Science Team

Name	Background
Bill Chadwick  Geology/ Oregon State University	My role on this cruise is: Chief Scientist I became interested in this area of research through:  When I was a junior in college, Mount St. Helens erupted and that really grabbed my interest.  After college, I got a job working at Mount St. Helens with the U.S. Geological Survey, and I've been hooked on volcanoes ever since. My educational and professional background: I majored in Geology at Colorado College, then got a PhD in Geology at University of California at Santa Barbara. From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: Scott Nooner and I have been tracking the up & down movements of the seafloor related to Axial Seamount's eruption cycle.  During this cruise we're going to find out what the volcano has been doing since it's last eruption in April 2011.
Scott Nooner Geology/Univ North Carolina, Wilmington	My role on this cruise is: Principle Investigator (PI) of geodetic survey (with Bill Chadwick); I became interested in this area of research through: I get to see interesting parts of the world, meet interesting people, and study fascinating natural processes using cool instruments and tools. My educational and professional background: B.A. and M.S. in Physics and a PhD in Geophysics.From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: I am interested in learning about the magma dynamics driving the behavior of the volcano.
Shawn McGuire Geology/Univ North Carolina, Wilmington	My role on this cruise is: I will be helping to drop new Bottom Pressure Recorders (BPR) and pick up old BPRs to determine inflation of magma chamber; I became interested in this area of research through: Discovery channel; My educational and professional background: Attending courses in marine geology and tectonics; From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: How fast magma replenishes in the magma chamber as well as general morphological information on mid-ocean ridges.
Elisa Baumgardt  Geology/Univ North Carolina, Wilmington	My role on this cruise is: I will mainly be involved with the pressure dives which help determine the re-inflation of Axial since the last eruption. I am also a video logger in the Jason Van as well as helping anyone else whenever possible. I became interested in this area of research through: Volcanology has been an interest of mine for a long time so when the opportunity arose with this project for my thesis work, I could not pass it up! My educational and professional background: Taking as many classes as possible in geology, marine geology, physics, etc.
Matt Fowler Moorings/ Oregon State University	My role on this cruise is: Hydrophones and Moorings. I have 3 Ocean Bottom Hydrophones I need to recover after a two year deployment. One OBH also has to be rebuilt and re-deployed at Axial. Secondarily, if it goes into or comes out of the water on this cruise, I’m responsible for it. I became interested in this area of research through: I wanted to get into development of deep sea instrumentation or robotics. When I got into the Acoustic Monitoring Program as an analyst and technician, I started building and servicing hydrophones and analyzing the hydrophone data. When I went on my first research cruise, a 37 day equatorial pacific cruise, I found a love for working at sea, of building and deploying very large complex equipment, and the thrill and excitement of the science and technology I’m fortunate enough to work with daily. My educational and professional background: I worked in construction, cabinet making, had my own business and worked as an auto mechanic before going to University at 30. I went to Humboldt State University in Northern California and received degrees in Oceanography and Computer Science. My education and previous career choices had prepared me for my life as a sea going instrumentation and mooring technician. From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: Professionally, I’m interested in the seismicity of Axial seamount during the two year deployment. Personally, I want to know if everything I built and sent to the bottom of the ocean two years ago survive and correctly log data.
Susan Merle    Data management/ Oregon State Univ	My role on this cruise is: My specialty is seafloor mapping.  I perform surface differencing on seafloor grids to determine whether or not there have been changes in the volcanoes we visit, such as landslides, eruptions, etc. I will be logging the Jason dive information, compiling sample lists, dive logs, Jason navigation, and creating maps using GIS, of our dives. After the expedition Andra Bobbitt and myself will compile a cruise report of the expedition. I became interested in this area of research through: Long story, suffice it to say that I originally wanted to fish in Alaska many years ago and was informed that a gal from the Midwest knew nothing about the ocean.  I went on to achieve a degree in Oceanography, with an emphasis in geology and geophysics from University of Washington.  Recently I went back to school and received a graduate certificate in Geographic Information  Science from Oregon State University. My educational and professional background: See above.  From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: We have been observing changes at Axial volcano for decades.  In my 16 years with the program we have observed 2 eruptions at Axial. Our group is focusing on inflation and deflation of Axial caldera to predict future eruptions.
