Seascape Alaska 3: Aleutians Remotely Operated Vehicle Exploration and Mapping

Jennifer Aschoff

Science Co-Lead (Geology), University of Alaska, Anchorage

Jennifer Aschoff is an Associate Professor in Geological Sciences at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, where she currently serves as the department chair. She has lived in the Anchorage area for nearly 10 years and is passionate about the complex geology and landscape of Alaska. Jennifer holds a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.S. in geological sciences from New Mexico State University, and a B.S. in Earth sciences from Montana State University. Her research interests are broadly focused in the areas of sedimentology, stratigraphy, and the interaction of tectonics and sedimentation. She has several current research projects that include Alaska’s North Slope and Rocky Mountains, aimed at interpreting the geologic evolution of these areas. Through her research, Jennifer has spent the last approximately 20 years interpreting ancient landscapes recorded in sedimentary rocks, including marine environments. She is excited to deepen her perspective of marine sedimentary processes and collaborate with a broad range of scientists during the Seascape Alaska expedition. In her free time, she enjoys climbing, skiing and exploring the coastlines of Alaska.

Rhian Waller

Science Co-Lead (Biology), University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Rhian Waller is a senior lecturer (associate professor) of marine sciences at the Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, which is part of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. She received her bachelor’s degree in marine biology at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth (Great Britain), completed her Ph.D. at the Southampton Oceanography Centre in Southampton (UK), and then moved to the United States for a postdoc at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. After spending 20 years in the United States (a good part of that on research expeditions around the world!), Rhian and her family moved to Sweden in early 2022. Her research is mainly focused on the reproductive ecology of deep-sea organisms, primarily cold-water corals, and how this important process is affected by environmental change (natural and human caused). A large part of her research program looks at where cold-water corals live around the globe (biogeography), so that her research group can start to hypothesize larval transport linkages and what is possible given a species’ reproductive potential. Rhian has worked all over the globe and currently has projects in Alaska, Patagonia, Antarctica, Sweden, and the North Atlantic basin. In her spare time, Rhian spends most of her time outside with her two boys, husband, and corgi Atlas, biking, hiking and camping, as well as learning Swedish. Jag är glad över att gå med på denna forskningskryssning och upptäcka nya organismer i Alaska!

Shannon Hoy

Expedition Coordinator, NOAA Ocean Exploration

Shannon Hoy is the Expedition Coordinator Team Lead with NOAA Ocean Exploration. She has always had a love of the ocean and started going to sea as an undergraduate on numerous seafloor mapping missions. On two of these expeditions, she was a NOAA Ocean Exploration explorer-in-training on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer! Now she leads field expeditions aboard Okeanos Explorer using a variety of tools such as multibeam sonars and remotely operated vehicles to map and explore remote and/or poorly understood areas of our ocean. When not in the field, she focuses on improving NOAA Ocean Exploration's operational efficiency and effectiveness and works to improve the pace and quality of ocean mapping as an active participant in the global mapping community. Her specialty is in deepwater ocean mapping and she received a master’s degree in Earth Sciences: Ocean Mapping from the University of New Hampshire.

Olivia Andrus

Video Editor, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration

Olivia Andrus graduated from Montana State University with a master’s of fine arts degree in science and natural history filmmaking and two bachelor’s degrees from Purdue University in wildlife biology and film/video studies. With these degrees, she has pursued her passion in creating science-based documentaries for companies all around the world such as The Marine Mammal Center, Marine Mammal Foundation, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and the American Chemical Society. This will be her first tour with the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration and NOAA Ocean Exploration and she is very excited to begin! When she isn’t filming, Olivia spends the majority of her time hiking around her home in Bozeman, Montana.

