Dr. Joshua Weitz, Associate Professor of Biology, was named a Simons Foundation Investigator in Ocean Processes and Ecology and awarded a three-year grant from the Simons Foundation.  Dr. Weitz will examine physical and ecological principles governing the interplay between viruses and zooplankton in the North Pacific Ocean.  Dr. Weitz joins a new initiative, SCOPE -- the Simons Collaboration on Ocean Processes and Ecology -- co-directed by Edward DeLong and David Karl at the University of Hawai'i, Manoa.  The purpose of the collaboration is to advance understanding of the biology, ecology, and biogeochemistry of microbial processes that dominate Earth's largest biome: the global ocean.  The collaborative effort will measure, model and conduct experiments at a model ecosystem site located 100 km north of Oahu.  The Simons Foundation's mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences. The Foundation sponsors a range of programs that aim to promote a deeper understanding of our world.