News & Announcements

2/2/2024
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2024 AAUS OM Renewals

In 2024 our OM renewal process will consist of 3 processes: dues payment, Code of Ethics agreement and statistics submission. OMs will not be considered in compliance until all 3 steps have been completed.

OM Dues – OM DSOs and Company Admins can print an invoice and pay via credit card on the website. Instructions attached. Alternatively, OMs can print an invoice online and mail in a check to the address listed below. Note: You will not have full access to your OM profile until your dues are paid. PO Box 9067 Mobile, AL 36691-9067

Code of Ethics Agreement – In 2019 the AAUS BOD rolled out a Code of Ethics (COE) for AAUS DSOs. In 2023 AAUS is requiring that all DSOs agree to the COE. You can access the agreement portal and a link to the COE on the home page (top center) of the OM profile. Simply click the pencil tool and check the box agreeing to the COE. NOTE: The reminder is static and will not disappear once you have signed for the year.

Statistics Submission - Instructions on submitting statistics are attached and can also be found on the website under Members/ Resource Library/ Website Instructionals. It is strongly recommended that you fill in the blank template by hand and manually check your totals before attempting to submit your stats. Inputs are error checked and you may get a message that your totals do not agree if you do not put a value in EVERY box (zero where appropriate). Please do not include any dives that do not meet AAUS standards, e.g., recreational dives accepted by the DCB as proficiency dives. The blank template and the AAUS statistics collection criteria and definitions may be found on the Members menu/ Statistics/ Submission Info after login or in the DSO Community in the Statistics folder (see Communities instructions for access). Both accesses require member login. Please feel free to contact the Statistics Chair ([email protected]) with any questions concerning statistics or incident reporting. Statistics summaries are considered late on (and after) 01 April.

LATE FEE - NEW for 2024, the AAUS Board of Directors has implemented a late fee for all OM dues paid after the April 1st deadline. Please see the schedule of fee assessment below.  If your OM needs an extension, please reach out to the AAUS office or Treasurer well in advance of April 1st. 

$100 if paid between 4/2 – 4/30 (5pm CDT)
$250 if paid between 5/1 – 5/31 (5pm CDT)
If unpaid by 6/1, OM will be in Standards violation and suspended pending BOD review.
 

2/2/2024
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AAUS BOD Call for Nominations

The 2024 AAUS Nominating Committee is now accepting nominations of Individual Members for President-elect and Director-at-Large (1) positions on the AAUS Board of Directors. Successful DAL candidates will serve a 3-year term commencing on January 1st, 2025. Successful President-elect candidate will serve as PE for 2025, President for 2026/2027 and Past President for 2028. Nominees must be full voting members in good standing within the Academy. A nomination letter (not to exceed 300 words) begins the process and is best focused on how a particular candidate can contribute to the Academy based on their academic or diving safety contributions, or previous development of not-for-profit organizational governance experience. Nominees put forward by the Committee will be required to provide a current photo, bio, and written answers to three questions on their vision for their time on the Board and the future of the Academy.

Please submit your nomination letter, no later than  30 March 2024, to the AAUS Nominating Committee via Past President, Jim Hayward at [email protected].
 
 

2/2/2024
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2024 AAUS Diving for Science Symposium

The 2024 AAUS Diving for Science Symposium will be hosted by the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce with major contributions by Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, 14-20 April 2024 in Fort Pierce, Florida. Registration is now open! The week will be filled with instructional workshops such as Serious Accident Investigation, both topside and underwater; technical workshops including technician certifications, wilderness first aid, DAN IQC, managing divers with acoustics; diving workshops investigating octopi, near shore benthic survey methods, snorkeling best practices and much more. Following the workshop opportunities and social/networking events, we will wrap up the week with the national DSO meeting, science symposium and annual awards banquet, featuring our Keynote Speaker.
We welcome diving scientists, students, diving safety officers and anyone with an interest in diving science to participate in this event.

https://aaus.org/AnnualSymposium

Abstract submissions are being accepted until February 28th! More information and submission templates here

9/25/2023
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AAUS Scientific Diving Lifetime Achievement Award Nominations

Honor a Colleague! Nominations are now open for the 2023 Scientific Diving Lifetime Achievement Award. Do you work with someone who has major career accomplishments in underwater science and research? Your colleague could be an AAUS SDLA awardee, but only if they are nominated. This award is presented biennially to a Scientific Diver in recognition of their significant impact to underwater science and research. Nominees do not need to be AAUS members. For information on eligibility and the nomination form, visit AAUS.org/Awards/SDLA Nominations close October 30, 2023.