Andra Bobbitt Data management/ Oregon State Univ	My role on this cruise is: Keeping track of the ROV and cruise data (through the GIS system I have been developing since 1993), Jason data logger as well as the blog webmaster.  I became interested in this area of research through: The marine geologist at Scripps  I was working for while I was an undergraduate at UCSD offered me a job and a berth on a month-long research expedition from Alaska to Hawaii upon graduating.  That initial opportunity evolved into a career for the past 30 years. My educational and professional background: Having a broad science background, embracing technology and a willingness to continue to continue to learn new skills have furthered this career. My actual degree is a BA in general biology. From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: Actually getting to 'see' how this volcano has changed in a relatively short, geological time frame through the use of technology now available to scientists. Through GIS maps and imagery, you can imagine it all without all the water!
Rachel Teasdale Geology/ Education Calif State Univ, Chico	My role on this cruise is: I am coordinating educational outreach to classrooms during this cruise. We are doing Skype calls to classrooms throughout the cruise, answering questions from blog visitors (see the link to Questions/Answers in the More Information at right). I’m also working on the blog, so if you have a suggestion for blog topics, let me know! I became interested in this area of research through: My interest in volcanology comes from a university GE course I took, along with fieldwork at volcanoes around the world – I enjoy my work so much that I want to share it with students at my university and in grades K-12. My educational and professional background: BS, MS, and PhD in Geology, with teaching and research at universities since 2001. From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: I am very interested in the geology of Axial Seamount and learning more about the inflation-deflation cycles as well as seeing lava flows from the 2011 eruption! I’m also fascinated by the diverse areas of research going on during this cruise and look forward to learning more about the engineering, chemistry, and microbiological work being done at Axial Seamount – particularly to help share those areas of research with school kids and others following the cruise on our blog and through Skype calls.
Dave Dyer Ocean Engineer, APL- University of Washington	My role on this cruise is: I am the Principal Investigator for APL-UW on a project for the Office of Naval Research evaluating the potential for generating power from hydrothermal vents. My role is to support two companies developing hydrothermal energy conversion devices, Marine Applied Physics Corp (MAPC) and Creare, by providing vent site preparations, base hardware design, installation concepts and directing operations to install these devices onto the thermal vents.  I became interested in this area of research through: I somewhat stumbled into this role when I first started working at APL-UW in 2010.  My first project was to support the installation of a thermal probe into the side of a hydrothermal vent on a cruise to the Axial Seamount that took place Aug of 2010.  I found the thermal vents to be fascinating and the idea of generating power from high temperature flow in the deep ocean was very intriguing and promised to be a highly challenging problem to solve.  Following the 2010 cruise I proposed a novel concept for logging and recovery data from probes used to monitor hydrothermal vents temperatures.  The idea was accepted and funded by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Programs Administration).  As a result of that effort, ONR contacted APL-UW to assist in the installation and monitoring of energy conversion devices they were developing with MAPC and Creare.   My educational and professional background: When I graduated from high school, I was keenly aware that I loved the ocean and wanted to have a career doing something in or around the ocean.  After a year of looking at many career options, I discovered Ocean engineering and found a school that had an Ocean Engineering offering.  My preparation for this kind of work started very early in my career as an engineer.  From the start, I found I was most attracted to projects that I knew little about, were very difficult and had less than average chance of success.  I found I was willing to look at problems differently than other engineers and was not afraid of taking risks or of failing when I tried something different.  Over many years, I have participated in solving may challenging problems and as result have confidence that most problems can be solved – I may just have to work harder at some than I do with others.  This project definitely fits the description of difficult and has a high potential for failures along the way, but it is solvable and will yield great reward. From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: I am striving to understand what it will take to install an energy conversion device onto a deep ocean hydrothermal vent; what it will take to design a system and what installation methods are necessary to allow a system to be installed that will last many years.
