The OceansWide Board of Advisors
Dale Graves, OceansWide ROV Advisor
Dale has been working
in the deep ocean world for over 25 years. He started his
career as commercial diver working
for International Underwater Contractors (IUC). He worked
for IUC for ten years and during that time his career switched
from commercial diver to manned submersibles and ROV pilot.
After flying commercial submarines for ten years Dale decided
to move into the ROV field full time. During this part of
his career he spent six years working for Western Instruments
and Oceaneering surveying the ocean in the oil and environmental
fields. He has spent the past eleven years working for the
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute as a leader in the
institutes ROV program. Dale has trained and supervised the
majority of pilots on MBARI's ROV team "Tiburon" a
4000 meter deep diving ROV. Recently he was promoted to Technical
Support Manager in the department of marine operations and
is responsible for designing, building and managing the development
of a majority of the institute's critical equipment.
Dale is an expert in the all of the systems of ROVs from
mechanical to hydraulic, but his specialties lie in the fields
of electronics and computer engineering and systems. OceansWide
will greatly benefit from the expertise Mr. Graves brings
to our program.
 Karen
Osborn is an invertebrate biologist who studies deep-sea
pelagic animals, those that live up off the seafloor in the
water column. She is currently at the University of California,
Berkeley and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
(MBARI) where she goes to sea regularly to explore the midwater
realm with MBARI's remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) Ventana
and Tiburon. Karen's research focuses on the diversification
and ecology of pelagic invertebrates with a special focus
on the adaptations necessary to live up in the water column.
She will describe a recent expedition to the Weddell Sea,
Antarctica where she and her research group used a Phantom
ROV to examine animals living around huge free-floating icebergs.
Also, Karen will describe the diversity of strange and amazing
animals found in the midwater, including several species
that are new to science which she has described.
 Amy West
Having grown up in the little mountain town of Durango,
Colorado, I realized at a very early age that something was
missing from my childhood: the ocean. So I shot off to the
Caribbean for 4 years in order to acquire my B.S. in marine
biology whilst diving among the tropical fish and exploring
surrounding islands. Working aboard boats and as a SCUBA
diver for a tourist submarine led to sundry underwater adventures.
Serving in Peace Corps in a remote Central African region
resulted in a rewarding challenge between undergraduate and
my entry into grad school. From there I purchased a round-the-world
ticket and ended in New Zealand where I eventually obtained
my Masters degree in marine science. Here I began exploring
a remote fiord with a manned submersible to document life
beyond the depths of SCUBA. During my research, I landed
an opportune internship at the deep-institute MBARI in
Monterey Bay, using their ROVs. This experience eventually
convinced me to leave my life abroad and grow some roots
in the states. Since then my work aboard a sailing educational
vessel kept me occupied by introducing the vessel to many
educational, governmental and scientific institutions, and
sailing it in the summer as an experiential platform in hands-on
marine science for the public. By bringing a mini-ROV aboard,
I saw the true value of underwater vehicles in outreach programs.
I continue to advocate the use of ROVs for education
through my relationship with an ROV company and through writing
a novel centered around deep-sea adventures and promoting
deep ocean awareness.
 Marko Talkovic
Currently I have a daydream job as a pilot and technician
for the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Ventana at
the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). As
a youth, my passion for the ocean was fueled by every Jacques Cousteau special
that came through the rabbit ears on the television. This
inspired me to move as quickly as possible from beneath the
shadow of the Matterhorn (in Anaheim, California not Switzerland)
to the beaches of southern California. After a few towns
and colleges, I received a bachelor's degree in aquatic
biology from UC Santa Barbara. My university schooling, as
well as the plethora of research opportunities available
there, led me down a most rewarding path. As a research SCUBA
diver I worked on projects in California, Hawaii, Mexico,
the Caribbean, and Antarctica. The lattermost sent me off
on a seafaring career sailing ice breakers, schooners and
submarine tenders as a marine technician. Through eight years
as a homeless boat person, I crossed every major nautical
line and circumnavigated Antarctica entirely upon research
vessels. Eventually, I cast anchor back onshore at MBARI.
When not exploring the oceans with an ROV, I continue to
seek remote locations to dive and take undersea photographs.
When visibility in the sea is bad, often it's good
enough in the mountains of the western states for a snowboarding
excursion.
 James
Sheppard
As the photo of me snowshoeing shows, I enjoy the outdoors. I've spent most of
my life in Colorado, hiking in the high country and playing in the snow. Whether
it's mountain sports or riding the waves off Southern California on a boogie
board, or traveling around the world, I'm interested in a variety of activities.
To support all of this, I work as a technical writer. As a writer, I have managed
to find work that has taken me around the world, from Europe to South America
to Antarctica. While working in and near Antarctica, I have spent time on icebreakers,
my first exposure to the sea. I grew up in North Dakota, where I was as far from
an ocean as you can get on this continent. So discovering that I enjoy going
to sea was a surprise to me. I'm excited to participate with OceansWide and contribute
my writing skills on projects that merge my interest in the outdoors with making
a difference in our world.
|
More about OceansWide
2008 Summer Camps
Registration is now open for the OceansWide 2008 Summer Camps.
More Info
For more information about OceansWide please email info@oceanswide.org or call 207-563-7774.
|
