Marine Biologist

She was headed to a career in art until a random event led her down a new path. Later, those two paths would occasionally merge. 

FAMILY BACKGROUND

GG has a twin brother and an older sister. Her father was an advertising executive involved on the creative side, focused on developing company logos and other abstract “imaging” ideas about the client businesses; some of his activities would now be called “branding.” His artistic talent was as large as his variety of interests, including science: he owned a microscope, ground his own telescope lens, and built crystal radios from scratch. 

Her father also introduced his children to sailing, first on a river in a small sailboat, eventually graduating to ocean sailing in a larger vessel. 

GG’s mother died when GG was 9. Her father remarried, bringing a stepmother into the family. GG’s stepmother’s careers included archeology, college administrative assistant and photography. 

A serious artist, GG’s father had many artist friends who visited their home, where GG occasionally had the opportunity to watch them create beautiful paintings. Her older sister was also an accomplished artist and sold her work commercially. 

EARLY THOUGHTS OF AN ADULT CAREER

As a pre-teen, GG enjoyed many activities: art (drawing pictures), dance (ballet lessons), being in or on the water (sailing upon and playing in the ocean) and science (looking through her father’s microscope to view tiny creatures – plankton – from the sea, which were invisible to the naked eye). 

Beyond knowing that she liked both art and science (especially biology), GG had no specific career path in mind during her early high school courses. She excelled in advanced biology but not in math, which GG assumed she would have to master to pursue a career in the sciences. (Editor’s note – As you follow GG’s story, you will learn that her assumption was not totally correct.) Based on her assumption, GG self-assessed herself as more likely oriented toward a career involving her interest and aptitude in art. 

Looking back, GG believes she may have been unconsciously influenced to prepare for a career in the arts, by watching and learning about art from her father and sister, who created art on a regular basis at home plus occasionally meeting their artist friends. She hadn’t known any scientists.

COLLEGE

GG opted to attend a highly regarded, four year “art school” – a college with ‘schools’ in various artistic disciplines including graphic arts, architecture, industrial design, fashion design, and advertising design and visual communications, the last of which she chose after a foundation year in which art students aiming at all disciplines had to enroll. She enjoyed the courses, thinking of the various assignments as interesting visual problems to solve and taking an idea and communicating it in a simple yet very interesting way (Editor’s note – much like she would later do while on a different career path; stay tuned!).

RANDOM EVENT PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE A DIFFERENT CAREER PATH

During the summer between GG’s third and fourth years at art school, the section of the city where the art school was located became a flashpoint for civil unrest and protests, and her father, fearing that dangerous disturbances might break out in the area, asked that she skip that year and return and graduate the following year, which she agreed to do. 

Accordingly, GG found a job in a local marine biology lab, as a “Laboratory Aide (Student)” She enjoyed the work, which included helping biologists net, tag and release fish from a boat at sea, maintaining the tagging data base in the lab, and monitoring the return of tags that anglers later sent back after recatching the tagged fish that were released. This way, the biologists could learn more about their movements. GG stayed in this job for a year, rekindling her love of the sea. 

(Editor’s note – Without being named an “internship” this summer experience (which ended up lasting to the following summer because of her college hiatus) was essentially the same thing: an opportunity to experience a career path without a future commitment.)

RECONSIDERING FIRST CAREER PATH

Returning to art school to complete the final year of coursework, two unrelated events caused her to reconsider her vision of a career in the art of advertising: 

(1) In class back at college, one of her graphic design professors displayed on the walls large line drawings he had made of various major life accomplishments in history, such as the Taj Mahal, architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s ‘Falling Waters’ house, the painting ‘Mona Lisa’, a newborn baby, a copy of Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Darwin’s Origin of the Species, and many others. Among these was a copy of an ad from one of the current most successful advertising campaigns. He then went all around the classroom and asked the students to identify which one they would like to have created as their legacy of accomplishment in life. No one picked the advertisement. GG thought to herself: “Is this my goal in life… to be useful to society by creating a famous ad?” 

