STEM Career Profile: NOAA Corps

What is it like to work in a STEM career?  Meet Lieutenant Laura Gallant.  She is the Deputy Chief of Operations at the NOAA Marine Operations Center – Pacific where she helps coordinate logistics and support for NOAA vessels in the Pacific Fleet.

Oregon Coast STEM Hub: How did you get interested in this career?

Laura Gallant - Courtesy photo

Laura Gallant – Courtesy photo

Laura Gallant: I was always interested in the natural world around me and how that all fits together. I realized as I grew up that meant I was interested in science. When I went to college I majored in Natural Resources. While I was there I did a semester abroad with Sea Education Association. We spent six weeks learning about nautical science, oceanography, and marine biology; and then we spent six weeks at sea in the Caribbean on a 120ft long tall ship. We learned to sail and conduct science experiments at sea. It was hard, I was always tired and sea sick; but it was also beautiful, exciting, and interesting. We had a captain who was a real inspiration to me. She was jack-of-all-trades. She had a Ph.D. from Harvard, but could also sail a tall ship and had travelled extensively. She took the time to explain things to me when I wanted to get deeper in to the “why” than our textbooks or lessons included.   She also had such authority!   I mean command at sea is not something we often see women depicted doing in movies and books. I was fascinated.

When I got back to college I wanted to study the sea, so I added a second major in Ocean Sciences. It was during those new classes that I found out about NOAA Corps. I had nearly joined the Navy or the Air Force when I started college because I loved the idea of serving my country, but I wanted to serve in a scientific capacity. The NOAA Corps is science and service. It was such a perfect fit! But even then I decided to go to graduate school. I thought I wanted to get a Ph.D. and be a researcher. I ended up getting a Master’s Degree in Biology and then decided it was time to join the NOAA Corps.

OCSH: What exactly is the NOAA Corps?

LG: NOAA stands for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  The NOAA Corps is one of the seven uniformed services. It is also the smallest, with just 321 officers. We staff NOAA’s fleet of research vessels and aircraft. The NOAA Corps officers are the bridge officers and pilots. We work with civilians who serve all the other roles you’d need at sea: engineers, deck crew, shore support, etc.

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LT Gallant mans the bridge during ROV recovery – Image courtesy of NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

OCSH: How do you get into the NOAA Corps?

LG: We are a direct commission service. That means to get in you need to finish a bachelor’s level education first. We require a certain number of credits in math and science, so most of us are science or engineering majors. There is an application process that is a lot like a college application with essays and an interview. Once you are accepted we go to a 4-5 month officer training program at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. After training we go out to the fleet. It takes about six months to a year at sea to get trained underway and qualified to drive the ship without direct supervision. Our ships range in size from 170 to 270 feet long, with anywhere from 21-52 people aboard. So when you are in charge of the vessel you are also in charge of everyone’s safety at sea.

OCSH: As a NOAA Corps officer, what do you do?

LG: In addition to driving the ships, officers also conduct and interpret science. Our ships have three main missions: seafloor mapping, fisheries research, and general oceanography. On the seafloor mapping ships, officers collect the data and then use computer programs to clean and convert that data into new nautical charts. On the fisheries ships, officers consult with the scientists aboard and serve sort of as intermediaries between scientist and ship’s crew. Oftentimes the scientists know what sort of data they want to collect but need specialized input on how to get the ship to best collect that data. Same goes for the general oceanographic vessels. They might be deploying buoys, collecting water chemistry data, or observing whales.

Officers spend about two to three years assigned to a vessel and then rotate into a three year land assignment. Ashore we might work in a NOAA laboratory or in a logistics and support type position. There are a lot of different types of assignments.

OCSH: How is your career related to STEM education?

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ROV Deep Discoverer – Image courtesy of NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

LG: It’s important to have a STEM background because we are constantly using science, technology, engineering and math. We have to calculate speed/distance/time equations to figure out how fast we should go to arrive on station at a specific time. We use math to interpolate tidal data to figure out the best time to enter or leave a harbor. We analyze surface current and wind vectors to determine the best way to orient the ship for stationary operations. We also use our scientific education to interpret weather data we receive so we know if it will be safe to conduct operations. We are trained in radar and radio technology and learn how to use the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. Some of our ships have sophisticated computers that maintain dynamic positioning, so all the ship’s engines and thrusters are controlled from one console. We have to understand technology and its integration in the ship’s systems to able to use that system safely. It’s a career that relies heavily on STEM.

OCSH: Although normally we can find you living and working in Newport, last April you were on board NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer as it conducted its mission to explore Puerto Rico’s seamounts, trenches and troughs using the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Deep Discoverer.  What were you doing there?

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NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer – Image courtesy of NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

LG: I worked on Okeanos Explorer for about a year and half as Operations Officer. In April I went back to help train the new officers in ROV operations. It’s the officer’s responsibility to safety deploy and recover this 10,000lb ROV. It isn’t a task we take lightly! The whole crew needs to work together. The ROV supervisor directs the operation, the NOAA Corps officer drives the vessel, and the deck crew works the crane and other rigging.