9/25/2023
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AAUS Townhall on Standards

AAUS will hold a virtual townhall on October 04 at 1pm CDT to continue the discussion from the 2023 symposium on modifying AAUS training standards. The goal of this townhall will be to finalize potential changes and formulate the official proposal to be released to the AAUS community for review and adoption. All AAUS members are welcome to attend. Join the day of the event at https://csmg.floor.bz/cast/649039

9/25/2023
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AAUS Seeks Internship Hosts

AAUS is currently seeking OM hosts that can provide high quality experiences for our two internships. AAUS interns provide valuable exposure for your institution and scientific diving program. Prior to applying as a host, we ask that you read the internship descriptions and supporting documents on the AAUS Internship page. Applications for 2024 must be submitted no later than 15 January 2024; however, host applications are welcomed well in advance, as we are in need of hosts for 2023 and beyond. Please visit the AAUS Internship page for full details: https://aaus.org/AAUS/Scholarships/AAUS_OWUSS_Internship/Internship_Host_Information/

6/1/2023
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2023 AAUS Board of Directors Elections

The 2023 AAUS election is now open and closes 30 June. The election is open to Full Voting Members (individual and OM Reps) in good standing. Below you will find the slate of candidates. Their bios and election questions are at https://aaus.org/News_Announcements and attached. All voting is to take place on the website.  Please follow the directions below; be an active part of your Academy and VOTE! To write in a candidate, email name of the write-in candidate to two of the election committee members:

Secretary Candidates:

  • Lizzie McNamee, Florida Atlantic University
  • Jennie De La Cruz, Samish Tribe

Director-at-Large Candidates:

  • Dave Benet, University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Dan Abbott, Reef Check
 
2023 Candidate Bios can be found here!

Instructions for Online Voting:
1. Login at www.aaus.org. Your username is the email address on file with AAUS. Password can be reset with "forgot password" if needed.
2. Go to Members Tab then Members Profile
3. Blue Vote Now button below member info block on the left hand side of the page. (You may be required to sign in again)
4. Follow onscreen instructions to submit vote.

5/30/2023
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AAUS Student Scholarships 2023

The AAUS Foundation awards scholarships to graduate students engaged in, or planning to begin, research projects in which diving is used as an important research tool or studying diving science. The Foundation awards $3000 to each winning proposal from the Masters and Doctoral level submissions. Additionally, the AAUS may award $1500 scholarships to the second ranked proposals in each category.
Applicants must:
• Be a current member of AAUS (student or full member). Please review the difference between a member and AAUS scientific diver described in the FAQs here. Prospective applicants can join at www.aaus.org/Join.
• Be accepted and enrolled in a Master's program (for the Master's Program award) or a Ph.D. program (for the Ph.D. program award). • Submit online application form.
• Submit a proposal of 3 to 5 pages describing the research methods, significance of the research, and a budget (if part of a larger budget, specify how AAUS funds will be spent). Must be uploaded through submission form.
• Ensure that one letter of support from a faculty advisor is submitted electronically to [email protected]
• Agree to write an article for the E-Slate describing the proposed research within one year of scholarship award.
• Present the results of their research at an AAUS symposium or other scientific meeting within one year of the project’s completion.
Completed applications are due 30 June. More information and the online application can be found at www.aausfoundation.org/scholarships/apply now. Send questions to the Scholarship Committee Chair at [email protected]

 

5/23/2023
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Convex Seascape Survey

The Convex Seascape Survey is an ambitious five-year research program that seeks to discover how the ocean performs its important role as the world’s largest carbon sink and regulates the climate. The project sets out to provide answers that can be used in global efforts to slow the effects of climate change. But before our team begins research, we need help finding healthy unimpacted soft sediment ecosystems to study. The ability of spectacular ecosystems like mangroves, seagrass meadows, and kelp forests to store carbon has long attracted attention. But such places only cover 0.2% of the seafloor. This means that while their role in mitigating climate change is important, it is limited. By contrast, soft sediment seabeds, such as muddy and sandy habitats, contain far bigger carbon stores and cover 38 times more space. Therefore, they are exceptionally important in this era of rapid climate change. We are looking for divers with intimate knowledge of the seabed to help us identify important places to study. To help us in the fight against climate change, simply send us underwater photographs or video footage of what you believe to be a healthy, intact, and undisturbed soft sediment seabed habitat. For more information, visit www.convexseascapesurvey.com/citizen-science/ or email :[email protected].

