Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) was founded in 1930 at the recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences. What began with a single grant from the Rockefeller Foundation has grown into the largest nonprofit oceanographic institution in the world, with about 950 employees dedicated to the organization's mission.

WHOI's work largely falls into three categories: exploring, understanding, and educating others on the crucial role that the oceans play in Earth's global ecosystem. WHOI operates ships, underwater vehicles, and laboratories to make cutting-edge oceanic discoveries, it produces comprehensive research, and it trains a new generation of leaders through programming for K-12, undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral students. Over the years, WHOI has risen to preeminence in the research and educational fields, having discovered the Titanic wreckage, located missing Air France Flight 447, and responded to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Through every element of the organization's work, WHOI works to advance knowledge of the Earth's oceans and apply this knowledge to today's most pressing issues.