(2) Around the same time, her father’s advertising agency merged into a larger agency, whose new co-managers were more concerned with net profits and dominating the merged company. At the time, her father was nearing retirement with a future benefit plan now rumored to be in jeopardy. Long term employees were meeting secretly away from the office, which they feared was bugged. GG sensed her father’s anxiety, and became disillusioned in the advertising business, and started rethinking the idea of working in what now seemed to be such a ruthlessly competitive field. 

RETURNING TO VIRTUAL INTERNSHIP FOR A SECOND SUMMER

During her previous, virtual internship, GG had established her work reputation as reliable and capable. Upon her return to the marine biology lab, she was now an entry level technician, assigned to assist in a marine biological study of bluefish larvae during the larvae’s early stages of development. (The study was funded by the U.S. government due to this fish’s importance to the U.S. recreational and commercial fishing industry, to learn how to best manage and sustain the bluefish resource for the national economy; Russians had completed an earlier study but were not able to rear the larvae beyond a very early stage in development.) 

Such a study would require someone to periodically monitor (through a microscope) the growth and development of the living eggs and larvae, and closely—every three hours. Guess which level of employee would be assigned the task of sleeping overnight on a cot in the lab, setting an alarm to wake up every couple of hours and peer into a microscope to check and draw the eggs and then later larvae development…. If you guessed “top management” you flunked the quiz. If you guessed “newest, entry level employee” give yourself a gold star. But like the story of Br’er Rabbit not minding being thrown into the briar patch by the unfriendly fox, GG loved her assignment, for which she was rewarded at 3:00 a.m. on the first night, after shaking off her sleep cob-webs and peering into the microscope, to witness— within the curled up embryo inside its tiny transparent egg, as the circulatory system and heart completed its development— its very first heartbeat!” 

GG’s career decision was confirmed then and there: GG had to make marine biology her career!

NEXT CAREER PATH REQUIRED ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

Having finally resolved to follow her next career path, GG knew she had to return to college and obtain additional knowledge and skills she would need to succeed as a marine biologist. At the time, to become a marine/fishery biologist with a government lab, one needed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college (which she had), plus 30 credit hours in the biological sciences (which she didn’t have), of which at least 6 credit hours had to be in the aquatic sciences (e.g., marine biology, ecology, fishery Biology, ichthyology, limnology etc.) Accordingly, two of her first new courses taken at a nearby college were ecology and lab and marine biology and lab. Through a special work-study program, GG also continued working at the same marine lab, where the work focused on marine recreational fisheries science

CAREER CHALLENGES – HARASSMENT AND DISRESPECT

When GG began working in marine science several decades ago, there were many challenges to the few women biologists in the field, which, as in most areas of science, was dominated by men who considered women in the workplace best suited as ‘helpers’ to the male scientists, holding down support positions, and not conducting their own research. In many instances, women were not even allowed aboard marine research vessels. (Thankfully, this situation has changed dramatically for the better, and women are now well represented in the field, many as project and program leaders, and women now even command large marine research vessels.)

During the years when GG was working her way up through the ranks, like other women scientists, there was certain resistance to her advancement,  but thankfully, with the support of a few important mentors, both male and female, who appreciated her persistence, her initiative, and the quality of her work and ability to produce scientific publications, she did indeed advance to a research biologist position and to where she was planning and carrying out her own research. 

GG also experienced incidences of unwanted attention and harassment from male supervisors before laws were established to protect employees in the workplace and provide them with more alternatives to deal with these situations. The harassing conduct can be subtle or obvious. How the “target” reacts – and should react – is now the subject of discussion within classrooms, counseling sessions, human relations directives and even the law. For this career story, the point is to note GG’s reaction: she didn’t want to alter her career path away from marine biology. The first instance of such harassment occurred early in her career, but fortunately she was able to transfer to an affiliated lab. Other instances she handled with similar resolve, and soon laws were put in place that gave her many more options and greatly reduced these situations. But even as legislation was put in place to enable reporting such behavior, and federal institutions have required periodic mandatory sexual harassment courses for all employees, these advancements have not eliminated the incidence of these types of abuses. 