Keith Scidmore Electrical & Computer Engineering,  Maritime Applied Physics Corp. (MAPC)	My role on this cruise is: Lead scientist for the design of the Mercury Generator, a device that directly converts thermal energy into electricity using solid state semiconductor electronics.  The buoy system deployed earlier will transmit generator temperature and power output data from the generator to land based laboratory for analysis.
Jeff Breedlove Mechanical/Aerospace Engineer, Creare Incorporated	My role on this cruise is: Our team is placing power system components on hydrothermal vents located one mile below the ocean surface.  These components will transmit thermal performance data to us via satellite for approximately one year.  We will then retrieve the components from the seafloor to determine whether clogging or other types of degradation have occurred. I became interested in this area of research through: My focus is to develop innovative power systems for challenging applications such as seafloor systems, highly mobile surface systems, aircraft, and spacecraft. My educational and professional background: I earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from MIT followed by 17 years of advanced research and development at Creare. From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: Our team is assessing the feasibility of producing electric power from hot water that flows from the ocean floor in regions where tectonic plate movement brings magma close to the surface.
Ben Rush Engineering, Univ Washington- APL	U. Washington - APL
Mike Carpenter Engineering, Univ Washington- APL	U. Washington - APL
Dave Butterfield University of Washington and NOAA/PMEL, Chemistry	My role on this cruise is: I am leading the chemistry/microbiology part of our long-term observatory studies (NeMO) to learn how a deep-sea volcano evolves during eruption cycles. I became interested in this area of research through: I have been studying deep-sea volcanoes for more than 25 years. I really enjoy exploring hidden parts of the planet and learning how the earth works. My educational and professional background: A bachelor's degree in chemistry and a PhD in chemical oceanography (6 years of graduate school). From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: I am trying to get a picture of how the whole hydrothermal system at Axial Seamount is evolving after the recent (April 2011) eruption that covered some of the vents with a new layer of lava. I am part of a group trying to construct a model of how energy flows from the volcano to microbial communities.
Kevin Roe Chemistry, Univ.  Washington	My role on this cruise is: Hydrothermal fluid sampling and analysis; I became interested in this area of research through: After my Master's at Florida State, I wanted to come home to Washington state. I was also interested in getting involved in hydrothermal vent analysis and that work was at a fairly early stage (in 1984). While my previous work was on phosphate deposits on remote Pacific islands, and interesting, I felt that hydrothermal vent work would be more "chemically" and mentally stimulating. My educational and professional background: B.S. Chemical Oceanography, University of Washington, M.S. Florida State University, Geochemical Oceanography; From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: I'm taking dedicated samples for dissolved gold, usually undetectible. I'm trying a method to concentrate gold from vapor rich fluids. I'm also doing at-sea analyses of vent fluids from a volcano that changes with time. I can't predict the chemical surprises coming my way.
Ben Larson Chemistry, Univ.  Washington	My role in the cruise is: to analyze fluid samples and process in-situ sensor data for the purpose of determining the concentration of dissolved gasses (O2, H2, CH4) important to and indicative of microbial life; I became interested in this area of research through: After spending my undergraduate years doing physical chemistry in an antiseptic laser spectroscopy lab, I wanted to get my hands dirty (and my feet wet) in the world of earth science, and hydrothermal systems really grabbed my attention. The chemical processes you get (such as boiling) when new crust is formed from magma at the bottom of the ocean is quite unique, like a blacksmith dunking scorching hot iron into a tub full of water, except at a much higher pressure and on a global scale. My educational and professional background: I have a B.S. in chemistry from Ohio State, and M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical oceanography from UW. From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: It helps to keep in mind how young this field of research is (only a little over 30 years old). As our understanding of these systems evolves, more integrated numerical models of the subsurface become possible. I hope that the chemical data from this and previous cruises will help to define and constrain these models so the chemical and biological processes can be better quantified.