5/23/2023
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University of Alaska Southeast Dive Semester

Students interested in fisheries, diving, and marine biology can round out their studies in a field-based program in Sitka, Alaska. Last year was an amazing year and we successfully trained 14 new scientific divers and conducted over 600 cold water dives! We're excited to welcome students (our 7th season) to learn and dive from our campus in Spring 2024. The Alaska Dive Semester is a 13 credit, semester-long, dive-intensive certification. This intensive suite of courses will meet the requirements needed to be a scientific diver for most universities and/or government organizations. In addition, students learn how to safely operate and maintain a skiff/boat. In total, students will receive 11 nationally and internationally recognized certifications. Interested students can fill out a brief informational questionnaire. More info at http://divesemester.alaska.edu/

5/20/2023
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Meet the Candidate Night

AAUS is hosting our first virtual Meet the Candidate night on June 15 from 6-7 p.m. CDT. Login information will be sent directly to all full voting members in early June. There will be a Q&A led by the Nominating Committee and current Board of Director members followed by an informal time for you to meet each candidate personally in our virtual lounge. If you have questions that you would like the candidates to answer, please submit those to [email protected].

3/1/2023
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Symposium 2025 Survey

As we are getting ready for this year's meeting in Pensacola, we are also looking forward to the next few years of venues. It has been proposed that in 2025 AAUS undertakes another international symposium, this time in New Zealand. This survey is meant to gather realistic interest in attending a meeting in the Spring of 2025 in New Zealand. Initial inquiries find that the cost for lodging nights, catering and meeting spaces is comparable to this year's meeting. Meaning that registration and hotel costs should remain fairly static with the increase costs coming mostly from travel. Please answer the survey honestly so that we might gauge realistic attendance. https://forms.gle/fcbCtzCaibPcAX3DA  

3/1/2023
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2023 DSO Remuneration Survey

Relative pay level for Diving Safety Officers (DSO) has long been a topic difficult to discuss for a variety of reasons. Confidentiality, cost of living differences and job descriptions that include mixed positions have made it difficult for the DSO community to make valid professional comparisons. The first remuneration survey in the AAUS community was completed in 2010. This survey is meant to update those results by repeating those same initial questions and potentially better define some aspects of job complexity by including a few new ones. The intent is to provide DSOs and their employers with a useful tool to evaluate remuneration for this professional position. Results of this survey will be discussed at the 2023 AAUS National Diving Safety Officers meeting on April 27, 2023. DSOs can complete the survey at https://forms.gle/jz4tDtRqnBf7TbpY6  

3/1/2023
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AAUS BOD Call for Nominations

The 2023 AAUS Nominating Committee is now accepting nominations of Individual Members for Secretary and Director-at-large (1) positions on the AAUS Board of Directors. Successful candidates will serve a 3-year term commencing on January 1st, 2024. Nominees must be full voting members in good standing within the Academy. A nomination letter (not to exceed 300 words) begins the process and is best focused on how a particular candidate can contribute to the Academy based on their academic or diving safety contributions, or previous development of not-for-profit organizational governance experience. Nominees put forward by the Committee will be required to provide a current photo, bio, and written answers to three questions on their vision for their time on the Board and the future of the Academy.

 

Please submit your nomination letter, no later than March 30, 2023, to any one of the five AAUS Nominating Committee members:

Derek Smith ([email protected])

Jessie Miles ([email protected])

Jim Nestler ([email protected])

Nate Schwarck ([email protected])

Pema Kitaeff ([email protected])


1/5/2023
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2023 AAUS Diving for Science Symposium

The 2023 AAUS Diving for Science Symposium will be hosted by University of West Florida, 23-29 April 2023 in Pensacola, Florida. Join us in the nation’s oldest city as we celebrate AAUS history and dive into our future. Registration is now open! The week will be filled with instructional workshops such as Serious Accident Investigation, both topside and underwater; technical workshops including technician certifications, underwater photogrammetry, and acoustic imagery; diving workshops covering surface supplied diving, low visibility, and managing divers with acoustics; tours of an underwater ancient cypress forest; the historic San Pablo shipwreck; “the great carrier reef” USS Oriskany and much more. Following the workshop opportunities and social/networking events, we will wrap up the week with the national DSO meeting, science symposium and annual awards banquet, featuring our Keynote Speaker, Dr. James Delgado. We welcome diving scientists, students, diving safety officers and anyone with an interest in diving science to participate in this event. https://aaus.org/AnnualSymposium. All AAUS members should login with their IM credentials to receive member pricing for all events.

