Rear Adm. Jonathan White, a graduate of Florida Institute of Technology’s oceanographic technology program who now serves as the oceanographer for the U.S. Navy, visited the university Thursday, April 23, 2015 to give a public presentation, tour the campus and meet with top leadership, including members of the Board of Trustees.
White's topic: “The U.S. Navy and an Ever Changing Earth.”
In his presentation, White discussed how the Navy considers the ability to understand the ocean and the marine environment crucial to its operational success. In partnership with numerous research institutions, the Naval Oceanography program, which White leads, continues to expand its knowledge of the ocean, atmosphere and climate even as the full Navy continues to examine the strategic and operational implications of climate change in many areas of importance to national security.
White’s return to Florida Tech comes more than 30 years after he was commissioned as a U.S. Naval Officer in 1983. That followed his academic career, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in oceanographic technology from Florida Tech and a Master’s Degree in meteorology and oceanography from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.
White later commanded the Naval Training Meteorology and Oceanography Facility in Pensacola and was the 50th superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory. He served as Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, from 2009 to 2012.
In August 2012, he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral as he assumed his current duties, which include Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy and the Navy’s Director of Task Force Climate Change.