GG’s conclusions: The overwhelming majority of her supervisors were polite, respectful, and appreciative of her talents and daily professional efforts. “Don’t let the jerks live rent free in your brain! Do what you must do to resolve the situation by either complaining or demanding a change in the status quo; do whatever it takes, then move on and don’t let idiots derail your optimism and career focus.”

HARASSMENT CHALLENGE MET – CAREER RESUMED

After transferring to a new lab, GG was able to continue with similar types of interesting and scientifically useful work and to work in-depth on a project to research, write and illustrate a book documenting the recreational fishes, fishing grounds and fishing facilities along the US West Coast, Hawaii, and the Trust Territories. Working 5-6 years on this project, she was able to use her knowledge of art and publication design from art school and hone her writing skills, while also learning to quickly become very familiar with the fishes and fisheries in the Pacific Ocean, and thus advance her biological career as well. But she knew she needed to continue her formal education, so she took advantage of local college offerings which, with the Pacific Ocean nearby, provided courses relevant to her field of scientific interest. Thanks to another work-study program and a Career Development Plan offered by the government, she completed her 30 credit hours, taking additional courses in Zoology, Genetics and Evolution, Ornithology, Introductory Ichthyology, Systematic Ichthyology, and Fishery Biology. 

PERSISTENCE WITH A DIFFICULT SUBJECT REWARDED BY SUDDEN CLARITY

Ironically, the scientist (GG) who had in high school avoided advanced math classes, now realized she had to increase her math skills to perform at the highest levels of marine biology, which requires sampling of living plant and animal organisms and interpreting physical and biological data gathered from the sampling in the oceans and in saltwater estuaries and wetlands. So, she enrolled in a college level statistics course where the rest of the students were much younger, being college aged. GG was not understanding much of what the professor was trying to teach but now with some self-confidence earned from a decade in the real world of business experience, she kept asking the statistics professor for clarifications until one day, she approached the professor after class while some of her younger classmates were still present, gathering their books, about to leave. GG told the professor that she just wasn’t comprehending the statistical concepts and was probably the only one unable to cope, as evidenced by the lack of questions by everyone else, so she should withdraw from the course. However, the younger students, overhearing this conversation, volunteered that they, too, were often befuddled but needed to stick it out; they appreciated her asking questions which benefited them too so please don’t leave us! The professor also encouraged GG to continue her efforts and eventually all the concepts would be easier to understand. GG accepted all this advice, continued to study hard and soon, “it all clicked!” And she even ended up getting the highest marks in the class.

GG continued to learn and enjoy her work, and after completing her coursework and taking additional math, statistics, multivariate analysis, and various computer courses, she was reclassified as a Fishery Biologist (General), and soon Fishery Research Biologist, and advanced to become a project leader, designing her own research projects and publishing results in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

SEVEN STEPS OF THE SCIENTIFIC PROCESS

1) observing an occurrence of something or asking a question; 2) researching the topic, 3) forming a hypothesis, designing and conducting an experiment to test that hypothesis, 4) gathering data, often by sampling; 5) analyzing results (number crunching, etc); 6) drawing a conclusion from the results and preparing an initial draft of findings; and 7) reporting findings in the scientific literature. 

DAILY ACTIVITIES OF ONE MARINE BIOLOGIST  

Most marine biologist work is a combination of office, lab, and sea time, not just one or the other, although some biologists, often called ‘field biologists’ may be in the field more than others. Some marine biologists also work as Fishery Observers, who spend most of their work time at sea aboard commercial fishing vessels recording catch and bycatch data.

As the notes appearing at the end of this one individual’s career story will indicate, there are many different roles for people interested in a career within marine biology. So, GG’s experiences are not an all-inclusive description of the formal education requirements and common activities of every marine biologist. With that clarification, a typical day for a marine biologist varies depending on the type of work it took to study the organisms one was focused on and at what phase of research you find yourself in.  The following activities – obviously impossible to all occur on the same day – are typical of the daily activities of a marine biologist, outlined in the order of the scientific process: 

RESEARCH 

Determining what project needs to be investigated may be formed by the marine biologist’s own curiosity, especially in academia which has greater leeway to conduct “pure” or theoretical science, rather than applied, or more ‘directed’ research (i.e., research designed to answer specific questions needed to better manage ocean resources.) 