Jim Holden  Microbiology, U. Mass. Amherst	My role on this cruise is: To study the high-temperature microbes living off of the chemicals coming from the volcano in the absence of light and oxygen. I became interested in this area of research through: I was fascinated that life could exist in such a harsh environment. Hydrothermal vents seem so foreign compared to most other Earth environments, but life below the surface of the Earth is quite common. My educational and professional background: I earned a B.S., an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Oceanography, and then worked as a biochemist for 7 years at the University of Georgia before becoming a professor of microbiology at UMass Amherst. From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: Different microorganisms like different chemicals and environmental conditions to live in.  I'm trying to figure out where certain types of microorganisms are living, what they are doing, and how they affect the chemistry and ecology of hydrothermal vents.
Begum Topcuoglu Microbiology, U. Mass. Amherst
Caroline Fortunato Microbiology, Marine Biological Lab	My role in the cruise is: collecting RNA/DNA of microbial communities at diffuse fluid vents to determine microbial community structure and function. I am also performing incubation experiments to determine the key autrophic microbes and processes occurring at different vents; I became interested in this area of research through: Microbes are drivers of biogeochemical processes and I have always been interested in how metabolically versatile these organisms are and how important microbial processes are to this planet. My educational and professional background: I have a PhD in Marine, Estuarine, Environmental Science from the University of Maryland where I studied microbial communities of the Oregon and Washington coasts From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: I am excietd to if my incubation experiments give interesting results, since this is the first time I'm performing them.
Oliver Vining Pharmacology, Oregon State Univ.
Leigh Evans Gas geochemist, Oregon State Univ.
Christopher Algar Microbiology, Marine Biological Lab
Glenn Sasagawa Geophysics/Engineering Scripps Institution of Oceanography/ UCSD	My role on this cruise is: Principle development engineer for marine instrumentation and seafloor geodesy for installing the SCPR instrumentation and assist with mobile P recorders and tide gauges. I became interested in this area of research through: my background is as a physicist, I had a great teacher who did geophysics I thought was very interesting and always wanted to be on the ocean so went to Scripps then spent 15+ years on Colorado developing instruments like marine gravimeters and seafloor fiber optic strain sensors, and the SCPR for the last six years of my work. I get to apply a lot of my scientific training with my joy of being out on the oceans; I think it's great I get paid to do this. It's one of the few jobs left in the world that involves "exploration." My educational and professional background: BS Physics, PhD Earth Sciences at UC San Diego; From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: we are attempting to produce drift corrected time series P measurements at Axial Volcano. The rates of inflation and uplift really have few terrestrial analogs and this is the only place on the ocean floor this kind of deformation is being monitored.
Michael Davis Geophysics/Engineering Scripps Institution of Oceanography/ UCSD	My role on this cruise is: Glenn Sasagawa and I will be deploying and operating the Self Calibrating Pressure Recorder, an experimental instrument for monitoring the volcano's growth/inflation.  I became interested in this area of research through: An interest in science & technology and a love of the sea.   My educational and professional background: B.S. Electrical Engineering, UCSC; 4 years as Development Engineer at SIO, UCSD
Matt Heintz Engineering, ROV Jason group	My role on this cruise is: Expedition Leader; I became interested in this area of research through: My interests in Ocean engineering, Naval Architecture, and underwater vehicle design; My educational and professional background: BS Mechanical Engineering, Ocean Engineering minor; 20 Years in Deep Submergence at WHOI; From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: The Medea winch, and other ways of improving the Jason/Medea system
Tito Collasius Engineering, ROV Jason group	Jason group
Akel Sterling Engineering, ROV Jason group	My role on this cruise is: navigator/pilot; I became interested in this area of research through: I have always been interested in science and engineering and just sort of found my way to the Jason group. My educational and professional background: Masters degree in Marine Geophysics from the University of Hawaii, worked for 7 years at UH with sonar systems and Jason. From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: Being a geophysicist I'm most interested in the geology aspects of the science in particular the inflation/deflation measurements of Axial volcano derived from the pressure sensor surveys.
