Blog

The ocean has played an important role in my life. A short 2 hour drive from my childhood home in Oregon, I spent many weekends combing the beach for seashells, digging for clams, and pulling up crab pots from the sea.

Prepare your senses for the world of the unknown. Being underwater is an immersion into a completely dynamic environment; a parallel where front and back are interchangeable and up and down are a matter of perspective.

Smiles. Laughter. Excited voices. Jumping out of seats. Those are the signs we teachers look for in an engaged classroom. Whether it is the beginning of a new unit, or the middle of a deep discussion, student engagement is an important factor in learning.

Recent advances in camera and computer technology have drastically reduced the cost and size of camera equipment, as millions of owners of pocket cameras can testify. The quality of photos shot by phone can be stunning.

Virtual Reality, “VR”, 360, Oculus Rift: these terms have been creeping into our vernacular over the past few years, but for most people they don’t mean much, other than that​ the main stream media and a bunch of geeks are very excited about their upcoming arrival.

While there may be a dark cloud around some of Christopher Columbus’ most notable discoveries, one thing for sure is that he recognized the natural beauty of Cuba’s southern coast when he named one of the country’s most sacred parks in honor of the Queen of Spain.

There are many drivers of change in our natural environments. Some happen over long periods of time and some can happen very quickly. Changes that occur naturally happen over long periods of time - millions of years - and have led to what we see today.

The South East Pacific is home to the largest documented population of Giant Manta Rays in the world. Protected in Ecuador, these rays are believed to migrate seasonally into Peru, where their presence was poorly studied, and they received no protection at all.

Last week I was lucky to represent Ocean First Education at the largest gathering of coral reef scientists in the world. Every four years scientists, fisheries, conservation, management, and policy experts from around the world gather to talk coral reefs.

“Dinnertime!” My mother’s voice rings in my ears as she relentlessly tries to get me out of the water. I was ten years old on a family vacation, my first encounter with the Caribbean Sea.

Inquiring minds want to know, “Why marine science out of Boulder, CO?” Such was the question asked by students at the Watershed School in Boulder. To assuage their curiosity, two students spent A Day in the Life at Ocean First.

It’s a crucial time for the world’s coral reefs and there’s no better time for scientists to share what they know.

I’ll be there in Hawaii at the International Coral Reef Symposium (June 19 - 24) as scientists discuss a wide range of topics.

Scuba diving, there’s nothing like it.

You are weightless under the waves, breathing underwater, and eye to eye with gazillions of brightly colored fish. Some stare back in equal wonder.

The oceans have played a key role as the epicenter of evolution many times. First, as an incubator allowing animal groups to evolve. Second, as a refuge as the habitability of land masses became compromised during mass extinctions.

Several weeks ago, I was invited to talk at the annual WeRobot conference about underwater robots. From cable laying ROVs to oil rig-inspecting camera systems, the ocean is lousy with robots. The interest isn’t in big robots for industrial work, but rather the small, flexible, agile platforms that we can use to conduct marine science and conservation research.