Fernando Aragon

Data Engineer, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration

Fernando Aragon graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. During his studies, he had experience in several fields including conceptual design, aerospace research, mechanical design, robotics and software development. From these activities he was able to intern for NASA at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, present research at a national conference, and even co-author a technical paper in the Journal of the Astronautical Sciences. His most recent position was at the Field Robotics Laboratory (FRL), where he helped support operations, testing, and software development for two unmanned surface vehicles. From his time in FRL, he discovered a true passion for development and design of robotic systems. Originally from Colombia, Fernando enjoys outdoor activities and currently resides in State College, Pennsylvania.

Caitlin Bailey

Video Editor, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration

Caitlin Bailey became a member of the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration video team and started sailing aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer in 2016. She is a “bi-polar” explorer, having been to both the Arctic and Antarctica, as well as a National Geographic Explorer. Caitlin is passionate about wildlife and sharing the deep sea and polar regions with a wide variety of audiences. She has a Master of Fine Arts in science and natural history filmmaking from Montana State University and a Bachelor of Science in animal biology from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. When not at sea, Caitlin resides in San Antonio, Texas, where she enjoys SCUBA diving, hiking, and entertaining her labradoodle, Camie.

Roland Brian

Video Engineer, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration

Roland Brian brings 38 years of electronics and satellite experience, with 29 of those years focusing on television and video engineering specialization. Throughout his early years in television, Roland worked to hone his skills and experience for various television stations and remote broadcasters as well as national broadcasters ranging from CBS, PBS, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, ESPN, Fox Sports, and the Golf Channel. With a keen eye for precise high-quality, high-definition video, he really enjoys and helps bring the imagery to life for the viewers. Roland began his career in the U.S. Air Force where he worked as a satellite communications engineering technician with visions of working on the U.S. Space Station. He traded in that quest for one of deep-ocean exploration and sharing the beautiful imagery with the world. He has worked with NOAA Ocean Exploration since 2010 and plays an integral part in telepresence-enabled remotely operated vehicle (ROV) expeditions. He has also provided engineering design, integration, and operation services for other projects using various Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration (GFOE) and NOAA Ocean Exploration mobile telepresence systems. His duties aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer include operation and maintenance of the ship's telepresence and video and satellite systems, including those on ROVs Deep Discoverer and Seirios. Again, Roland’s experience embodies the breadth and depth of knowledge that GFOE and NOAA Ocean Exploration encourage. When not at sea, Roland enjoys life with his wife and family in sunny Sarasota, Florida.

Patrick Cooper

Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Architect, NOAA Ocean Exploration

Patrick Cooper is a machine learning researcher and practitioner specializing in Deep Learning and Autonomous Systems. His focus areas include probabilistic graphical models, imitation learning, variational Bayesian methods, formal methods for autonomous systems, and implicitly learned multivariate latent distributions. Patrick holds undergraduate degrees in computational math, analytic philosophy, and film production from the University of New Mexico, with minors in university honors and computer science. Patrick also holds a research master's in deep learning research applied to autonomous systems from the University of Colorado Boulder. Patrick's work for NOAA Ocean Exploration focuses on vision transformers for automatic annotations and operational improvements.

Anna Coulson

Mapping Watch Lead, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Anna Coulson grew up in the United Kingdom and has a bachelor’s degree in ocean science from the University of Plymouth. After graduating, she spent 10 years sailing her own 10-meter sailboat from the United Kingdom to the Philippines and working as crew on various sail and motor boats. After sailing in many badly charted areas, she decided to attend the post-graduate certificate program for ocean mapping/hydrographic survey at the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping in New Hampshire, which was followed by contract work for the Hawaii Mapping Research Group. She is currently based in Portugal and works as an independent contractor for the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research as a part of the on-board survey team.

Jennifer Green

Data Manager, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information

Jennifer Green is a data manager with NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information through the Northern Gulf Institute at Mississippi State University. She earned a Bachelor of Science in fisheries management from Delaware State University and a Master of Science in coastal ecology from the University of Southern Mississippi. She has over 15 years of research experience in passive acoustic telemetry, which focused on monitoring spatial and temporal movement patterns of various species, including: Atlantic horseshoe crab, Atlantic and Gulf sturgeon, striped bass, bull and sand tiger sharks, tripletail, and southern flounder. This will be Jennifer’s first expedition on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer and she’s very excited to experience the adventure and learn new things. Jennifer resides in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. She enjoys outdoor activities, crafting, and gardening.

