Jan. 24, 2020 —
Port of San Diego Commissioner Marshall Merrifield, Rep. Mike Levin, Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Mission Support Vice Adm. Michael F. McAllister, Rep. John Garamendi, Chancellor of the University of California San Diego Pradeep Khosla, and Rep. Scott Peters take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego Jan. 24, 2020. The Coast Guard entered into an agreement with Scripps Institution of Oceanography to establish the Blue Technology Center of Expertise, which will provide opportunities for rapid identification and integration of new blue technologies into current Coast Guard capabilities. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick Kelley.
The Coast Guard and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego launched the Blue Technology Center of Expertise (COE) on the Scripps Oceanography campus with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and expo today.
Rep. John Garamendi, Rep. Scott Peters, Rep. Mike Levin, UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, Port of San Diego Commissioner Marshall Merrifield and Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Mission Support Vice Adm. Michael F. McAllister spoke at the event to celebrate the partnership between Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Coast Guard.
“The Blue Technology Center of Expertise will better connect the Coast Guard with the tremendous government, academic and industry innovation ecosystem in the San Diego area,” said McAllister. “It will create a unique pipeline for the rapid identification and implementation of new maritime technologies into critical Coast Guard operations around the globe.”
Blue technology is any technology, system or platform designed for use above, on, or below the surface of the ocean that can support or facilitate Coast Guard maritime domain awareness, search and rescue, emergency response, maritime law enforcement, marine inspections and investigations. The Coast Guard was authorized to establish the Blue Technology COE by the 2018 Save Our Seas Act.
A COE is a group of people from different disciplines who work together to increase performance and efficiency in certain areas. The Blue Technology COE will enable sharing of information between the Coast Guard and the private sector, other federal agencies, academia and nonprofit organizations.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography is a leading center for marine research and education, with an emphasis on innovation that dates back to World War II. The institution is home to significant programs such as the Coastal Data Information Program, an extensive network for monitoring waves and beaches along the U.S. coastlines, and HF-Radar Network, a near real-time ocean surface current measurement network of shore-based radar systems.
For video from the ribbon-cutting event, click here.