Log Post: Biology of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents

Some of the most striking features of the deep sea are the amazing oases of life found at sites of hydrothermal venting. Elsewhere in the deep ocean, there is a low density of animals due to the fact that food is less abundant with depth, and thus, there is not enough energy to sustain a … Continued

Page: 2023 Virtual Symposium

Setting the Course OVERVIEW   Our 2023 virtual symposium, Setting the Course, will be in the form of a webinar series with live Question & Answer (Q&A) discussions for each of five topics, to provide you with an opportunity to ask questions regarding these exciting updates and changes. For each topic, there is a video … Continued

Log Post: Origins and Life: Going deep to study Earth’s tiniest organisms

Traducción al español disponible a continuación Written by Marc A. Fontánez Ortiz The deep sea is the largest ecosystem on Earth. It harbors a plethora of (bio)geochemical interactions, being the home to different life forms that range from shrimp to unicellular microorganisms. I am a geomicrobiologist who studies energy flow between water-rock-life interactions to understand … Continued

A yellow torpedo shaped autonomous underwater vehicle is dropped into a blue ocean with a launch and recovery system.

Log Post: The Strategy for Finding Hydrothermal Vents

Traducción al español disponible a continuación Written by Julie Huber and Dave Butterfield Given bad weather to the north at the Kane Fracture Zone, we decided to test our strategy for finding active hydrothermal vents at the Puy de Folles vent field. Previous work by French and Russian colleagues at this site focused on inactive … Continued

Person: Erik Trauschke

Erik is an Electrical and software engineer with a focus on embedded systems. He is currently working on customizing embedded Linux systems for an updated AUV vehicle computer. His experience includes writing device drivers for various operating systems, designing and programming microcontroller systems, schematic and PCB board design and PCB troubleshooting. He has additional expertise … Continued

Person: Jordan Caress

Jordan is a Dorado AUV Operations Engineer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). Jordan holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from UC Davis. During college, Jordan interned at MBARI and the Ocean Exploration Trust. Those internships inspired Jordan pursue a career in Marine Robotics.  In 2017 Jordan joined Abundant Robotics, an agricultural robotics startup. … Continued

Cruise: Octopus Odyssey

The west coast of Costa Rica is home to numerous seamounts— underwater mountains that facilitate stunning biodiversity in the deep sea. While some of these seamounts have been explored, and a  few of these are protected by the Costa Rican government, others remain minimally studied, especially along the northwestern edge of the Pacific Ocean Margin. … Continued

Person: Janet Voight

Janet Voight (she/her) Title and Institution: Associate Curator of Invertebrate Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, USA  Janet Voight is Associate Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, IL. She’s been studying octopods between the intertidal zone and the deep sea for nearly forty years. She’s interested … Continued

Person: Miguel Semedo

Miguel Semedo (he/him/el) Title and Institution: Postdoctoral Researcher, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto, Portugal Miguel Semedo is a postdoctoral researcher at the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto, in Portugal. He received his PhD in Marine Sciences from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, … Continued

Person: María Isabel Sandoval

María Isabel Sandoval (she/her/ella) Title and Institution: Associate Professor, Escuela Centroamericana de Geología, University of Costa Rica María Isabel Sandoval is an associate professor at the Escuela Centroamericana de Geología, University of Costa Rica since 2015. She has a B.Sc. and Lic. in Geology from the Universidad de Costa Rica and a PhD. in Earth … Continued