Bryon Wilson University of Hawaii I'm Captain and Master of the R/V Kilo Moana .  |
What is your official title? Captain What are your duties on the ship? I have overall responsibility for the safe operation and navigation of the R/V Kilo Moana. Watch standing mates usually run the bridge under way, while I care for ship and science business, but I'm on the bridge in command of the ship, if not actually physically handling the ship, during instrument recoveries, entering and departing harbors, and docking the ship. I'm also the ship's medical officer. How long have you worked on a vessel? How many days/ years have you spent at sea? How many days are you at sea per year? What type of training did you have to go through to get your position? I've worked on the R/V Kilo Moana since June 2004, but have been going sea since 1986. I'm actually university trained as a marine biologist (B.Sc. Cal. State Long Beach, 1975) but crossed fields ten years afterwards, starting as Ordinary Seaman and working my up through the ranks by sea-service and testing by the U.S. Coast Guard. I presently spend 6 to 8 months a year at sea . Do you get seasick? Rarely; but full storm at sea can effect anyone. Do you have any advice for someone interested in working on an ocean going vessel? It's a fantastic life for me...sailing around the world, seeing exotic places, taking often the road less traveled...but note again that I spend 6 to 8 months at sea each year. The professional mariner sacrifices the life ashore for a life under way, with the consequent close quarters aboard ship, isolation from friends and family, and the possible perils of the sea. While most of my sea-days seem filled with beauty and adventure, I'm also sure this isn't a job for everyone. |
Richard Webster Crew- R/V Kilo Moana
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The first engineer is responsible for complying with the engine room procedures and notifying the Chief Engineer of any problems encountered. The First Engineer supervises the second and third engineers and oilers onboard. The First Engineer oversees the overall operation of all engine department equipment assigning and directing routine maintenance and repairs. The First Engineer is directly responsible for the maintenance of all main engines, generators, refrigeration, air conditioning and electrical systems, sewage systems, and hydraulic systems on board the vessel. The First Engineer assists the Chief Engineer with maintaining inventories of engineering parts and consumables, updating computer files and logs and keeping current technical manuals. I have been a crew Member on the Kilo Moana since May 2002. I have spent the past 45 years as a crew member aboard research vessels. On an average I spend 210 to 250 days per year on board the vessel.
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Cheryl Driscoll Crew- R/V Kilo Moana  |
What is your official title? 3rd Assistant Engineer (3 A/E) How long have you worked on a vessel? Vessels in general, almost 1 year. R/V Kilo Moana, 2 weeks.
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Thomas Perry Crew- R/V Kilo Moana
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What is your official title? Able-Bodied Seaman Unlimited What are your duties on the ship? To maintain the ongoing maintainance of the ship and all deck equipment and to also assist the scientists in the recovery and deployment of their science equipment. How long have you worked on this vessel? Since day 1, I'm a "Plankowner",one of the original crew. How many days/ years have you spent at sea? I've worked on boats for over 35 years and the last 7 years on sea going ships. How many days are you at sea per year? At least half the year. What type of training did you have to go through to get your position? Put in a lot of sea time and an extensive test issued by the U.S. Coast Guard. Do you get seasick? No Do you have any advice for someone interested in working on an ocean going vessel? Be open minded and have a little understanding of human nature and have a genuine love of the sea. |
Daniel Ohnemus University of Southern California I use lasers to measure rare chemicals in the ocean.  |
What first got you interested in science? Spending time with my father in his fishing boat off Cape Cod when I was growing up. What is the hardest part about working in the field of environmental science? At sea, getting up early enough each day so I don't miss breakfast! What is something about your work that you find rewarding? Fun, interesting, and driven people to work with; fresh challenges all the time; getting paid to do something you love! What advice do you have for someone considering on going to graduate school (ie: selecting an advisor, school, program, etc...)? I'm doing this process right now, so I'm open to suggestions... What are your career goals? Attend graduate school and find work as a professor or full time researcher. Become a wise but old and crazy scientist in my later years. Anything else? Check out my blog/photos of life and science on the Kilo at: http://ohnemusatsea.blogspot.com/ |