For government marine biologists like GG, the most pressing types of biological information needed at any given time may be dictated by the needs of national, international, and regional organizations which are mandated by law to develop regulations to sustain living marine resources within their jurisdiction. For example, eight regional Fisheries Management Councils around the U.S. are required by the U.S. Magnuson-Stevens Conservation and Management Act to provide periodic reports on the status of fish stocks and to recommend regulations to maintain sustainable ocean harvests in U.S. federal waters and to rebuild stocks that have been overfished. Each State also has its own mandates for managing and protecting its own state waters out to 2 miles. These needs change from year to year and a marine biologist is tasked with designing specific research projects to best fill biological gaps in knowledge, after carefully reviewing the scientific literature and attending meetings with managers and other scientists. Marine laboratories and science centers also provide valuable scientific information on marine mammals and sea turtles to regulatory agencies in support of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. 

An important step in this process is to invest sufficient time to review all potentially relevant, existing published studies to determine where specific gaps in knowledge exist, and to become completely familiar with what is already known on the subject. 

GG conducts an extensive review of the scientific literature and consults with colleagues around the world to determine the extent of existing knowledge of this species, where gaps exist, and which are the most needed areas of study for understanding the life history and vulnerability this species to fishing, her special area of focus. 

PROJECT PROPOSAL

Developing a project proposal or project plan may follow different procedures depending on the type of research organization. For example, marine biologists working in academia or in private institutions usually apply for research grant funding by filling out a project proposal form and applying for funding from organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, NOAA Sea Grant, and others. Federal and state science labs and centers usually operate on ‘base funding’ or a recurring budget that is allocated each fiscal year to cover research and administrative funding. 

GG, who works for a government research lab, usually begins by using a computer planning program. She plots a flow chart that includes various key areas of study needed, which personnel (in-house and external) are needed to do the work, the approximate time it will take to accomplish and in what order, and the funding needed. She then holds a meeting for management and others (often biologists from state, federal, and private agencies) and presents the research plan, gets feedback, then finalizes the research plan. 

Because the investigation may need to be worked on by various types of people (marine biologists, fishery technicians, statisticians, data managers, geneticists, etc.) and ship time needed, the lead scientist (GG) prepares a budget to cover the salaries of the people involved plus the cost of using any equipment, such as hiring a boat and its crew for X number of days, if the organization’s research vessel and crew are not available. 

The project proposal, consisting of the scientific issue to be investigated, the hypothesis, purpose / objective, timeline, staffing, expected results and the budget, is then submitted for approval. If additional funding is needed, GG may also apply for supplemental funding from granting agencies noted above. 

DATA GATHERING

Assuming the project is funded, the next step is to proceed with gathering the relevant data. In the data gather phase, a typical day can be hours of diving in a kelp bed or reef or surveying marine mammals at sea in the tropical Pacific using huge “Big Eye” binoculars, or sampling fish and plankton and taking ocean measurements from a research vessel.

Two examples of the daily activities of a marine biologist gathering data for two different studies are as follows: 

