Keynote Speakers
Photo credit: Rebecca Hale, National Geographic Society
Ved Chirayath
Professor
Aircraft Center for Earth Sciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami
Biography:
Ved Chirayath is the Vetlesen Chair of Earth Sciences, a National Geographic Explorer, and the inaugural director of the Aircraft Center for Earth Studies (ACES) at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. Chirayath’s research focuses on inventing, developing, and testing next-generation sensing technologies for studying the natural world. Ultimately, his aim is to extend our capabilities for studying and protecting life on Earth as well as to aid in the search for life elsewhere in the universe.
Chirayath grew up in California with a passion for NASA’s mission and space exploration. In 2003, a sophomore in high school, he modified a consumer digital camera and telescope to successfully detect an extra-solar planet, 150 light years away, 1.5x the size of Jupiter. Since then, his research interests have relied on the intersection of multiple disciplines including aeronautics, astrophysics, earth sciences, engineering, and optics. Formerly, Chirayath directed the NASA Laboratory for Advanced Sensing (LAS) in Silicon Valley, California, for ten years. Chirayath received his BSc, MSc, and PhD in Physics, Astrophysics, and Aeronautics & Astronautics from Stanford University after five years studying theoretical physics in Russia.
Recently, Chirayath was one of 30 finalists of 12,000 applicants for the NASA Astronaut Candidate Class of 2021 and received several NASA honor awards, including the NASA Equal Employment Opportunity Medal and a NASA Early Career Award. The American Geophysical Union awarded Chirayath the Falkenberg Award for “contributions to the quality of life, economic opportunities, and stewardship of the planet through the use of Earth science information.”
About the Aircraft Center for Earth Sciences:
The Aircraft Center for Earth Sciences, led by Chirayath, focuses on science-driven sensing and technology development for next-generation instruments that help us better understand our world and benefit humanity. ACES operates in the University of Miami’s Department of Ocean Sciences (OCE). They welcome collaborations and are a growing team actively hiring faculty, post-doctoral, and doctoral candidates.
Keynote summary:
We have mapped more of the surface of Mars, the Sun, and the Moon than our own ocean floor. Chirayath will talk to GeoHabbers about new technologies he is developing for NASA to see beneath the waves and explore oceans across the solar system. We’ll dive into coral reefs and meet charismatic sea creatures, learn about the origin of life on our planet and the search for extra-oceanic life across the universe, and learn how to help map our oceans through the NASA NeMO-Net video game (http://nemonet.info).
Rachel Medley
Chief, Expedition and Exploration Division
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
Biography:
Rachel Medley is the Chief of the Expedition and Exploration Division within NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration. She also serves as the NOAA co-chair of the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Exploration and Characterization (IWG-OEC), which falls under the National Ocean Mapping Exploration and Characterization (NOMEC) council. Before joining NOAA Ocean Exploration, Medley worked for NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey for 12 years, including 6 years as the Chief of the Customer Affairs Branch. Most recently, Medley completed a Presidential Management Fellowship Interagency Rotation Program (PMF-IRP) working within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) with a portfolio focused on Environmental Justice and Equity as part of the Justice40 Initiative. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA, she also holds an M.S. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in Geosciences. In 2009 she also received her M.S. in Ocean Mapping and IHO-Category A certification from the University of New Hampshire, CCOM/Joint Hydrographic Center. Medley serves as an Executive Board Member and Treasurer of the Women’s Aquatic Network (WAN), a non-profit organization that brings together professionals interested in marine, coastal, and aquatic affairs and promotes women’s roles and all who seek equity in these fields. In her spare time, she adventures around the world and at home with her husband and three children.
About NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research:
NOAA Ocean Exploration is the only federal program dedicated to exploring our deep ocean, closing the prominent gap in our basic understanding of U.S. deep waters and seafloor and delivering the ocean information needed to strengthen the economy, health, and security of the United States. Using the latest tools and technology, NOAA Ocean Exploration explores unknown or poorly known areas of our deep ocean, making discoveries of scientific, economic, and cultural value. Through live video and data streams, online coverage, training opportunities, and events, we allow scientists, resource managers, students, members of the general public, and others to actively experience ocean exploration, allowing broader scientific participation, and cultivating the next generation of ocean explorers, and engaging the public in exploration activities. To better understand our ocean, our office makes exploration data available to the public. This allows us, collectively, to more effectively maintain ocean health, sustainably manage our marine resources, accelerate our national economy, and build a better appreciation of the value and importance of the ocean in our everyday lives.
Keynote summary:
Upcoming.
Rachel Medley
The Ocean Exploration Trust at work
Derek Sowers & Daniel Wagner
Mapping Operations Manager & Chief Scientist
Ocean Exploration Trust
Biography:
Derek Sowers serves as the Mapping Operations Manager for the Ocean Exploration Trust, and is based at the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping. Sowers previously served as an Expedition Coordinator for NOAA Ocean Exploration for nine years leading ocean exploration mapping and remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) missions on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. He holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of New Hampshire, an M.S. in Marine Resource Management from Oregon State University, and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of New Hampshire. Sowers enjoys utilizing ocean mapping data to better characterize marine habitats, and developed standardized geomorphology maps for the entire U.S. Atlantic Margin deeper than 200 m for his doctoral research. Prior to focusing on deep sea mapping and exploration, he conducted coastal research and restoration work for NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve network and EPA’s National Estuary Program in Oregon and New Hampshire. Sowers has participated in numerous oceanographic expeditions spanning remote areas of the Arctic, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans.
Daniel Wagner serves as the Chief Scientist for the Ocean Exploration Trust. He has conducted fieldwork on deep-sea ecosystems since 2006, and has since participated in 27 multi-disciplinary research expeditions that explored deep-sea habitats throughout the Indo-Pacific, Atlantic, and Southern Oceans. Wagner grew up in Ecuador, where at a young age he interned at the Galapagos National Park, an experience during which he developed a deep fascination for nature and the ocean. He then moved to Hawaii, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Hawaiʻi Pacific University, as well as Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in Oceanography from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Prior to joining the Ocean Exploration Trust, Wagner worked for the NOAA’s Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in 2011-2016, where he coordinated scientific studies in support of resource management for the Monument. These included participation in over a dozen research expeditions to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, information from which was used to underpin the expansion of the Monument and make it the largest marine protected area on Earth in 2016. Wagner served as the scientific advisor to the U.S. White House Council of Environmental Quality on the Monument expansion. In 2016, he moved to the U.S. East Coast to coordinate NOAA-led efforts aimed at collecting scientific information to support the management of deep-sea ecosystems in the U.S. Atlantic, which included work for the NOAA Office Of Ocean Exploration and Research, and the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. In 2019-2022, Wagner served as the Ocean Science Advisor for Conservation International, where he led multi-partner research initiatives aimed at advancing large-scale marine conservation with a focus on areas beyond national jurisdiction.
About the Ocean Exploration Trust:
The Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) aims to explore the ocean, seeking out new discoveries while pushing the boundaries of technological innovation, education, and outreach. Expeditions are launched aboard E/V Nautilus, a 224-foot exploration vessel equipped with telepresence technology, remotely operated vehicles, acoustic mapping systems, and various other state-of-the-art exploration technologies. Scientists and the public from around the world can participate on expeditions remotely via live feeds, as well as via ship-to-shore interactions connecting the ship with science centers and classrooms. In addition to technical experts, educators and students sail on E/V Nautilus expeditions, gaining hands-on experience, serving as role models for the next generation, and disseminating expedition findings to the public around the world.
Keynote summary:
Upcoming.
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