Phoebe Dreux Chappell Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution I'm studying interactions between trace metals and phytoplankton. Specifically, I measure iron in seawater and ways to assess iron limitation in an organism that sailors used to refer to as sea sawdust, but scientists know as Trichodesmium.  |
What first got you interested in science? I guess I grew up around science and the oceans. I spent my summers as a child in Woods Hole, which is a center for research both oceanographic and more medically oriented in nature. I spent those summers attending a program called science school, which opened my eyes to ways that studying the environment could be fun. Being surrounded by such a beautiful sight as the oceans around that area, I knew that I would find a way to spend my time studying the oceans and how to keep them safe. What is the hardest part about being a graduate student in the field of environmental science? Probably the toughest part is spending so much time traveling to study sites, but that can be so rewarding that it's hard to call it a burden. Another hard thing is keeping focused on only one or maybe two research goals and not getting sidetracked by too many other ideas that you think of along the way. What is something about your work that you find rewarding? In a broad sense, I find it rewarding that what I do is helping us better understand how the ocean ecosystem works and how changes to the environment can affect things down the line. What advice do you have for someone considering on going to graduate school (ie: selecting an advisor, school, program, etc...)? It's usually a good idea to make sure that there's more than one person at a given institution that you'd want to work with, just in case things don't work out. For that matter, it's also important that you find a place that you want to live or can handle living in for 5+ years if you're going for a Ph.D. and less if you're going for a masters. Always talk to the grad students (at as many different stages in the program as possible) about the pros and cons of the program and the area. What are your career goals? To continue learning and exploring. |
| Annette Hynes
Massachussetts Institute of Technology & Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution I study the diversity of Trichodesmium (sea sawdust)--small, colonial blue-green algae which are important in nutrient cycles.  |
What first got you interested in science? Tornadoes, stars, rocks, bugs, and pondscum. I couldn't get enough of any of them as a kid. I grew up in a small town in rural Nebraska, so I spent a lot of time reading or running around outside and poking under rocks or wading in rivers. What is the hardest part about being a graduate student in the field of environmental science? There were so many interesting projects to pursue, I had a hard time narrowing down the focus of my research. Finding funding is also a challenge. What is something about your work that you find rewarding? 1) Growing stuff. I have cultures of algae which I use in experiments and I find each of them fascinating. Plus, they're difficult to grow, so when they stay alive they make me very happy. Perhaps that's my farming background. 2) Finding a way to combine my two passions: biology and mathematics. I do some mathematical modeling with Trichodesmium as well. Oceanography is wonderful because the physics, biology, chemistry and geology are all connected. What advice do you have for someone considering on going to graduate school (ie: selecting an advisor, school, program, etc...)? 1) Think of what you enjoy doing, whether it's a technique in the laboratory, field work, or extra-curricular activities. The scientific questions you ask might not be as important to your happiness as the day-to-day things you do in order to answer them. 2)Talk to people such as potential advisors and current students. It's hard to judge how well you'll work with someone on a first meeting, but the more you talk to people, the better idea you have of the reality of working in a place. What are your career goals? I would like to continue doing research in environmental science, whether at a university, research institution, or an international organization. While I decided to end my career as a classroom teacher, I would like to continue educating people in a non-traditional setting such as an interpretive center or special programs for kids. Anything else? Prairie people make good sailors--we like wide horizons and exploring new places. |
Dr. Karen Selph University of Hawaii at Manoa I study the plants of the sea (phytoplankton) and the critters that eat them (microzooplankton).  |