GG’s typical day tagging sharks: Before dawn, GG takes a bucket of half-frozen bait down to the launching ramp where the boat is on its trailer and ready to be hooked up to the truck and launched into the bay and run to the fishing grounds. After greeting her boat operator and volunteers who will help her set the longline used to catch the sharks, she goes over the checklist. Squid. Bait knife. Cutting board. Bait and leader tubs. Longline tub. Tagging kit. Tape measure. Longline floats. Anchors. Longline Log. Leather punch. Foam cradle. First aid kit. Life preservers. Hook disgorger. Tetracycline (OTC). Most important is the tetracycline and syringes. This antibiotic makes a fluorescing time mark in actively growing shark vertebrae which, when a fisherman recaptures a tagged shark and returns a piece of the vertebrae, will help her verify whether rings in the vertebrae can be used in ageing—much like tree rings. (At the time, few researchers knew the best method for estimating the age and growth of sharks, information crucial to understanding how vulnerable they are to fishing or other sources of mortality. Slow-growing sharks are more vulnerable to fishing than fast-growing ones). Once launched and on the way to the grounds, she cuts up the half-frozen squid to bait the 200 hooks for the first set of the morning. Once at the fishing grounds, as the 600 ft longline is paid out over the stern, the hooks, dangling from nylon leaders, are snapped to the main line as the longline is set. While waiting for the sharks find and take the hooks, the shark cradle is set up on the transom of the boat to receive the sharks for tagging and release. After about 15-20 min , the longline is retrieved, and the leaders (and sharks) unhooked from the main line by one of the volunteers, and handed to her to place in the cradle, disgorge or unhook the shark, affix a plastic tag on the dorsal fin, inject the shark with an appropriate dose of OTC for its size, take the shark’s measurement, and then release it over the side, recording its size, sex and condition on a clipboard. This process is repeated throughout the day, after which they refuel for the next day, head back to the lab, wash the boat and gear, and plan to repeat it all the next day until one thousand sharks are tagged, injected, and released.

GG’s typical day/night sampling zooplankton aboard research vessel: About 11 pm GG wakes in her scientist’s stateroom aboard the 220 ft research vessel, ready to sample zooplankton (especially shrimp-like krill) at sea in the middle of the night with a net designed to sample small organisms at three different levels of the ocean—near bottom, midwater, and near surface, at one geographical (predetermined) location. She confirms with the captain that the ship is already at the sampling location or near it. If the seas are up, she dons her foul weather gear and boots, goes out on the lighted deck, and prepares the net to be deployed. She cocks the release mechanisms on it and works with the person operating hydraulics to attach the net to the cable and lowers it over the side of the vessel until the beginning sampling depth is reached, watching the wire angle so the net, when opened, will stay at that depth level (Geometry 101!). GG then attaches and sends the heavy brass messenger down the cable which will trigger the first net to open. The net is towed for an interval of time, then another messenger is sent down the cable, closing the first and open the second net, which is then towed at mid-depth. This is repeated for the surface tow, and then the net retrieved. It is essentially three funnel shaped nets in one, each with a plastic tube receptacle, called a ‘cod end’, with screening so that the plankton is retained, and excess water filtered out. GG detaches the cod ends and brings them into the lab and takes out samples to look at under the microscope before preserving them for further study in at the lab on land. This is the best part. All organisms are still alive, many shapes and kinds, and many phosphorescing different colors, a kaleidoscope of life. She sees one organism–a copepod—that she has never seen before and preserves it in a special vial and labels it, so she can use her reference material in the lab to identify it once the research cruise is over. Her zooplankton work is one of many projects being undertaken on this cruise, with vessel time being very expensive, so ship time is used to the max. Then she washes down the net with BIZ detergent before returning into her bunk to sleep 4 to 6 hours before repeating the same sampling process during mid-day hours. Her results will tell her the vertical day-night distribution of the various planktonic organisms at that spot and others in her sampling area, which may also give clues to the day-night distributions of fishes who feed on these organisms. 

ANALYSIS, INTERIM REPORTING AND FINAL DRAFT REPORT

(Editor’s note – In the scientific world, the ‘Final Report’ is always a ‘Draft Report’ until the research has been peer-reviewed and/or accepted for publication.)

Project funding agencies (in this case, a U.S. Federal agency) require, as a condition for providing the necessary cash to support the project, periodic reports of progress, followed by a final report, when the publication has been accepted in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Accordingly, GG as the lead marine biologist on the project, prepares detailed (monthly and/or quarterly) descriptions of the project’s scientific progress and the related expenses incurred with any explanation of need for funding beyond the original request, along with the reason(s). Preliminary results may also be presented at scientific conferences.

