Ocean AdVENTure! - Meet the Scientists!

> Andra Bobbitt
GIS/Research assistant

> Christopher G. Fox
Chief Scientist of Our Cruise

> Steve Hammond
Marine geophysicist

> Jon Kaye
Microbiologist

> Russell McDuff
Geochemist

> Lauren Mullineaux
Benthic ecologist

> Veronique Robigou
Geologist

> Cindy Lee Van Dover
Biologist and former Pilot

> Dana Yoerger
Head of Navigation

Cindy Lee Van Dover, Ph.D.
Biologist and former Alvin pilot
Biology Department, College of William and Mary

(Photo not available)

What are your responsibilities as the biologist our cruise? What were your responsibilities as an Alvin pilot?

As a biologist, the obvious answer to this question is that I take care of all the animals that are sampled by Alvin. This begins with designing the sampling strategy and making sure the proper equipment is installed on Alvin before the dive. When I dive, I work with the pilot to select sampling sites, and I keep video, voice and paper logs of every sampling detail. Once samples are on deck, it is a race to ensure that they are processed - either secured in cold rooms to keep them happy, or sorting them and putting them in the proper preservatives, which might be alcohol, formalin or the deep-freeze. Careful record-keeping is an imperative at this point.

Less obvious responsiblities are things like working with the pilots to ensure that the navigation is accurate, or planning with the ship's Captain what the night sampling program will be.

As I pilot, my responsibilities were entirely different. First and foremost my responsibility was the safety of my passengers. Next comes the safety of the sub. Conducting science is the third responsibility. Before a dive, I would work with the other pilots and technicians to get the sub prepared. This was a 13-page checklist of both safety and operating features. By 7:30 am, the sub was usually ready for "power-on" checks. For these, I'd climb in the sphere and make sure everything worked that had to. Then at 8 am, time for launch. As the sub gets lowered into the water, I would do a list of further safety checks, relay the results and, if all was ok, I'd request permission to dive. On the way down - more checks of equipment and a review with the scientists on what their plans were for the dive. On the seafloor, I was responsible for navigating the sub and collecting all the samples with the manipulators. The return ascent was the most relaxing part of the day. On deck, another long list of post-dive checks awaited, followed by any repairs that needed to be made to the sub. These were long days at sea, from 5:30 am to 7,8,9,10 or later at night, depending on what needed to be fixed.

How did you prepare for these jobs?

Training to be a biologist was easy: I did an undergraduate degree that focused on basic zoology. After that, I worked in various marine labs, gaining lots of an experience. Then I did a Master's degree with an emphasis on math. And finally my Ph.D.

The pilot part was quicker, but much harder. I learned everything "on-the-job", beginning with working the 'overhaul' which is when Alvin goes on shore and is broken down to individual componenets and then is rebuilt. This is the best way to learn her. Then I joined the rotation at sea, where I was a PIT (Pilot-In-Training). I was shown a drawer of schematics and spent all my non-working hours studying. Whenever repairs were made to Alvin, I was there, to learn how to fix her. Every once in a while I made a dive with another pilot and learned to take the sub safely to the seafloor and back. To qualify as a pilot, I had to take a series of oral exams. These culminated in the Navy boards given in San Diego, where submersible pilots asked me to draw various systems on Alvin and explain how they work, or gave me a scenario and asked for my response.

"Work hard and love what you do."
--- Dr. Cindy Lee Van Dover

Meet our Head of Navigation! -->
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