Expedition Team
Meet the members of the Plastics at SEA: North Atlantic Expedition crew. From college seniors to the nearly retired, professional mariners to businesspeople, scientists to musicians, the crew is a diversely talented group. Most of the crew are SEA Semester alumni, as indicated by the class number next to the participant's name.
 |
Giora Proskurowski, Chief Scientist Giora graduated from Amherst College with a chemistry major, but was lured to the earth sciences with the prospects of using the submersible Alvin to study hydrothermal vents. |
 |
Kara Lavender Law, Principal Investigator Kara received her PhD in physical oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and developed an interest in marine debris while teaching and sailing with SEA. |
 |
Chris McGuire, Captain, C-120 Chris was a SEA Semester student while pursuing his BA at Connecticut College. He went to sea aboard R/V Westward two weeks after graduation and has made a life at sea ever since. |
||
 |
Athena Aicher, S-221 Athena is a rising senior at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. She is a Biology and Environmental Studies double major and is especially interested in the microbial biology part of this plastics project. |
 |
Juliet Alla, 1st Scientist Juliet's bond to the ocean was forged early, and not necessarily with informed consent, as the youngest in a sailing family. Years as a flashlight holder and dinghy rower gave way to summers spent as a sailing instructor on Cape Cod. |
 |
Colleen Allard, 2nd Mate, W-177 Colleen Allard's SEA experience in the fall semester of her senior year at Cornell changed her life. The upstate New York resident was a student on the Westward 177 cruise in the fall of 2001. |
 |
Lisa Ballard, W-75 Lisa graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in a dual degree program with a BS in Economics and Marketing from the Wharton School and a BAS in Systems Engineering from the School of Engineering and Applied Science. |
 |
Tyson Bottenus, S-214 Tyson is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a double major in Geological Oceanography & Geology, and in Coastal and Marine Policy & Management. |
 |
Lillian Corbin, Steward, W-181 |
 |
Megan Cronin, S-224 Meg is a candidate for a BA at Colgate University in Spring 2010. She is an Environmental Studies major with a minor in Biology. Her senior project at Colgate involves collaboration with local agrarian community members, professional coordinators, students, and administrators to create and implement a comprehensive plan for a sustainable campus garden. |
 |
Jeremy Dann, 3rd Mate This is my first time working with SEA and I am very excited. I recently graduated from Maine Maritime Academy where I studied Small Vessel Operations. |
 |
Emelia DeForce Emelia is currently finishing up her degree at UMass Boston and can't wait to get out to sea again. She has been on three other research cruises in the past, two with Atlantis in the Pacific, and one with Thompson in the South Pacific. |
 |
Marina DelCassio, S-224 Marina attends Columbia University where she majors in Political Science and Astrophysics and expects to graduate in 2011. Marina’s hometown is Folsom, CA. |
 |
Matthew Ecklund, C-216 Matt received a BA in Studio Art from Macalester College where he also was a resident advisor and community assistant. In 2009 he was awarded the Grand Prize for 2009 Student Video Competition at the Macalester College “Step Forward” Campaign as well as honors for work displayed at the Senior Art Exhibition. |
 |
Scott Elliott, Videographer Scott is a documentary film producer based in Brooklyn, New York. His recent documentary, about Cambodian monks working with AIDS orphans, is currently showing on Frontline/World. |
 |
Eleanor Kane, S-213 Ellie graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English, emphasis in Creative Writing. She is a Project Assistant at Kelly Writers House and is an Assistant Coach to the Women's Ice Hockey team, both at the University of Pennsylvania. |
 |
Jacob Keaton, S-186 Jacob is an analyst for the International Space Station Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC, where he specializes in suit wearing. He graduated from the George Washington University in 2004, and is completing a master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University. |
 |
Jenan Kharbush, S-214 Jenan graduated from Ripon College with a double major in Chemistry and Biology. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Chemical Oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. |
 |
Wendy Kordesch, S-214 Wendy received a BS degree in Earth Sciences from University of California, Santa Cruz with a concentration in Ocean Sciences. She is currently pursuing a Master of Ocean Sciences degree at UC, Santa Cruz with an expected graduation date of 2011. |
 |
Sarah Lake, Asst. Engineer |  |
David M. Lawrence, Journalist David is the author of two books, Upheaval from the Abyss: Ocean Floor Mapping and the Earth Science Revolution (Rutgers University Press 2002) and Huntington's Disease (Chelsea House 2009), and is a contributor to essay anthologies, such as The Science of Dune and The Science of Michael Crichton (both BenBella Books 2008). |
 |
Marilou Maglione, W-86 Marilou is the Assistant Administrative Director of Anatomic Pathology at UNC Hospitals, McLendon Clinical Laboratory. She is also the co-owner and operator of Breezy Oaks Farm in Mebane, NC where she renewed depleted farmland utilizing sustainable agricultural methods without chemicals or antibiotics. |
 |
Dylan Meyer, S-224 |
 |
John Miller, W-16 John is a Senior Natural Resources Specialist for the United States Navy at the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest in the State of Washington. His primary duties are to conserve, restore and protect the natural resources found on Navy properties and operating areas. |
 |
Skye Morét-Ferguson, 3rd Scientist, C-190 During her childhood, Skye became inspired by the oceans by spending most days frolicking in the waves of the Pacific. She realized quickly that wherever her life would wander, she would always have a short tether to the ocean. |
 |
David Murphy, 2nd Scientist, S-185 Dave developed an affinity for the oceans and outdoors while growing up in the Pacific Northwest. When he fledged from his stomping grounds, he supplemented his degree in biology at Colorado College by studying iron limitation in the equatorial Pacific with SEA aboard S-185 (2003). |
 |
Leslie Peate, C-164 Leslie teaches Oceanography at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, VA. She received her BA from Old Dominion University with a Biology major and her MSEd degree from the same institution. |
 |
Stephen Putnam, W-76 Having relocated from the east coast to land locked Utah some 10+ years ago, I have taken up new interests and learned to adapt without the ocean close by but have never lost my fascination for it |
 |
David Reynolds, Engineer |
 |
Benjamin Schellpfeffer, Co-Videographer, S-191 Ben received a BFA in drama from New York University Tisch School of the Arts and a MFA in photography video and related media from School of Visual Arts. He has created documentary videos and taught videography all over the world in locations that include South Africa, Rwanda, Zanzibar, and Spain. |
 |
Roman Shor, S-204 Roman earned a BA in Mathematics and a BS in Engineering from University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, Roman led recitation sections in freshman and sophomore level computer science courses and was a technical consultant to the Computing and Technology Services Department. |
 |
William Snedden, W-23 Ted is a teacher at Northbrook High School in Houston, TX. where he teaches high school sciences including Physical Science, Biology, Physics and Environmental Systems and is the sponsor of the school's green club and recycling programs. |
 |
Tom Sullivan, Chief Mate At the age of eighteen, I joined the United States Coast Guard and began my career as a professional mariner. The Coast Guard took me to places as far ranging as Canada, Alaska, Guam, Russia, England, Ireland, France,... |
 |
Sarah Wegmueller, S-197 Sarah is a graduate of Carleton College where she earned a BA with a major in Political Science; International Relations track, and a minor in East Asian Studies with a Certificate of Advanced Study: Mandarin Chinese. |
||