All during the project, as data is gathered, it is entered into a computer database by the project leader or computer technicians and run through statistical analyses by the project leader or statisticians to determine the reliability of results. This is the stage where the lead marine biologist needs to have a level of basic proficiency with math, especially statistics. Modern computer technology and/or project technicians may be enlisted to perform most of the “numbers crunching” but ultimately, the scientist in charge of the project must be able to understand that the raw data was properly categorized and considered, in addition to understanding the conclusions based upon the analyzed data. The conclusions are then incorporated within a final report in the format required by the funding source and presented first to the funding source.

PUBLICATION

The final stage of the project is writing the results and conclusions in scientific paper form, submitting it to a reputable scientific journal, having it critically reviewed, and then getting it accepted by the editor, thus officially adding to the body of knowledge on the subject. A final report might also be submitted to the regulatory agency that originally needed the information. 

A typical scientific paper in the field of marine biology follows a standard format, starting with an Abstract: A short summary of purpose, methods, and conclusion. Introduction: States the purpose and need, and a summary of what is already known on the subject; Materials and Methods: E.g., description of sampling and data analyses methods, equipment used, procedures; Results: Presents actual results of observations and sampling and statistical analyses used; Conclusion or Discussion: presents conclusions considering the results and discussion. This section often includes recognition of some of the drawbacks in methods and conclusions from results, and often suggests areas for future research. Acknowledgements: Lists those, other than co-authors, who significantly helped on the project, including journal reviewers, and funding agencies. Literature Cited: usually an alphabetical listing (by lead author) of scientific papers cited in the body of the manuscript.   

Once a final draft is completed, and after it goes through in-house approval, it is sent to the editor of an appropriate scientific journal. The editor then usually sends review copies to three qualified ‘peer’ reviewers, knowledgeable in the field. These ‘anonymous’ reviewers then carefully review the paper and add comments and recommend whether they feel the paper is acceptable for publication, with perhaps, minor, or sometimes, major revisions. The author(s) also have a chance at rebuttal at this time. Most reviewers are constructive and helpful, others may be overly harsh and critical, but all offer a different perspective on your work, which is valuable input. The lead author receives the comments from these anonymous reviewers via the editor, attempts to address the comments, revises the manuscript, and re-submits it to the editor, and in most cases, it is then accepted for publication.      

PRESENTATION

This discussion regarding the presentation of the project’s final analysis is included at this point to preserve the logical sequence of the scientific process. However, it must be noted that occasionally interim reports are presented at meetings of scientists or within informal publications, with the caveat that the investigation is incomplete and not yet submitted for peer review. 

Presentations to a wider audience than the funding source may occur at regional, national, or international conferences or, or if one is working in academia, lecturing, and advising undergraduates or postgraduates on marine biological science subjects.

Editor’s note – An unpublicized and unspoken side benefit of presenting a report at a scientific conference might be the happy coincidence of the scientist’s lab employer or funding source paying the full costs of transportation, lodging and food to cover the basic conference expenses, while, during down-time between the scientific meetings, the presenter could exchange ideas with other colleagues, get important critical feedback and meet old friends. One can also enjoy some off-duty vacation type activities. (Sitting by the pool between presentations, the marine biologist might justify such apparent leisure activity as the chance to observe pool plankton…LOL). Seriously, attendance at such conferences is the opportunity to expand the scientist’s network of like-minded friends who are comfortable discussing “shop talk” such as plankton vertical migrations and shark satellite tagging. 

COMBINING SKILLS FOR CAREER SUCCESS

GG’s career certainly did not follow the ‘typical’ career track of a marine biologist.  This would be knowing her career choice early on, majoring in biology in college, getting a BS, then an MS and then PhD, then a lifetime in the same research field. There are other approaches to becoming a professional biologist, although you may not stay in that job all the time. E.g., many upper-level biologists at some point spend much of their time managing people, going to meetings, getting funding, helping to oversee the writing proposals of their staff of biologists, with little time spent conducting actual research. Others specialize in the mathematical and/ or statistical areas of biology or become molecular biologists who work in a genetics lab all day, or become a science writer, or supervise fishery observers, or end up in a teaching career, or a combination of these activities. 

