2008 PIFSC Annual Report | notable milestones

The Directors Office provides overall scientific leadership, strategic guidance, research direction, program management, and operational policy for the Science Center. In addition, the office is responsible for liaison with our many partnering agencies and offices, including the Pacific Islands Regional Office and other NOAA offices locally and nationally; the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; resource management agencies of American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands; the University of Hawaii and the University of Guam; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; fishing industry members and organizations; recreational fishers; nongovernmental conservation organizations; other groups and the general public. The Directors Office provides coordination and leadership for U.S. participation in international scientific committees and commissions in the Pacific. The Center Director serves on the NOAA Fisheries Science Board and is the U.S. delegate to PICES (the six-nation North Pacific Marine Science Organization). The Directors Office also manages the Center's planning and budget functions as well as outreach and public affairs.

Employee award ceremony and barbecue

Budget, Planning, and Program Coordination

Many Center-wide budget, planning, and program coordination activities are implemented from the Budget and Planning Office to ensure responsiveness to and consistency with the NOAA and NOAA Fisheries Strategic Plans. These activities include:

Generation of current and projected program operating and spending plans
Center-wide budget formulation, execution, and requests
Development of guidelines and policies governing maintenance of the budget
Research program oversight, coordination, and integration
Strategic planning and input to the NOAA Program Planning and Budget Execution System
Establishment and tracking of performance measures and milestones
Ensuring National Environmental Policy Act compliance for PIFSC research
Coordination of PIFSC efforts to support the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS)
Scheduling and coordination of NOAA research vessel and aircraft operations

Outreach and Public Affairs

The community outreach program serves as the focus for the communication of scientific programs with the public. The objective of the program is to seek and create opportunities to inform and educate constituents about the Center's programs. This is accomplished by:

Establishing PIFSC as a scientific information resource for the community and networking with community groups, schools, and other organizations
Teaching young people to become stewards of the environment
Promoting careers in ocean sciences
Helping teachers develop a science and conservation curriculum that supports the objectives of PIFSC. The program also designs educational resources and implements strategies to increase communications and understanding between the agency, our constituents, and the general public

Public education is an important aspect of the Center's work. Outreach activities not only let people learn about the Center's research and monitoring activities, but they spark interest in ocean science among young people and cultivate attitudes and practices of marine resource conservation and stewardship within the community. Center scientists frequently interact with the public and media during the course of their field work on the waterfront, beaches, and in nearshore environments. In addition, members of all research divisions and administrative support groups take advantage of numerous community events to inform public constituents about NOAA's mission in marine ecosystem science and the beneficial impacts of our work on the economy and environment in the Pacific. During 2008, Center staff members were active in a wide range of outreach activities, including career fairs at schools, ocean-related festivals, public meetings, educational seminars, recreational fishing tournaments, visits to hospitals, and other events.