Michael and Judith Gaulke Chair in Ocean Innovation
In 2023, OSU announced a $20 million gift by Judy and Mike Gaulke to create a new center to lead and support innovative research and development of technology that helps society better understand, protect and utilize the ocean and its environment. The Gaulke Center for Marine Innovation and Technology was designed to emphasize interdisciplinary research such as collaboration between oceanography and artificial intelligence.
The gift established the Michael and Judith Gaulke Chair in Ocean Innovation. The chair will be held by the center’s executive director, who holds a joint faculty appointment in the OSU colleges of Engineering and Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.
In 2012, the Gaulkes established the first endowed chair in the College of Engineering’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. They were inspired to make their gift for the new center because of their lifelong love of the ocean.
“We have had the opportunity to sail, dive and swim in oceans around the world, and we have seen dramatic changes within our own lifetime – from the disappearance of sharks to coral bleaching,” Mike Gaulke said. “Our future lies in the ocean, and it’s very clear that we need to change how we care for it. Marine sciences can help and it’s very exciting to see how advanced technologies can provide tools and approaches for addressing problems.”
Mike Gaulke graduated from the College of Engineering in 1968 and spent more than 20 years as an executive in Silicon Valley, including 13 years as CEO of Exponent Inc., an engineering and consulting firm. He was inducted in the OSU Engineering Hall of Fame in 2008.