1/5/2023
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2023 AAUS Scientific Diving Internship

2023 Dr. Lee H. Somers AAUS Scientific Diving Internship
OWUSS is currently taking applications for the 2023 Dr. Lee H. Somers AAUS Scientific Diving Internship. Intern applicants must be students from colleges and universities and must have an interest in science and diving. The program runs primarily from mid-May through August and will include training at one of several AAUS organizational member sites. This training will give the intern the necessary dive qualifications to allow participation on research projects requiring scientific diving and introduce the intern to careers that utilize scientific diving as a tool. Once trained as an AAUS-recognized diver-in-training, interns will participate in underwater field work at one or more locations and research facilities associated with the AAUS. The internship will be supported by funding for travel to/from site, room, board, and other internship-related expenses. The application deadline is January 15, 2023. For more information and to apply visit https://www.owuscholarship.org/internships .

2022 Mitchell Scientific Diving Research Internship
OWUSS is currently taking applications for the 2023 Mitchell Scientific Diving Research Internship. This internship is intended to be research-centric; therefore, training and certification as an AAUS Scientific Diver is a prerequisite and all applicants must be undergraduate students. The program runs primarily from mid-May through August and will be hosted at one of several AAUS organizational member sites. The internship will be supported by funding for travel to/from site, room, board, and other internship-related expenses. The application deadline is January 15, 2023. For more information and to apply visit: http://www.owuscholarship.org/internships .

1/5/2023
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AAUS Kevin Flanagan Travel Award

The AAUS Foundation grants the Kevin Flanagan Travel Award annually providing up to $800 for undergraduate/graduate students to attend an AAUS scientific meeting. Due to the AAUS annual meeting shifting to a spring schedule, the application for this year’s travel award closes 15 January. For more information and application instructions, visit www.aausfoundation.org under the scholarships tab or send questions to the Scholarship Committee Chair at [email protected].

12/2/2022
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AAUS Conrad Limbaugh Memorial Award

The AAUS Conrad Limbaugh Memorial Award is presented biannually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to diving safety and diving leadership on behalf of the scientific diving community.
The 2022 nominees are:
Danny Gouge – "During his DSO career at VIMS, Danny was on the cutting edge of developing diving safety within the scientific diving community. His service on the AAUS Board of Directors in the late 1980's helped to shore up the foundation on which the AAUS of today is built." - Steve Sellers
Brenda Konar – "There is no person that has had a greater impact on the scientific diving community in Alaska than Brenda Konar." - Joel Markis "Out of the 417 known divers ever to be part of USAP, Brenda ranks #8 in number of dives and #3 of all women.” - Rob Robbins on Antarctic Diving with Brenda Konar
Rick Riera-Gomez – "In his 26-year tenure as the diving safety officer at the University of Miami, Rick Gomez was the picture of diving safety and diving leadership. His diving accomplishments, growth of the University of Miami science diving program, and commitment to AAUS set him apart..." – Robbie Christian

Full biographies can be found attached and here.  Voting for this year's award will be open from 01 December 15 January. Full members can cast your vote for this year's nominees by following the instructions below.

Instructions for Online Voting:
1. Login at www.aaus.org. Your username is the email address on file with AAUS. Password can be reset with "forgot password" if needed.
2. Go to Members Tab then Members Profile
3. Click on blue Vote Now button below member info block on the left-hand side of the page.
4. Carefully follow onscreen instructions to submit vote.

12/1/2022
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AAUS Townhall Series

The AAUS Board of Directors hosted a series of Town Hall meetings in 2022 with topics covering OSHA, E-learning, Emerging Programs and DCB roles and responsibilities.  All Town Halls were recorded and are available for member download. Members can find them in the Resource Library after login. 

11/2/2022
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National Scientific Diving Day Celebration

The 40th anniversary of the OSHA Scientific Diving Exemption is the week of November 22nd. AAUS would like to honor the anniversary by deeming it National Scientific Diving Day and we are asking AAUS programs to help us get divers in the water to celebrate all week. Our documentation of those celebratory dives is two pronged. First, in hopes of spreading a broader acknowledgement of what science divers do, we would like to flood social media. Send your pictures and videos to us or post them on your own social media platforms tagging us and using @aaus.scientific.diving #aaus #aausscientificdiving #scientificdiving. Secondly, as we would like to make this an annual event, we'd like to collect basic statistics of divers in the water, using this simple collection form. . Let's get in the water and celebrate getting to do what we all love to do!  

Latest News

2024 AAUS OM Renewals

Posted on 2/2/2024

SDLA 2023

Posted on 9/25/2023

Townhall on Standards 2023

Posted on 9/25/2023