DECADES OF OCEAN EXPLORATION USING RESEARCH SUBMERSIBLES |
Fort Pierce, FL - On January 8, 2003, the public is invited as HARBOR BRANCH kicks
off its annual Ocean Science Lecture Series with a free presentation on the adventures
and history of the institute's Johnson-Sea-Link submersibles given by Dr. Shirley Pomponi,
HARBOR BRANCH's vice president and research director, and Don Liberatore, undersea vehicles
manager and chief submersible pilot. This husband-and-wife team will use spectacular
video footage and photos as well as their own personal experiences from decades of ocean
exploration to bring to life some of the most memorable and significant submersible
expeditions from the past three decades. They have worked around the globe searching
for marine creatures that produce chemicals that will fight cancer and other diseases
and have also been involved in such efforts as recovery of the Challenger space shuttle
wreckage and exploration of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald and the Civil War ironclad
U.S.S. Monitor. The pair will also outline the metamorphosis of the submersibles from their
initial form in the early 70's to their vastly improved and sophisticated current state.
Dr. Shirley Pomponi joined HARBOR BRANCH in 1984 and directed its Division of Biomedical Marine Research from 1992 to April 2002 before assuming her current position as the institute's vice president and research director. She was co-discover of several of HARBOR BRANCH's patented pharmaceutical products derived from marine organisms, including discodermolide, a chemical produced by a deep-sea sponge that has shown great promise in fighting certain cancers. Pomponi has led numerous research expeditions worldwide in search of new animals with potential human benefits and has logged more than 200 submersible dives as a chief scientist. She served on President Clinton's Ocean Exploration Panel, is currently on the National Academy of Science Committee on Exploration of the Seas, and is a member of both the Scientific Advisory Panel to the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the National Steering Committee for the Census of Marine Life, an international effort. She received her Ph.D. in biological oceanography from the University of Miami's School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Don Liberatore arrived at HARBOR BRANCH in 1977 and became a submersible pilot soon after. Now the manager of HARBOR BRANCH undersea vehicles and chief submersible pilot, he has logged over 1500 submersible dives at sites around the world including the Mediterranean Sea, Cuba, and the Galapagos Islands. During the 70's and parts of the 80's when the aft compartments of the Johnson-Sea-Links were used as lock-out chambers to allow deep diving, Liberatore was a diver. He also played an integral role in developing and putting to use the sophisticated mechanical tools such as robotic arms and suction "critter getter" samplers that now accomplish the work once done by divers, rendering their dangerous work in deep water unnecessary. Liberatore was involved in missions to recover critical wreckage after the space shuttle Challenger disaster as well as in documentation of the wreck of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald and a number other historic expeditions. He received an A.S. degree in laboratory technology from Staten Island Community College and an A.S. Degree from Florida Institute of Technology in Underwater Technology. High-resolution images of submersibles and speakers are available on request. FULL SCHEDULE FOR 2003 OCEAN SCIENCE LECTURE SERIES: January 8 - Shirley Pomponi & Don Liberatore - Submersible Science at Harbor Branch: Looking from the Inside Out January 15 - John Tucker - Marine Foodfish Culture and Stocking January 22 - Edie Widder - Bioluminescent Oddities and Wonders January 29 - Ned Smith - What Goes Around Comes Around: The Gulf Stream and the Circulation of the North Atlantic Ocean February 5 - Greg Bossart - Emerging Diseases in Marine Mammals: Should "Flipper" Be Worried? February 12 - Tammy Frank - Lifestyles of the Very Hot, the Very Cold and the Very Deep: How Do They Survive There? February 19 -Clay Cook - "Hunger Makes Strange Bedfellows": Symbiosis of Algae with Corals, Sea Anemones and other Marine Organisms February 26 - Joe Lopez - The World as a Classroom: Molecular Studies of Marine Biodiversity in the Field March 5 - Lee Frey - Robot Explorers: A Look at Unmanned Underwater Vehicles March 12 - Amy Wright - DBMR: The Deep Sea-Link to Drug Discovery March 19 - Megan Davis & Ken Riley - A Fish Eye's View of Aquaculture March 26 - Dennis Hanisak - "The Gleaming Indian River with Its Waves of Blue": Poetic License or Remembrances of Things Past? (Kermit Returns) HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution, Inc., is one of the world's leading nonprofit oceanographic research organizations dedicated to exploration of the earth's oceans, estuaries and coastal regions for the benefit of humankind. CONTACTS: Mark Schrope - Science Writer 772-465-2400 x433) • schrope@hboi.edu Jan Petri - Government and Public Relations 772-465-2400 x241 • petri@hboi.edu |