GG very much enjoyed her scientific work, but also liked to periodically write press releases highlighting the work being conducted by her small marine laboratory, which her lab directory assigned her. This publicity work caught the eye of their regional science center director, head of all three labs in the region. He needed someone who could translate and make understandable in non-technical terms, the science findings of all the regional labs, not only to the public, but also to national headquarters in Washington DC, the entity that provided their funding. He also needed someone who was a “self-starter” –who could do the job with only a minimum of supervision. Although offered the job, she first turned it down because she did not want to give up science after working so hard to become a biologist. But while she also loved the small lab where she worked, soon after moving West, she had developed serious asthma in the cold and damp climate, and the new job offered a promotion and a warmer and drier climate and relief from her asthma. When the science center director said the job was still open, and that she could return to science if she wanted to after 5 years, she gladly accepted. 

During the 5 year period working as a special assistant to the center director— writing reports, press releases, attending science management meetings, supervising the editorial staff— she not only improved her writing and communications skills, but also acquired new respect for upper managers in the field of marine science, how they strove to obtain funding and support for their scientists, and worked hard to maintain scientific objectivity and integrity in the face of political pressures from various sides. She also learned valuable managerial skills herself as she supervised the general editing and technical staff and worked with managers on a day-to-day basis. 

Then, as per her agreement with the science center director, after the 5 years, she enthusiastically returned to biology full time studying shark biology, fisheries management, and population dynamics, completing some of the most important work of her career.  

CAREER SATISFACTION 

Review of GG’s professional resume confirms the respect she earned within the scientific community of marine biology: 

* U.S. Department of Commerce – Bronze Medal for Superior Federal Service

* National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – numerous awards for superior work performance

* Special Award for work on Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan

* First Place Award and Best of Show for Design and Co-Authorship of a regional guide to fishing. 

* Blue Pencil Award for Outstanding Government Publication in Technical Publications

* Professional affiliations include Shark Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission; American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists, Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society, American Fisheries Society

* Taught a university course (summer session) in local area fishes and fisheries (per request of the university, which had seen a paper published by GG on the local bay fisheries; since it was an honor to teach at this university, GG accepted no payment pursuant to a cooperative agreement with the university and GG’s federal lab employer, which allowed her to take time off from her employment at the lab, to teach this course.)

* Planning Team to Develop West Coast Pelagic Shark Assessment Strategies

* Author or Co-Author of 39 peer reviewed and accepted publications involving such subjects as “Intrinsic rates of increase of pelagic elasmobranchs “biology and ecology of thresher sharks”, “diet differences in the thresher shark during transition from a warm-water regime to a cool-water regime”, “blue whale habitat and prey in the California Channel Islands” 

Looking back at her marine biology career, GG appreciates the opportunities presented:

* Every day was different

* Marine biology combined her loves of the sea and science

* Every challenge presented was met, though some took time and perseverance and wise advice from others. (Cue Frank Sinatra singing “My Way”)

* Innate talent (art and writing skills) was combined with scientific education to produce information useful to society

* Her work earned appreciation by co-workers and within the wider scientific community

* The peer reviewed publications are her legacy, continue to inform future generations of scientists

GG’s RECOMMENDATIONS TO FUTURE SCIENTISTS

Whether your interest is to conduct research exclusively within an indoor laboratory or somewhere “out in the field of nature” hoping to observe such things as lobster or whale migrations, you need to get comfortable with both writing to communicate clearly and with math to analyze the data you collect.  

But you also don’t have to be a math wizard. You can always find colleagues with more specialized mathematical skills to help you crunch the numbers and analyze the data, but basic math and statistical skills do help you interpret your results and the scientific findings of others. It also helps to have a love and appreciation of the scientific method—which is simply a systematic and elegant way to arrive at the most objective answers to questions in your work, while avoiding subjectivity and bias.

Don’t be afraid of a “failed” experiment, which to an open scientific mind, may be proof of something else equally important! Never bristle at criticism of your work —because critical reviewers, however harsh they may be, always help improve your final paper or presentation. Once published, it’s not so easy to correct your scientific papers!

