Satellite imagery from NOAA shows Hurricane Jose, along the U.S. East Coast, and Hurricane Maria, in the Atlantic Ocean near the Leeward Islands. Trailing Maria is Tropical Depression Lee. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Rick Spinrad would oversee several marine and climate research offices, as well as the National Weather Service and National Marine Fisheries Service. An Oregon State University professor has been tapped by the Biden Administration to head up NOAA – the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Rick Spinrad is an ocean scientist and former administrator at Oregon State. In recent years, he’s been involved with the university’s groundbreaking wave energy testing facility project that’s expected to start construction this summer.