The Office of Response and Restoration is heavily embedded within the IOSC as an Executive Committee member, presenting NOAA’s work in the form of posters, presentations, and training courses, hosting a booth and attending as a participant in various sessions. Team members from Research Planning Inc., Coastal Response Research Center, and OR&R retirees Ed Levine, Alan Mearns, Dave Westerholm were seen presenting and hosting various sessions.

A total of 35 NOAA representatives from OR&R were involved in the success of the conference. Notably, Scott Lundgren, Director of OR&R, was a member of the Executive Committee and presented OR&R’s vision in a plenary discussion. Mark Dix, Deputy Chief of the Emergency Response Division, joined the Planning Committee and was the short course coordinator supporting 12 short courses including three NOAA-led short courses.  Lisa DiPinto, OR&R’s Chief Scientist, contributed a presentation to the Hot Topic discussion about Interagency Response to the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon incident and served as a panelist during the “Empowering Women in Oil Spill Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Restoration” session.

The conference participants were able to navigate an entirely virtual agenda to access a variety of talks on response, prevention/planning, safety, and regulations. A virtual “exhibit hall” was available for attendees to connect with the various government, industry, and academia partners in between sessions. The opportunity to engage with a diverse gathering of specialists representing 37 countries was invaluable to the contribution of advancing the science, sharing innovative technical tools, and enhancing preparedness among the global response community.

For further information, contact Rachel.L.Pryor@noaa.gov.

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