How many days have you spent at sea (or at a land based research station) during your career? I have spent more than 500 days at sea on research ships. Do you get seasick? If yes, do you have any remedies that work for you? Yes, I do. But, if I take a single dramamine tablet (over-the-counter medicine) on the first day just before sailing, then I am fine for the rest of the trip. What first got you interested in science? I come from a family of academics (father a physicist, etc.), but I wanted to be an actress. Luckily, I realized as a freshman in college that I had no acting ability. I turned to biology, which seemed fun - got a Bachelor's degree in Marine Biology, then went to graduate school in Oceanography and have been doing it ever since. What is the hardest part about being a researcher in your field of environmental science? Finding the time to do it all! In my position as a researcher at UH, I supervise a technical facility (which involves time in the laboratory and paperwork), teach graduate-level oceanography classes, and try to maintain an active research program, i.e., go to sea and get the real data as often as possible, then publish the findings, and then try to get more grant money to continue learning about the ocean. What is something about your work that you find rewarding? Going to sea, and finding out about a new ecosystem or understanding more about how the ocean works, is intellectually rewarding. I also like to help people with their research. As the director of a research facility, I advise other scientists on how best to prepare their samples to reach their research goals. When an experiment has gone well, I am a happy person. I also like to teach - when students show that they have learned what I was trying to communicate, and then ask more questions about oceanography as a result, I feel rewarded. What advice do you have for any students (grammar school - college age) aspiring to be scientists? Take those basic science classes, because the fun ones come afterwards. Also, even if you're smart and can get straight A's in your classes, for a field science like oceanography, you need to be able to work hard and be willing to get your hands dirty if you want to succeed. There's lots of learning out there that can only come from doing it. Anything else? Being an oceanographer for the past 20 years, I have been able to travel the world as part of my research. This is really a fun life (but, there's lots of hard work to get there!). |
Dr. Erik Zinser University of Tennessee- Knoxville Our objective is to discover and characterize new types of numerically dominant photosynthetic bacteria (called Prochlorococcus ) in the Pacific Ocean, particularly in the Western Pacific Warm Pool, the hottest part of the Pacific.  |
How many days have you spent at sea (or at a land based research station) during your career? 52 (not including this cruise; but including 10 days on Lake Erie, which is kind of a freshwater sea) Do you get seasick? If yes, do you have any remedies that work for you? Yes; ginger and bedrest What first got you interested in science? Nature shows on PBS. Particularly, ones that focused on exotic animals. What is the hardest part about being a researcher in your field of environmental science? For me, the hardest part about being a researcher is also the most important: figuring out what to study. It's a big, unknown world out there and there are many directions to take your research. Sometimes tough decisions need to be made, as you cannot work on everything. Some projects are high risk but high reward, while others low risk but low reward. It is often a gut feeling that drives me in one direction or another. What is something about your work that you find rewarding? After 10 years of graduate and post-doctoral education, I am now in a position to train others. This provides me with a great opportunity to watch students learn under my supervision and know that I have made a difference. What advice do you have for any students (grammar school - college age) aspiring to be scientists? First, go to college. No getting around that. Second, in college, take advantage of any opportunity to perform research in a laboratory. There are often more opportunities available than students willing to take them. The only way to know if scientific research is right for you is to try it out, and college is the perfect time to do so. Anything else? Go Pats! |
Dr. Alison Buchan University of Tennessee- Knoxville, Department of Microbiology I study the bacteria that live in marine waters. I am primarily interested in who they are and what they are doing.  |
How many days have you spent at sea (or at a land based research station) during your career? ca. 100 Do you get seasick? YES. Do you have any remedies that work for you? None other than time and calm seas. What first got you interested in science? A very gifted instructor in a freshman biology course I took my first semester in college. What is the hardest part about being a researcher in your field of environmental science? For me, one of the most challenging aspects of working in environmental science is the logistics of field sampling. Making sure you have all of your supplies and equipment in working order is essential as we typically have very few opportunities to go to our field sites and once we are there we cannot call for backup. What is something about your work that you find rewarding? My job allows me to meet and work with a variety of interesting people, and I find that rewarding. What advice do you have for any students (grammar school - college age) aspiring to be scientists? Try to get practical experience as soon as possible. |
Jeremy Werner Chandler University Of Tennessee- Knoxville I am a laboratory assistant working on the quantification and culturing of novel populations of prochlorococcus across the Pacific Ocean.
