MARACOOS board member, Captain Ray Toll, is the 2025 recipient of the Caraid Award, awarded yearly by the IOOS Association. Ray is receiving this award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to observing, understanding, and protecting our oceans and coasts through vision, leadership, friendship, and collaboration.
Ray has been a driving force in the Mid-Atlantic and beyond — through his work at Old Dominion University, his leadership with the Marine Technology Society, and his service as a Virginia Aquarium board member, he has built lasting collaborations that strengthen coastal resilience and the ocean observing community nationwide.
Ray was presented with the award by MARACOOS’s Executive Director, Dr. Gerhard Kuska, and IOOS Association’s Executive Director, Kristen Yarincik, at the Virginia Aquarium on October 7, 2025.
Congratulations, Ray and thank you for your commitment to both IOOS and MARACOOS over the years!
The IOOS Association created the Caraid Award in 2020 as an annual award to recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to observing and understanding our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes through vision, leadership, friendship and collaboration. The word “Caraid” is a Scottish Gaelic word, meaning “care” or “love” and is pronounced like “courage.”
Visit the IOOS Association’s Caraid Award page to learn about all of the award winners at ioosassociation.org.
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