The Hollings Marine Laboratory is built on an approximately 8-acre site within the
Fort Johnson campus of the South Carolina Marine Resources Center in Charleston,
South Carolina. Dedicated on December 21, 2000, the laboratory is a facility that
promotes collaborative and interdisciplinary scientific research to sustain, protect,
and restore coastal ecosystems.
The HML approach brings basic,
applied, and medical researchers together to work collaboratively on factors that
affect the health of coastal waters and humans who live in or visit the coastal
zone. The HML paradigm is
based on four central premises: (1) modern marine research is increasingly complex,
necessitating an interdisciplinary approach; (2) no one organization possesses the
breadth of intellectual capital needed to address the increasingly complicated coastal
issues facing society; (3) the interaction of the research findings of scientists
from different disciplines and institutional backgrounds often results in significant
synergy, leading to unanticipated advances in, and applications of, human knowledge;
and (4) involvement of undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students, distinguished
visiting scholars, and resource management practitioners in research related to
NOAA’s
missions provides invaluable long-term benefits to the nation and is
administered by the NCCOS Center for Human Health Risk. To facilitate this
work the HML is a 94,000 sq ft laboratory designed to promote interdisciplinary
research by providing the space and equipment necessary to solving complex environmental
problems.
Learn more about HML
facilities »
Although the HML is a NOAA-owned facility,
it is a fully cooperative enterprise with activities governed by the
five partner organizations through a Joint
Project Agreement (.pdf). Scientists from all partner institutions work
side-by-side in the laboratory, taking advantage of each other’s special expertise.
In order to view the .pdf file, you need Adobe Reader. Click here
to get the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Operational Structure
The Hollings Marine Laboratory (HML) organizational structure includes an
Executive Board; a Science Board; a Laboratory Director;
and a series of Operational Committees. The
HML operates under a Joint Project
Agreement (.pdf) entered into by the five partners:
NOAA/NOS, College
of Charleston, Medical University of South Carolina,
National Institute of Standards and Technology,
and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
In order to view the .pdf file, you need Adobe Reader. Click here
to get the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Executive Board
The Executive Board is the policy-making and authoritative management unit of the
HML. The Executive Board provides
oversight of program activities and gives direction on other facility and research-related
issues.
Science Board
The Science Board develops the long-term research vision for the
HML, consistent with the HML
mission as approved by the Executive Board. The Science Board
defines the science mission of the HML,
and ensures that the science conducted at the
HML is of a high quality. Additionally, the Science Board is responsible
for fostering interdisciplinary and inter-institutional research and education.
Laboratory Director
The Laboratory Director is employed by the Center for Human Health Risk to
establish the administrative and financial systems needed
to accomplish the mission and objectives and is the on-site manager responsible
for day-to-day operations. The Laboratory Director interacts with scientists and
students at the HML to facilitate
effective, efficient, and safe operations.
Operational Committees
The Operational Committees provide guidance for protecting the resources assigned
to the HML, including staff.
They also advise the Science Board and Laboratory Director
on operational issues and activities.
- Safety, Environmental Compliance & Security
- Animal Welfare and Biosecurity
- Information Technology
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)