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What first got you interested in science? Mr. Wizard and my Dad What is the hardest part about being a graduate student in the field of environmental science? Accounting for the plethora of ambiguities that may affect organisms of study. What is something about your work that you find rewarding? Discovery of how things in the world interact and work with on another. What advice do you have for someone considering on going to graduate school (ie: selecting an advisor, school, program, etc...)? Find something you're interested in. Find people you enjoy working with and work hard. What are your career goals? Continue my studies in microbiology and biochemistry, attain a higher level of education in these areas, and pursue a career in practical application or teaching what I have learned. Anything else? Water Rocks! |
Jeff Morris University of Tennessee- Knoxville I'm looking at hydrogen peroxide cycles in the open ocean and their effects on marine algae.  |
What first got you interested in science? Dinosaurs. When I was a little kid I had all these plastic dinosaurs and I learned all their scientific names. I had stacks of books about them; how you find them, how you dig them up, how you mount them in museums, theories about what they were like when they were alive. By the time I was three I knew the word "paleontologist" and knew that was what I wanted to be. My focus has changed somewhat, but I was pretty well set at becoming a biologist from my earliest days. What is the hardest part about being a graduate student in the field of environmental science? For me, it's two things. One, the pay sucks. If you were to go straight into the private sector with a BS, you'd make two or three times what you make in graduate school. If you've had a few years with a "real job" before going to grad school, it's even tougher to live within your modest means. Second, it's difficult being away from my wife and daughter so much. Field biologists have to travel - to study sites, to conferences, etc. It's all great fun and fascinating, but I miss my family a lot. What is something about your work that you find rewarding? Science promises to give the scientist a small measure of immortality. Every paper you publish has the capacity to linger in the backlog of literature forever. One can still read scientific writings by Pythagoras and Euclid even though they've been dead for 2500 years. It's one of the few fields that allow modern people the chance to linger on in the collective memory of humankind after we are gone. What advice do you have for someone considering on going to graduate school (ie: selecting an advisor, school, program, etc...)? The biggest thing you need to do is to get research experience as an undergrad! If you've put a lot of hard work into a research project and have results to discuss with potential graduate advisors, that can offset imperfect GPA's and GRE's. Also, rather than picking schools, you should pick scientists you'd like to work with. Read a few of a professor's papers, and if you like the work he/she is doing, go ahead and drop him some email. Make sure to get a feel for what it will be like working for these advisors; you don't want to be stuck four years working with some guy you hate. What are your career goals? I hope to be a certified (certifiable?) mad scientist when I grow up. |
Dr. Leo Poorvin University of Tennessee- Knoxville I examine how "productive" or active the bacteria we find in the water are.  |
What first got you interested in science? Both my parents were trained as scientists, so I guess I'm just stayed in the "family business" What is the hardest part about being a graduate student in the field of environmental science? When starting out as a grad student it is probably the feeling that everyone around you knows so much more about the field than you do. They probably do, but you'll quickly reach a point where you realize that you know a whole lot too. Balancing all your commitments (research, teaching, taking classes, family...) is a challenge as well. What is something about your work that you find rewarding? I enjoy being in a field (marine microbiology) where there are still plenty of "big questions" to be asked and answered. What advice do you have for someone considering on going to graduate school (ie: selecting an advisor, school, program, etc...)? Try to decide what you what to be doing in 5-10 yrs (staying in academia, going into private industry etc.) and look at what skills and experience you need to achieve that. Make sure that the work you do as a graduate student prepares you for what you want to do afterwards. What are your career goals? To find an interesting job in some part of the biotech industry. |