OVERVIEW OF MARINE SCIENCE

Marine Science is usually divided into 4 fields:

(1) Physical Oceanography – study of the ocean waves, currents, tides, ocean energy, etc. – i.e., the physical aspects of the seas.

(2) Geological Oceanography – study of the sediments, rocks and structure of the sea floor and coastal areas.

(3) Chemical Oceanography – study of the chemical composition and properties of sea water

(4) Marine Biology – study of marine organisms, e.g., fishes, invertebrates, marine mammals, sea turtles, etc. – and their interaction with their ocean environment. This can include other saltwater environments, such as estuaries and wetlands.

CAREERS WITHIN MARINE SCIENCE

Examples of position titles and various disciplines: Fishery Biologist, Marine Biologist, Biological Technician, Marine Mammologist, Molecular Biologist, Geneticist, Marine Biotechnologist, Aqua Culturist, Microbiologist, Systems Analyst, Fishery Observer, etc.

Who hires? Most positions are primarily with governmental agencies (federal, state, local) and academic organizations; also with private industry, such as marine aquaria and aquaculture companies; also, with non-profit conservation groups. 

Level of education required – Of those hired by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (“NOAA”), 81% have bachelor’s degrees, 13% Masters, 3% Associate, 2% Doctorates and 1% “Other.” To qualify as a Fishery Biologist (General) with the federal government (where GG started as a biologist), the minimum requirement was a bachelor’s degree at an accredited college or university, plus 30 credit hours in the biological sciences (e.g., general, and vertebrate zoology, genetics, ecology), of which 6 semester hours had to be in the aquatic sciences, such as marine biology, ichthyology, fishery biology, etc. (GG also took courses in statistics and multivariate analysis and various computer programing courses.)

To rise to a program leader position, a PhD is often required but many biologists in the field have just a Bachelor or master’s degree.

(Editor’s note: the above statistics were current as of 2/2022)

Supporting positions in the field of Marine Biology: Fishery Economists and Social Scientists who study the economic and social impacts of our utilization and sharing of ocean biological resources. Also, computer and IT (Information Technology) specialists, aquarists, marine science librarians, administrators, facilities managers, and budget administrators. 

On marine research vessels, jobs are available for bosuns, seamen, ship’s masters, electricians, engineers, oilers, ship’s mess cooks, etc.  

Where to start: GG recommends achieving “good” or at least passing grades in biology and math subjects in high school while focusing on writing and communication skills, because scientists, at least those who hope to publish their results and are not among those who prefer a more scientific support role, need to communicate their findings, and write analysis papers plus applications for project funding grants. 

If you are just starting college, pick a general biology major because you may not yet know what specific field of biology you want to pursue for your career. You may have the option of picking up more specific biological coursework later once you focus on your field of study.

If you are still in high school or college or are switching careers, volunteer or try to obtain a summer job as a lab aide or tech at a local marine science lab, which will help you to decide what area of marine biology you may be most interested in. Scholarships are available from NOAA Sea Grant (see Sea Grant > Students > Scholarships (noaa.gov) and Students (noaa.gov). Work/study programs are available at some agencies. 

EPILOGUE

While remaining active in marine biology, GG has rekindled a long-held interest, not only in studying birds, but also in writing poetry. Consistent with her constant personal goal to “be the best I can be for whatever I’m doing”, GG has joined a workshop of experienced poets for support and encouragement. One of her recent literary efforts is a poem about old age, titled “Absent-Minded”:

This morning somewhere between the bedroom with its stale air and shades drawn and the kitchen with its coffee grounds in the sink, I somehow lost my mind. It could have slipped like a damp towel off the hook into the dark space between the bathtub and the toilet or dribbled down the sink drain with a glob of toothpaste or got tangled up in my hairbrush and now patiently waits for me to comb it back out. But no, I think it might have gotten mixed up with the paper clips, scissors, rubber bands in the junk drawer where all good brains end up just when I was rummaging around looking for a pencil to write down “Buy coffee.”

Editor’s note – Whoever may have said that scientists have no sense of humor or that scientists are not creative unless peering down a microscope, is now proven wrong!