Art Howard

Video Editor, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration

For more than 30 years, Emmy-award winning photographer and producer Art Howard has helped viewers experience life through images from 50 countries and 7 continents. A native of North Carolina, Art has followed researchers aboard multiple deep-sea missions, documenting the excitement and challenges of exploration. Art uses the latest video technology to bring viewers as close as possible to life at sea, capturing both scientists and the marine life they seek to understand. Art has spent the last 11 years independently producing media for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

Nathaniel Kenney

Video Editor, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration

Nate Kenney joined the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration (GFOE) in the role of video editor in 2023. Nate comes with a five-year background as an editor and cinematographer, with a diverse background that includes working on narrative feature films and wildlife docu-series. He is a proud graduate of Montana State University's Science and Natural History Filmmaking program, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts. With a genuine appreciation for the natural world and a passion for storytelling, Nate is excited to apply his skills to GFOE's mission and create captivating content that advances our understanding of the ocean and its vast ecosystems.

Sean Kennison

Mechanical Engineer, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration

Sean Kennison first joined the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration in 2014 while earning his undergraduate degree at the Pennsylvania State University. He sailed on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer as part of the engineering team and assisted with various design projects throughout his senior year. Upon graduating at the top of his class with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in engineering mechanics, he joined the team full time. Sean regularly maintains the vehicles and continually works on improvements to keep them up-to-date with technological advances. He has gained invaluable experience and knowledge through the seasons, onshore and offshore, that has turned him into a versatile engineer. Initially starting as a passionate navigator, Sean has grown to become a skilled pilot and is a proven lead for the remotely operated vehicle expedition team.

Tim Lazouski

Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration

Tim Lazouski is a senior from Webb Institute, studying Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. He first worked with the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration offshore in the workshop this past winter and is set to sail this summer. With a deep interest in marine robotics, he is excited to get hands-on experience from sailing.

Anna Lienesh

Sample Data Manager, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information

Anna Lienesch is a data manager with NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) through the University of Maryland’s Cooperative Institute for Satellite Earth System Studies. She earned a Bachelor of Science in marine science with a minor in anthropology from Eckerd College in 2016 and has been with NCEI and NOAA Ocean Exploration’s Data Management Team since early 2018. Anna serves as the team lead for NOAA Ocean Exploration’s competitive grant program’s end-to-end data management activities and is the NCEI liaison to various NOAA divisions and line offices. In her spare time she enjoys baking, gardening, and playing Mario Kart.

Jon Mefford

Mechanical Engineer, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration

Jon Mefford holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Hawai‘i. He began his career working as a software test engineer on the Space Shuttle program for several years before moving to Hawai‘i to pursue his master's degree. During his time as a graduate student, he participated in a number of research expeditions aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer as a member of the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) team. This experience was invaluable to him as he worked on his degree, which focused on the design, development, and implementation of control systems for marine robotics. Since that time, Jon has spent more than eight years working as a test and integration engineer on the Orion Space Program, occasionally returning to support expeditions with the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration. He remains passionate about both space and deep-sea exploration and appreciates the many parallels that can be drawn between them. Jon currently resides in Denver, Colorado.

Bobby Mohr

Electrical Engineer, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration

Bobby Mohr is a systems/robotics engineer specializing in autonomous and remotely operated underwater vehicles. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and graduated cum laude from Davidson College in 2009. Bobby started his career as an engineering technician with Greensea Systems where he was responsible for the design, development, and testing of autonomous underwater vehicle control systems. Bobby realized that he would enjoy the design-build process more if he was able to also pursue the challenges of making vehicles work successfully at sea. After serving on several projects at Greensea, where he specialized in electrical and software systems support, Bobby joined the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration (GFOE) as an electrical systems engineer. During his time at Greensea and now with GFOE, he has been one of the key electrical engineers on the development of the 6,000-meter-rated remotely operated vehicle system of Deep Discoverer and Seirios.

