The U.S. Science Support Program (USSSP) supports involvement of the U.S. scientific community in the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), an international program of basic research in marine geosciences that uses multiple ocean drilling platforms to explore the Earth’s history and environment. USSSP is managed by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership for the National Science Foundation under a Cooperative Agreement.

The program’s objectives include:  (1) supporting travel and salary for U.S.-based scientists to participate in IODP drilling expeditions and post-expedition activities, (2) supporting planning activities and U.S. participation in the IODP Facility Boards and Advisory Panels, (3) encouraging and supporting activities that further the planning and development of ocean drilling proposals and expeditions (e.g., participation in site surveys or analysis of ancillary data sets), (4) developing educational and community engagement programs that expose the U.S. populace, especially students and educators, to the science arising from ocean drilling research, and (5) establishing an effective national advisory committee to interact with the U.S. and international scientific communities and the National Science Foundation, and to disseminate results and encourage wide and multidisciplinary participation of research scientists in IODP.