Williams School teachers and student voyaging with Bob Ballard to Caribbean
by Dirk Langeveld New London Patch
As the research vessel Nautilus explores the sea floor in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean this year, a New London school will be well represented on board.
Steve Hosking, director of technology at the Williams School, began serving as an educator on the ship this month. In August, Groton resident and Class of 2014 student Russell Parker will join as a data logger. And in November, science teacher Stella Barth begins a stint as an educator.
The school’s connection to the Nautilus began last year. Dr. Robert Ballard, a well-known ocean explorer and one of the leaders of the Nautilus Corps of Education, is also a Williams School parent. Last year, Head of School Mark Fader introduced Hosking to Ballard.
“During the conversation, Dr. Ballard said, ‘We’re going to have to get you on the ship.’ And a month later we got a call from the expedition,” said Hosking.
Soon, Hosking found himself on the Nautilus exploring the Mediterranean Sea seamount off the coast of Cyprus. When the vessel crossed the Atlantic to begin this year’s season, Ballard recruited Hosking again.
“They asked me to come back as a lead educator to help me train the other educators who are on board,” he said. “This year, there are 20 of them.”
The educator’s duty is to interact with people tuned in to the live feed on the Nautilus website. Educators on duty will answer questions and explain what is going on as remotely operated vehicles check out the seafloor.
Parker found out about the Nautilus after Hosking gave a presentation on his 2012 trip. When he learned that it was open to student applications, he put in his name. Parker was one of 12 students from around the country selected for the trip.
Parker said science is one of his interests and that he was looking forward to the hands-on experience in oceanography, as well as meeting new people at a five-week pre-expedition training at the University of Rhode Island.
“I definitely think it will give me a taste of what oceanography is like in the real world and what I want to study in college,” he said. “And it definitely doesn’t look bad on a college application.
Barth also sought to join the Nautilus program after hearing about Hosking’s experience. She said she plans to interact with students through a remote lesson at some point during her time on the vessel.
“Anyone can log in and ask questions at any time,” said Barth. “It’s really neat to watch the dive. They have a live feed going on. If they’re trying to pick something up, you almost feel like you’re the pilot.
The Nautilus will make regular trips into port to change out its crew, and will stay in safe harbor later in the season to avoid hurricanes. The crew’s work will include analyzing damage from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill and mapping hydrocarbon seeps to determine the ratio between man-made and naturally occurring global warming.
“A big focus of our program is what we call the New America,” Ballard said. “Most people don’t realize that most of our country is underwater. We own that piece of blue. We own more ocean than any other country.”
Ballard said the ocean is largely unexplored, however. He said the Nautilus aims not only to improve our understanding of the sea, but also to promote the studies and technologies to youth.
“There’s all these different opportunities, but the key thing is to energize science and make it interesting to students,” he said.
Fader said that Ballard will be closely associated with both the students and educators on board the Nautilus.
“The amazing thing is Dr. Ballard follows [Parker] all the way through the program,” he said.
Hosking said that while Ballard’s schedule, including work as an oceanography professor at URI, will not always permit him to be on the Nautilus. However, he said Ballard is eager to interact with visitors to the ship’s website.
“Having him on board during an expedition kind of raises the level of excitement aboard the ship, because his enthusiasm is very contagious,” said Hosking.
To follow the Nautilus’ journey, visit nautiluslive.org. The ship’s live feed is also featured at the Inner Space Center at URI and the Nautilus Live Theater at Mystic Aquarium.
PHOTO: Steve Hosking views the Nautilus live feed with Russell Parker, Class of 2014, at the Williams School. Photo credit: M. Dirk Langeveld
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