Lars Murphy

Ocean/Mechanical Engineer, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration

Lars Murphy holds a bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from the University of Rhode Island. Growing up on the coast of Maine, he developed a constant pull toward the unknown, the unexplored, and chaotic environments and acquired a drive to bring meaning, understanding, and order to these areas. Lars has a professional background working with autonomous underwater vehicles and other subsea robotics systems both internationally and nationally and now supports remotely operated vehicles Deep Discoverer and Seirios as an ocean/mechanical engineer.

Marcel Peliks

Mapping Watch Lead, NOAA Ocean Exploration

Marcel Peliks is a passionate and dedicated professional who has focused his career on exploring and mapping the world's ocean. With a strong academic background in marine geology and oceanography, as well as technical expertise in hydrographic instrumentation, Marcel is well positioned in his role as a mapping watch lead aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to help uncover the geological processes, biodiversity, and potential resources that lie beneath the ocean's surface. Beyond the scientific aspect, Marcel is deeply committed to the preservation and conservation of marine environments. Through his work, he aims to enhance our understanding of the ocean's role in the Earth's ecosystem, supporting ongoing efforts to protect and sustainably manage these fragile habitats, as well as inspire others to appreciate the profound beauty and importance of the underwater realm. When he is not sailing, Marcel resides in California where he likes to spend his free time on the coast or in the mountains.

Chris Ritter

Remotely Operated Vehicle Team Lead, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration

Chris Ritter first joined the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration (GFOE) on the Cayman Rise Expedition in 2011, just prior to being hired full time by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). For the next three years, an informal NAVSEA-NOAA relationship allowed Chris to continue to participate in GFOE’s design, engineering, and offshore operations. Chris holds bachelor’s degrees in ocean engineering and aerospace engineering with a minor in mathematics from Virginia Tech. Chris has been a major contributor to GFOE’s design-build process and a tremendous asset to their offshore operations. He is a skilled navigator, pilot, and co-pilot and brings with him a level of enthusiasm that everyone around him appreciates and respects. In late 2014, Chris joined GFOE’s Mechanical Engineering team full time. He is enthusiastic about training the next generation and tackling new projects. Chris resides in Falls Church, Virginia.

Levi Unema

Electrical Engineer, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration

Levi Unema is an Eagle Scout from Lynden, Washington. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering along with a Certificate in Electric Power Engineering from Michigan Technological University. Levi joined the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration (GFOE) in 2016 and designs, builds, operates, and maintains GFOE’s remotely operated vehicles. Since joining the team, he has acquired many technical skills in the satellite communication field, in addition to the broadcast video field. Levi sails on most remotely operated vehicle expeditions on Okeanos Explorer, satisfying the roles of electrical engineer, navigator, pilot, co-pilot, and sometimes VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) engineer. Levi resides in Newport, Rhode Island.

Chris Wright

Data Engineer, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration

Chris Wright holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Mary Washington and a Master of Business Administration from Rollins College. After graduation, he worked as a network and systems administrator and engineer in the hospitality industry in the Northeast and Mountain West for more than 15 years. Recently relocating back to the East Coast, Chris joined the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration (GFOE) data team in early 2019 as one of the newest members of the organization. In 2019, he completed his first expedition aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer and is extremely excited about continuing the journey to explore the oceans around the world. When he isn't sailing on Okeanos Explorer, he’s busy working in GFOE’s Quonset office planning, designing, and implementing data solutions to help refine and mature its base of operations for ocean exploration. Chris and his family currently reside in Newport, Rhode Island.