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Barbara Campbell
Postdoctoral Fellow,
University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies
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Craig Cary
Professor,
University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies
* Chief Scientist and Principal Investigator
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Robert Feldman
Production Sequencing & Collaborations Manager,
Molecular Dynamics, Inc. Sunnyvale, California
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Dan Fornari
Senior Scientist,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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Brian Glazer
Graduate Student,
University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies
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Luis Hurtado
Graduate Research Assistant,
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
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Steve Lerner
Research Engineer,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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George Luther
Professor,
University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies
* Principal Investigator
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Liz McCliment
Graduate Student,
University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies
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Donald Nuzzio
Adjunct Professor,
University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies
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Tim Rozan
Postdoctoral Fellow,
University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies
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Tim Shank
Postdoctoral Fellow,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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Alison Sipe
National Sea Grant Knauss Fellow,
National Science Foundation
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Luis Soto
Professor,
Univ. Nacional Autonomia de Mexico
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Martial Taillefert
Postdoctoral Fellow,
University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies
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Phil Taylor
Biological Oceanography Program Director,
National Science Foundation
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Jane Boone
Technician,
Portland State University |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I will be assisting Dr. Anna-Louise Reysenbach's group in performing various chemical and molecular analyses on
samples collected from hydrothermal vents. In particular, I will be preparing the sulfides for molecular biological
analysis and enriching the samples to identify organisms that are hydrogen oxidizers, sulfur reducers, methnogens,
and sulfate reducers.
What questions are you trying to answer and why?
As a research team, we are interested in what types of microbes inhabit sulfide chimneys, and whether they are
specifically able to use the energy associated with the reaction that forms pyrite, a mineral that is abundant
in these structures. We're interested in these questions for many reasons. We don't know much about the diversity
of microbes in these chimneys; we will find new organisms that we have never described before. It has also been
proposed that pyrite is an excellent molecule for studying the early evolution of life and that life may have originated
in an environment like that seen at deep-sea vents today. We are interested in testing this hypothesis by exploring
the diversity of microbes in places where pyrite is forming. Perhaps it will give us clues to the type of ancestral
organisms that evolved more than 3.5 billion years ago. |
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| Barbara Campbell Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Delaware
College of Marine and Earth Studies |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I will slice samples of the chimneys brought up by the deep-sea submersible Alvin into thin sections
and preserve them for later study in our laboratory at the University of Delaware. I will also attempt, on the
ship, to grow bacteria that live in these chimneys. We expect that these bacteria will grow at very high temperatures,
such as between 50° C and 90° C (122° F and 194° F).
What questions are you trying to answer and why?
We are interested in the ecology of the bacteria that live in high-temperature, extreme environments, such as
those found at hydrothermal vent sites in the deep sea. By studying the types and amounts of different bacteria
found in these environments, we can begin to understand how these organisms colonize and flourish in habitats that
are thought to be similar to those present when life on Earth began. These bacteria also grow with different chemicals
as energy sources than "normal" bacteria and live in conditions toxic to most organisms, including high levels
of heavy metals, under high pressures, and high temperatures. We want to understand how these bacteria thrive in
such an extreme environment that would be fatal to most of the other life we know of on Earth. Finally, the Guaymas
Basin in the Sea of Cortés is a unique hydrothermal environment, where there are high levels of petroleum
(oils). There is preliminary evidence that some of the bacteria found at the hydrothermal vents of Guaymas are
able to degrade these oils into non-toxic or less toxic compounds (biodegradation), and we are interested in the
mechanisms used by these bacteria to degrade these compounds.
Why is this research important?
From a purely scientific basis, our research will fill in missing information and expand the current theories
of how life might have begun on Earth. We will also be able to better understand how bacteria flourish in this
environment by being able to grow the bacteria in the laboratory. Our research may benefit society today if we
are able to grow and put to use bacteria that can detoxify chemicals, such as heavy metals or petroleum. In addition,
these discoveries can be used to aid society by finding enzymes (from the bacteria) that are able to work under
extreme chemical and physical conditions.
What's your educational background and what lured you into marine research?
I initially started out in the medical field and worked in a clinical laboratory. In the clinical laboratory,
I specialized in growing pathogenic bacteria. This work interested me tremendously, and I decided to go on to graduate
school. I went to Cornell University, where I received my Ph.D. in microbiology, investigating how certain viruses
interact with their host. I worked at the National Institutes of Health in the medical field before switching to
marine science here at the University of Delaware. Investigating deep-sea bacteria in relation to their 'extreme'
environment (microbial ecology) has opened up a whole new aspect of my scientific career.