Casey Age Engineering, ROV Jason group	Jason group
Jim Varnum Engineering, ROV Jason group	My role on this cruise is: Jason Pilot; I became interested in this area of research through: My work at Benthos Inc. Manufacturer of deep ocean equipment and ROV's. After piloting commercial ROV's for 12 years, I switched to piloting Jason, a science ROV. I feel supporting science is much more interesting. My educational and professional background: In addition to pilot, I'm an electronics engineer
Korey Verhein Engineering, ROV Jason group	My role on this cruise is: Pilot and Technician for ROV Jason; I became interested in this area of engineering/research through: I was always interested in computers and after high school I went into the field fixing home computers and then as a network administrator. I decided to go back to college and get my degree in computer science. While at school I was president of the MATE ROV (Marine Advanced Technology Education) club and competed in three international competitions. The mentor for our group brought me on as a student engineer working initially with the WATER Institute ROV and then with the GLUCOS buoy array. My educational and professional background: I went back to college at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) and graduated with a degree in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. While at UWM, I worked at the WATER Institute as a student engineer helping design, build, and maintain a scientific buoy array in the Milwaukee harbor. After graduation I got hired by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) as a Pilot in Training for the HOV Alvin in the Electronics/Electrical section in 2008. I moved over to the ROV Jason group in 2011 after disassembling Alvin for the most recent refit/upgrade. From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: The possibility of harnessing energy directly from vents to power ocean observatories fascinates me.
James Pelowski Engineering, ROV Jason group	My role on this cruise is: Jason Data Processor; I became interested in this area of engineering/ research through: working at marine science research center in college; My educational and professional background: BS in Mathematics from Stony Brook University and Research Assistant at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory
Jason Kapit Engineering, ROV Jason group	My role on this cruise is: Engineer I became interested in this area of research through: I enjoy exploring unknown extreme environments and enabling scientific discoveries My educational and professional background: B.S. & M.S. Tufts University. 5 yrs with the NASA Phoenix Mars Mission, 4 yrs. with WHOI Advanced Engineering Laboratory. From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: Jason ROV at sea operations. Sampling and measurement techniques used to study hydrothermal vents.
Rick Sanger Engineering, ROV Jason group	Jason group
Hugh Popenoe Engineering, ROV Jason group	Jason group
Tina Thomas marine technician, for any ship in the UNOLS fleet (UNOLS -University National Oceanographic Laboratory System)	My role on this cruise is: to assist the science party with deployments and recoveries, maintain computers and networks on the ship, liaison between science party and crews; I became interested in this area of science/research through: previous cruises piqued my interest in geology; My educational and professional background: I have a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University, and 5 years marine technician on the R/V Cape Hatteras: From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: general information about Axial seamount and hydrothermal vents and different systems on the Thompson
Patrick A'Hearn Marine Technician, University of Washington, Shipboard Science Support Group	My role on this cruise is: I provide technical support for the science party by maintaining the ship's science systems (CTD, meteorological sensors, data acquisition, etc), keeping the ships network and internet connection running, and helping the scientists get things done whether they need a wrench, a digital data stream, or a roll of duct tape. I became interested in this area of science/research through: I've always loved the ocean, and when I was a kid my family used to sail from Chesapeake Bay to Cape Cod on a 28' sailboat. On those trips I saw things ranging from whales to turtles to starfish to the submersible Alvin (passing us as we rowed around Woods Hole once). And oceanography is a very diverse field that lets me learn about all kinds of different things, and keeps me from getting bored! My educational and professional background: I received a B.S. degree in Environmental Science, Physics, and Biology from Creighton University in 1992 (not very close to the ocean!). After a year off to hike the Appalachian Trail, I went to graduate school in biological oceanography at the University of Washington, receiving an M.S. in 1996. I've since worked in various technical support jobs for U.W. and N.O.A.A. - maintaining buoys on the equator, cleaning anemometers in the Arctic, taking sea ice cores in the Antarctic, riding buoys in the North Pacific, collecting plankton samples on the Washington coast, and doing the more mundane tasks of writing software and processing data. From this cruise, I am most interested in learning more about: ...anything I can learn about the sea floor biology and geology at Axial Seamount, and about how ROVs work.