Dr Kate Moran has been appointed director of Neptune Canada, the world's first regional-scale underwater ocean observatory network, effective this September. Moran recently held a two-year term as assistant director in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in Washington DC, advising the government on oceans, the Arctic and global warming. She holds degrees in marine science and engineering from the Univ of Pittsburgh, the Univ of Rhode Island and Dalhousie Univ. In addition to leading several oceanographic expeditions during her career, Moran has made major contributions to the assessment of hazards in Canada's offshore regions. She replaces founding director Dr Chris Barnes, who retired over the summer.….