American Society for Oceanic Studies is a learned society focused on interdisciplinary scholarship related to marine environments, maritime cultures, and ocean sciences. It brings together scholars, educators, museum curators, and policymakers from institutions across United States, Canada, and Mexico to foster research, pedagogy, and public engagement. The society's activities interface with academic publishers, museums, and government agencies to inform debates involving coastal communities, maritime heritage, and marine policy.
The society was founded during a period of institutional growth influenced by conferences at Smithsonian Institution, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, with founding members drawn from Harvard University, Yale University, University of British Columbia, McGill University, and University of California, Santa Barbara. Early governance adopted models from American Historical Association, Marine Biological Laboratory, and Society for Historical Archaeology, while programmatic precedents included initiatives at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Key early convenings featured speakers affiliated with Duke University, University of Delaware, University of Miami, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and Johns Hopkins University.
NASOS advances interdisciplinary study linking natural sciences and humanities through collaboration with institutions such as Royal Ontario Museum, Peabody Essex Museum, American Museum of Natural History, United States Geological Survey, and Environment and Climate Change Canada. Objectives include promoting research partnerships with National Science Foundation, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, National Endowment for the Humanities, and supporting curricular innovation at Columbia University, Stanford University, and University of Washington. The society emphasizes ethical engagement with coastal Indigenous communities represented by organizations like Assembly of First Nations, National Congress of American Indians, First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.
Governance follows a board model with officers drawn from universities and museums including University of California, San Diego, Dartmouth College, Brown University, University of Toronto, and University of Alaska Fairbanks. Advisory committees have included experts from NOAA Fisheries, Parks Canada, Smithsonian Institution, Natural Resources Defense Council, and World Wildlife Fund. Financial oversight has engaged donors and grantors such as Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and NASA-funded initiatives. The society’s bylaws were influenced by procedural norms from Association of American Geographers, American Anthropological Association, and Modern Language Association.
Membership comprises faculty and researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, University of California, Berkeley, University of British Columbia, and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México alongside museum professionals from Canadian Museum of History, National Maritime Museum (Greenwich), and educators from Monterey Bay Aquarium, New England Aquarium, and Vancouver Aquarium. Regional chapters operate in association with universities including University of New Hampshire, McMaster University, University of New Orleans, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Universidad Autónoma de Baja California. Student and early-career networks link to programs at Brown University, Rutgers University, University of Georgia, Queen's University, and University of California, Davis.
Annual meetings rotate among venues such as Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Marine Museum of the Atlantic, and University of British Columbia. Proceedings and monographs have been published in collaboration with Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Routledge, Springer Nature, and journal partners including Marine Ecology Progress Series, Ocean & Coastal Management, Journal of Maritime Archaeology, Environmental History, and Coastal Management. Special issues have featured contributors from Harvard University, Yale University, University of Chicago, University of California, Santa Cruz, and University of Miami and have been indexed alongside work from PLOS ONE, Science Advances, and Nature Communications.
NASOS sponsors research symposia with laboratories and centers such as Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, Dalhousie University Oceanography Department, and Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory. Educational initiatives align with standards from National Science Teachers Association and collaborate on teacher-training with Smithsonian Institution, Sea Education Association, and NOAA Education. Grants and fellowships have supported fieldwork connected to Galápagos Islands research programs, Arctic studies involving University of Tromsø, and coral reef conservation projects with Australian Institute of Marine Science partners.
The society maintains partnerships with policy and conservation organizations including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Pew Charitable Trusts, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and World Resources Institute. Outreach engages coastal communities through museums such as Mystic Seaport Museum, The Mariners' Museum, and festivals like International Ocean Film Festival and Monterey Bay Festival, and collaborates with Indigenous organizations including Haida Nation, Tlingit, Mi'kmaq, and Nuu-chah-nulth leadership councils. Public programming aligns with media outlets and platforms such as BBC, National Geographic Society, Smithsonian Channel, and PBS.
Category:Learned societies of North America