Interview with Paul Craddock
Paul Craddock, a PhD student in the MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Marine Chemistry, is using his research to help create an area for kids to learn about the sea floor on the educational site Whyville. His work with Whyville is funded by COSEE-NE. Recently we spoke with him about his research, the Whyville project, and what inspired him to get involved with kids and education.
What’s your background?
I was born in Coventry, England, a completely land-locked area. I did my undergraduate degree at the National Oceanographic Center in Southampton, UK. That was my first hands-on introduction to oceanography, studying for a Bachelor’s in Marine Chemistry.How did you get interested in ocean science?
When I was 16 I went to a careers fair. It was full of men in suits promoting law and accounting; it just wasn’t for me. But there was one woman who really stood out. I found out she had just flown in from Hawaii and she was a marine biologist. After talking at length with her, I realized for the first time you could actually have a career in ocean sciences! My love of the outdoors and the ocean and my appreciation for chemistry made chemical oceanography a natural fit. It is very cliché, but true!
How did you get to WHOI?
In the summer of 2001 I was invited to be a guest researcher at WHOI. I decided then that I would love to come back for my PhD, and have been lucky enough to do so. I returned to WHOI in the fall of 2003, through the MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Chemical Oceanography.
What is your research about?
My research focus is to understand the evolution and formation of mineral [metal sulfide] deposits at seafloor hydrothermal vent systems; to understand the controls and conditions of why certain metal deposits form. I have been very fortunate to go to sea for research, taking my own mineral deposit and fluid samples from active hydrothermal vents. In the laboratory I carry out geochemical and isotopic analyses of the minerals and of the fluids, and use trace element geochemical signatures and metal distributions within the deposits to infer how they formed.
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Deep sea anemones and barnacles living on basaltic volcanic substrate from the TowCam hydrothermal vent field, Lau Basin, SW Pacific Ocean. Image captured by digital cameras operating on the Jason2 ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Copyright:: Margaret K. Tivey, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. |
What got you interested in doing education outreach?
I have been very fortunate, have had a good education, and know that learning and knowledge is powerful. I have been afforded a lot of educational opportunities and wish to repay those opportunities. Plus I want to communicate the importance and excitement of many aspects of oceanographic research to a broad audience. I want to be able to take my science and put it in a real world context.
How did you know what steps to take?
WHOI and MIT are very proactive and engaged in holding events to highlight extracurricular activities. I went to a couple of workshops - Communicating Ocean Science [developed by COSEE-California] and Scientific Inquiry in the K-12 Classroom [a COSEE-NE sponsored program] – that inspired me to get involved with education.
What made you want to work with Whyville in particular?
The idea and philosophy of Whyville really appealed to me. I am able to put my research into a framework where kids can access it. My research is very difficult – not to mention hazardous – to take into a classroom. My samples are often toxic and are rich in harmful metals such as arsenic and cadmium; some are even radioactive. The best, and safest, way to communicate my research is via the internet.
What does your Whyville project cover?
I am working with the Whyville directors to put together a virtual world of marine hydrothermal systems that the children can actively explore. I really like the Whyville ethos where children are encouraged to learn for themselves and actively participate in educational activities, rather than just being “spoon-fed” information. My goal is to get kids actively involved in the Virtual Vent project and then have enough information and activities there to keep them occupied!
What phase is the project in now?
I’m putting together a database of all known hydrothermal vent systems around the world – where and how large they are, what kinds of deposits exist there, what are the known fluid temperatures and fluid chemistries and what are the biological distributions, from microbial to macro fauna. There are about 100 discovered vent sites thus far and about 500 known unique species of fauna at these systems. I’m about three-quarters of the way through the database. We hope to have the site up by the end of the year.
How will kids use the Whyville hydrothermal vent site?
The vision for the project is to get kids to go to the WhOI area of Whyville and enter into the Deep Sea laboratory. They will gather background information about hydrothermal vent systems and can then go out to sea on a virtual oceanographic cruise, to explore and examine hydrothermal vent systems and to document and monitor the biological and chemical aspects of these systems. We will start by putting up 20 percent of the sites and add new ones each month. We will incorporate educational games and activities, such as maintaining vent biological habitats, and actual video footage from real vent sites.
Are there future outcomes from your Whyville work?
When I’m done with my PhD, having an education component will be helpful for funding. I want to feel actively involved in having a more broad-reaching impact – I know a broad-reaching component to my research work is possible. In the future I’d like to continue to have an advisory role, perhaps leading some online forums and discussions about oceanographic and environmental science.
What’s the benefit of transforming your research into something like Whyville?
It’s a way to expand the impact of ocean sciences within the public community. If this works, then there will be ample opportunity for other research projects on Whyville, similar to the Harmful Algal Bloom research site that’s already active and extremely popular with children. Kids on Whyville are keen to learn!
How will your outreach impact the future?
I would love children (and adults!) to understand more about the role and importance of the ocean in many aspects of our lives. I hope my outreach can encourage other scientists to become involved in extracurricular education. Kids love to talk with scientists and it would really open people’s eyes to what we do!