How long have you been a marine biologist? And how did you get started?
Almost 30 years. I've always been fascinated by the sea. I grew up on Long Island and used to love walking on the beach in the winter. During my sophomore year in college, I got to go snorkeling in St. John's in the US Virgin Islands. I was so amazed by the colors and diversity of life underwater that I got hooked. I also think I watched way too many Jacques Cousteau movies as a kid.
What do you like best about being a marine biologist?
I love seeing new places and meeting interesting people from all over the world. And I love being in the water and watching the amazing creatures there. Mostly, though, I like doing research. Research consists of dreaming up interesting questions you're curious about, gathering information to try to answer the questions and then trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together to figure out how to interpret the information you've gathered. It's actually a very creative process. Sometimes figuring out how to solve a problem takes calculus and years of study; sometimes it takes common sense and the ability to use duct tape and power tools.
What is your least favorite part of your job?
All the paperwork necessary to keep track of budgets.
Can you tell us about a typical day at work?
Summers and winters are very different. During the summer, I spend a lot of time on boats and doing experiments. During the winter, most of my time is spent analyzing data from the summer's work, reading, writing papers and writing proposals for future research.
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