Scripps Institution of Oceanography is one of the oldest, largest, and most important centers for marine science research, graduate training, and public service in the world.
Scripps Institution was founded in 1903 as an independent biological research laboratory, which became part of the University of California in 1912. At that time the laboratory was given the Scripps name in recognition of supporters Ellen Browning Scripps and E. W. Scripps.
Scripps staff numbers approximately 1,300, including about 90 faculty, nearly 300 other scientists, and some 200 graduate students. The institution's annual expenditures total more than $140 million.