Interviews

McKinessGraduate Student Zoe McKiness
Zoe McKiness is 24 years old and one of the youngest members of the science team researching hydrothermal vents in the Indian Ocean. Zoe is a Harvard University graduate student in the department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology.
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Olsson DeepSea Power and Light -- Mark Olsson
Mark Olsson designs and builds deep ocean camera and lighting systems. His company, DeepSea Power and Light, based in San Diego, California, provides many of the specialized cameras and lights used on ROV Jason and Alvin.
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sellersChief Pilot Will Sellers
Data Archivist Cindy Sellers

Chief Pilot Will Sellers and the Indian Ocean expedition’s Data Archivist Cindy Sellers are on their fourth oceanographic cruise together. When they are not roaming the Indian Ocean in search of hydrothermal vents, the couple lives in East Falmouth, Massachusetts.
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ReysenbachMicrobiologist Anna-Louise Reysenbach
Microbiologist Anna-Louise Reysenbach studies thermophiles -- microscopic bacteria that thrive in the hot temperatures at hydrothermal vents. Anna-Louise grew up in South Africa and moved to the United States in 1988 at age 27. She teaches microbiology at Portland State University in Oregon. Read the interview »

YogiSteward Mirth Miller
Steward Mirth Miller supervises dining and housekeeping on board Knorr. Born and raised in Oregon, Mirth worked on fishing boats before she joined the crew at WHOI in 1986. With her Pacific Northwest roots, it’s not surprising that her favorite food to cook is salmon. Read the interview »

 

Chief Scientist Cindy Van Dover
Cindy Van Dover, the Chief Scientist of this expedition, is a biology professor at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She is an expert on hydrothermal vent ecology. In the Indian Ocean she is researching the biogeography of vent faunas, or animals. Read the interview »
 

YogiMarine Engineer Robert “Yogi” Elder
Marine Engineer Robert “Yogi” Elder was nicknamed after the cartoon bear when he began working at WHOI in 1987. As an engineer for the Deep Submergence Operations Group, he is responsible for the sensors, telemetry, fiber optics and all electronics for ROV Jason and the other deep submergence vehicles. Read the interview »

 

Andy BowenExpedition Leader Andy Bowen
Expedition Leader Andy Bowen is in charge of the ROV Jason and other deep submergence vehicles. On the ship, he often works over 12 hours a day and he once stayed awake for 36 hours. During this expedition, he’s helping scientists use Jason to explore for hydrothermal vents in the Indian Ocean. Read the interview »

 

SusanS HumphrisMarine Geochemist Susan Humphris
Marine geochemist Susan Humphris researches the geology of the mid-ocean ridge. Fifteen years ago she helped to discover hydrothermal vents in the Atlantic Ocean. Here in the Indian Ocean, she’s excited to see what she will find next. Read the interview »

 

jimCaptain AD Colburn
Captain AD Colburn spends eight months of the year at sea. The son of a ship captain, AD graduated from Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 1978 and worked for 16 years as a mate on ships before becoming a captain six years ago. He caught a barracuda while fly-fishing last week in the Seychelles. Read the interview »

 

CostelloShip Medic Janet Costello
Janet Costello grew up on a dairy farm and didn’t see the ocean until she was 18. Now she works as a ship medic with WHOI and sails around the world. When she’s not administering seasickness pills on board the Knorr, she lives near the ocean in Florida.  Read the interview »