Learn more about Okeanos Explorer‘s expedition on the website oceanexplorer.noaa.gov and read Laura’s mission log post: “A Day in the Life of a Watch Standing Bridge Officer” to find out more about her life and duties on board Okeanos Explorer.

 

Laura Gallant is actively involved with the Oregon Coast STEM Hub.  She has served as a science mentor for the Newport Schools Science Fair, a mission judge for the Oregon Regional MATE ROV Competition, and she is a member of the Oregon Coast STEM Hub’s Communications Committee.

 

Skill Set

Hatfield Marine Science Center’s Dr. Su Sponaugle shares how “girly” skills she learned years ago have played a part in shaping her science practices today.

 

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Today I applied what I learned in elementary school. The blanket stitch. I have a Ph.D., but the skill I used today came from something I learned at age 8.

 

 

Read more at http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/feature-story/blankets-and-nets

Girls in Engineering and Marine Science (GEMS)

Guest Contributor: Marie Kowalski

GEMS 2015

A team with their light trap

On April 16th, twenty-seven young women arrived at Hatfield Marine Science Center, excited for two sunny days of science and engineering. The Oregon Coast STEM Hub hosted this highly engaging program called GEMS (Girls in Engineering and Marine Science) to connect 7th and 8th grade girls on the Oregon coast with female researchers and engineers working in marine-related fields. The program offered an opportunity for girls to learn about new careers, collaborate, complete engineering challenges, make new connections, and gain confidence in science and engineering.

Completing the ROV challenge at the test site

Completing the ROV challenge at the test site

The first engineering challenge began quickly after a brief welcome and introduction. The girls were charged with building the tallest, strongest structure possible using only a few simple materials. Each team got right to work, collaborating to create a unique design, testing their structures’ strength with pennies, and then redesigning their towers. After this creative warm-up, Sarah Henkel, a professor at Oregon State University, spoke with the group about her research on wave energy development and its effects on benthic communities. Sarah described how complex and exciting research can be, as well as the number of people it takes to operate scientific equipment like ROVs (remotely operated vehicles). The girls were then able to work in teams, designing their own ROVs and testing them by completing an underwater task. The variety of designs was amazing, and everyone got a chance to drive their ROV.

In the afternoon, the GEMS girls had a chance to meet women working with marine organisms of all sizes. Scarlett Arbuckle shared her knowledge of plankton and a method of catching plankton in a light trap. The girls designed and built their own light traps, which they later deployed in the Yaquina Estuary and left overnight. They had to wait in suspense until the next morning to see what types of plankton they had trapped.

Using a launcher to "Pin the tag on the whale"

Using a launcher to “Pin the tag on the whale”

Shifting to animals on a larger scale, Shea Steingass and Barb Lagerquist from the Marine Mammal Institute joined the group to discuss tracking harbor seals and whales. The girls got to see the tags used to track these animals, and many seemed surprised at the size of the tags. They even got to use an antenna to track a tagged “seal” hidden on the Hatfield Marine Science Center campus and practice tagging a “whale” with a straw rocket launcher! Later that afternoon, Christine Clapp from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife walked the girls through a dissection of adult Steelhead. Every single girl was engaged in the dissection, pulling out the gills, swim bladder, eyeballs, heart, and many other organs. Some even had a huge pile of bright orange eggs on their table!

At the end of the first day, the group took a survey of the shore crabs present near HMSC in the estuary, marking and releasing crabs after taking measurements. Even after a full day of scientific fun, girls enthusiastically participated in the Sleep with the Sharks sleepover program at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. The girls were able to meet female aquarium staff who worked in several different capacities at the aquarium and learn about their career paths.

GEMS LT2 2015After sleeping in the tunnels with sharks and other fish swimming overhead all night, the girls recovered their light traps and investigated the success of their trap designs under the microscope. They saw many copepods, a larval fish, and several other types of plankton. Friday morning also had an opportunity for the girls to explore the HMSC visitor center and take a behind the scenes tour of the facility with female HMSC husbandry staff.

OSU Fisheries and Wildlife PhD student Chante Davis lead a DNA extraction activity with the group. She also shared a demonstration showing the importance of using genetics to manage fishing practices using goldfish crackers and skittles, yum! The final GEMS guest was Marine Resource Management Master’s student Jessica Porquez. She discussed her research with wind energy devices and their potential impacts on sea birds, which also provided a context for the final design challenge: creating efficient wind turbine blades. The girls worked in teams to create, test, and redesign their turbine blades.

Extracting DNA from strawberries

Extracting DNA from strawberries

This two day program was exciting, collaborative, intellectual, challenging, and inspiring. Many girls asked if the program would be happening again next year, even before it was over.

