Interviews

Biologist Stace Beaulieu: Stace, a state spelling bee champion turned scientist, once lost an eighth grade competition after tripping on the word “haddock.” “Can you believe I’m a marine biologist,” she said, “and I misspelled the name of a fish?” Today she says spelling, and a solid command of English, is helpful for successful biology research at WHOI. A big plus: “I rarely have to use spell check when I’m writing a paper.” Read the interview »

Bosun Wayne Bailey: Wayne is in charge of all deck activities on R/V Atlantis. He oversees the movement of heavy equipment on the deck, and uses a variety of hand signals—a closed fist means stop—to communicate clearly when crewmembers using the crane can’t hear his voice. Wayne started sailing on the Great Lakes, but has spent most of his 53 years on the ocean. Read the interview »

Geochemist William E. Seyfried Jr: Who inspired Bill Seyfried to pursue a career in geochemistry, great scientists like Marie Curie and Louis Pasteur? No, it was his family and teachers. Learn how Bill designs tools at the University of Minnesota to research chemistry in the oceans, then goes to sea to test them for use at hydrothermal vents. Read the interview »

Shipboard Computer Technician Kazumi Baba Shibata: Kazumi, a native of Japan, joined the Atlantis crew one year ago. She practices speaking English daily and is even learning slang when she’s not maintaining the ship’s computers. On this expedition she is also learning how to handle lines during Alvin launch and recovery. Read the interview »