How did MBARI start?
MBARI was founded in 1987 by David Packard, an engineer and co-founder (with William Hewlett) of Hewlett-Packard Company, a maker of computers and peripheral equipment. David Packard established MBARI as a private, not-for-profit oceanographic research center. In 1989, MBARI constructed a dock and marine operations facility at Moss Landing, a small fishing community 20 miles north of Monterey. Science, engineering, and administration facilities were added in 1995. The laboratory facilities were expanded in 2001 to include a 10-meter-deep tank used for testing equipment, sensors, and underwater vehicles. Mr. Packard died in 1996, but the laboratory continues to operate under the principles he established, and continues to be funded by the Packard Foundation.