When asked what was their favorite part of GEMS, some of the girls replied that they especially liked:

“All these strong science women who have done so well in their career and how they told us, thank you :)”

“I enjoyed learning about all of the different marine life and being able to learn about how people got to where they are now.”

“I enjoyed the part when we learned the sleepover attendants’ way to their job over at the aquarium.  It really inspired me to learn how to pursue the husbandry industry.”

“Everything! But if I had to choose it would be the light trap, the crab survey, the wind turbine experiment and the fun sleepover!!!!!”

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Marie Kowalski is a master’s student at Oregon State University in Marine Resource Management with a focus on marine education.  She is currently developing a relevant middle school curriculum about microplastics for her thesis.  Marie also gets to be involved with some of the education-related programs at Hatfield, including the Oregon Coast STEM Hub and events like GEMS!

 

A Visit to Oregon Freeze Dry

WHS students at Oregon Freeze DryGuest Contributor: Melissa Steinman

Students involved in the Oregon Outdoors course at Waldport High School traveled to Albany last month to take a first hand look first at the process of making freeze dried camp food.  Our destination was Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc., the parent company for the Mountain House brand. In our ecotourism-focused outdoor education class, the students had been discussing preparation and planning for trail excursions, and this included learning about food and water options. Many of the students had also taken part in our Teen Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) during which they looked at shelf-stable food options for natural disaster preparedness.

WHS students visit Oregon Freeze DryThe Vice President of Manufacturing, John Damon and Director of Research and Development, Drew Huebsch met the students at the main office to give them an overview of the company, its mission and the education pathway that could lead to a career in food science. President Jim Merryman, who fishes the Alsea Bay, stopped by to welcome our students to his facility. After the introductions and a freeze-dried ice cream sandwich, the class toured and took part in a taste test and data gathering in the Research and Development Department. The staff explained the process of getting a product to market; from the initial idea through to insuring its taste profile is intact at the end of its published shelf life.

WHS at Oregon Freeze DryLeaving R&D we were taken to the manufacturing plant to see the process from individual ingredients, through cooking, freeze-drying, packaging and quality control. Along the way, students were introduced to data stations set up around the plant that lets all workers see their productivity rates, and see how that impacts the company, and as a result, their profit sharing bonus. The students were impressed with how much input each worker – at every level – has on making the process better.

Many thanks to the Oregon Coast STEM Hub for providing the transportation and substitute funds needed for students to go on this field trip to Oregon Freeze Dry!

 

WHS student at Oregon Freeze DryStudent Quotes:

My favorite part was learning about how the food was made. -Trevor Bjelke

I really enjoyed the taste-testing part, and wearing all that fancy gear! -Lacey McDaniel

I liked going into a working environment and seeing what it is like. -Michael Mordecai

My favorite part was trying the beef stroganoff taste testing, and I learned a small amount of added flavor makes a lot of difference. -Emma Strampe

My favorite part was the [freeze dried] ice cream. -Damie Miller

I learned that it taWHS students at Oregon Freeze Drykes a lot of people to make one product. -Angel Butchas

There are many fields that are involved in this company.  The food was amazing and the way they processed it was cool. -Nick Grant-Grierson

I learned that -20 is way way way colder than I thought! -Lacey McDaniel

My favorite part of the field trip was touring the factory, getting to wear the protective gear and using their automatic hand washer. It was surprising to see that it wasn’t super, super high tech. Anybody would be able to work there.  -Hannah Houck


 

Melissa Steinman is a teacher at Waldport High School. In addition to Oregon Outdoors, she teaches Ocean Engineering, Oceanography, Integrated Science and TeenCERT, and serves as Athletic Director. She also coordinates the Cadet Fire Fighter program, and will be bringing student teams to the Oregon Regional MATE ROV Competition in April.

Sharing Salmon Stories Abroad

Sometimes STEM careers lead to amazing travel opportunities and collaborations. Find out where an Oregon salmon hatchery technician and educator is going this spring:

Guest Contributor: Joseph O’Neil

Joseph O'Neil leading an education program at Oregon Hatchery Research Center

Joseph O’Neil leading an education program at Oregon Hatchery Research Center

I never thought I would travel to the Russian Far East, and yet I now find myself a willing traveler to the Primorsky Aquarium and Research Center to discuss how we on the Oregon Coast educate our youth about the challenges of environmental issues pertaining to salmon. It is a once in a lifetime chance and I am anxious to share the wonderful work that is being done here to engage youth in shaping their future. The Primorsky Aquarium is located in the south eastern corner of Russia at about the same latitude as the coast of Oregon. The eastern coastal area of Russia has some of the most pristine salmon habitat left in the world, and the Aquarium is interested in establishing educational programs to address issues pertaining to salmon and their habitat. Look for more to come following my visit in late March.

 

Joseph O’Neil is the Senior Technician and Outreach Coordinator for the Oregon Hatchery Research Center (OHRC) in Alsea, Oregon. OHRC is a cooperative research project between the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon State University Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and is a partner in the Oregon Coast STEM Hub.