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Craig Cary
Associate Professor,
University of Delaware
College of Marine and Earth Studies
* Chief Scientist and Principal Investigator
For more information about Dr. Cary, please visit www.ocean.udel.edu/ faculty/caryc/ cary.html |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I am one of the three principal investigators on the Extreme 2000 expedition and also have the rewarding position
as Chief Scientist. This is my 21st cruise with the Alvin and only my second as Chief Scientist. Being Chief
Scientist means I am responsible for the success of the science being conducted on the expedition. My primary role
is to interface between the ship and submersible operations and the science to ensure that everything moves smoothly
and successfully. We are very fortunate in this country to have the most professional and successful submersible
operation in the world. This success is based on the professional attitude and enthusiasm of the crew of the Atlantis
(mother ship) and the Alvin group. Ultimately our success hinges on their abilities to get the sub in and
out of the water everyday and to carry out our desired tasks.
What questions are you working to answer and why?
My laboratory is primary interested in understanding how the chemistry of this extreme environment controls
the evolution and distribution of the resident bacteria. We will be sampling both vent chimneys as well as hot
marine sediments in search of new and exciting microbial life. Recent evidence suggests that life on this planet
may have originated in high-temperature marine environments. On this cruise, we are focused on using our chemical
sensors to identify novel high-temperature chemical environments and then characterize the unique microbiology
that lives there. The exciting aspect of this science is that every time we look, we find something totally new.
Why is this research important?
We are lucky in this country to have a federal funding agency (National Science Foundation - NSF) that has
made it a priority to fund basic exploratory research in the deep sea. This, like NASA's many expeditions to the
moon, has provided new and exciting insight into the evolution of this planet. These investigations led to discovery
of a unique community of organisms that had never been seen that appear to be supported through chemical energy
rather than solar energy in what is probably the most extreme environment on the planet. These organisms have evolved
the ability to live and thrive under extremes of pressure, temperature, and chemistry. Their ability to do this
involves many special biochemical adaptations that, if understood, could be used to improve many industrial production
processes. Already, several enzymes from vent microorganisms have been borrowed to help biomedical researchers
accelerate their capabilities in the laboratory. We hope that there are many more important resources to be discovered
- all we need is the time to look.
What's your educational background and what lured you into marine research?
I was born in the United States, spending most my early years in Southern California. Living in Los Angeles,
my family and I would spend much of the summer on the beach. Little did I know that these early exposures to the
marine environment would have such a long-lasting impact on my life.
We moved to England when I was 10, where I was immediately thrust into the very strict and more demanding British
educational system. It was here that I clearly remember becoming passionate about marine biology. A young Australian
visiting teacher taught my first biology class, working in marine biology wherever possible. I was caught. This
experience lead to a summer job at London's National Aquarium.
I decided that this was what I wanted to study in University, and so in my senior year, I applied to colleges in
the United States that had undergraduate programs in marine sciences. I spent four years at the Florida Institute
of Technology majoring in marine biology. With that introduction behind me, I was fortunate to receive the Our
World Underwater Scholarship. This year-long scholarship is awarded to an individual wishing to gain more experience
in any marine-related field. I spent an entire year traveling around the world working with marine scientists from
all disciplines. At the close of that year I decided to return to school and earned a master's degree at San Diego
State University developing new approaches for culturing marine bivalves.
After completing my master's degree, I decided to spend a year working as a marine naturalist in Indonesia. Here,
I was fortunate to explore dozens of rarely visited islands and many reefs that had never seen a SCUBA diver. I
returned to the states, and in the fall of 1983 began my doctoral work at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
in San Diego. This was a dream come true. I was fortunate to arrive at Scripps shortly after the discovery of hydrothermal
vents and to be taken into a laboratory that was heavily involved in vent research. Six years and over 15 cruises
later, I emerged from Scripps with a Ph.D. and an intense love of science.
I was fortunate to receive an NSF Marine Biotechnology Postdoctoral Fellowship to continue my training in molecular
biology in the laboratory of Dr. Stephen Giovannoni at Oregon State University. The application of molecular biology
to examine questions in marine ecology was brand new and certainly one of the exciting frontiers in marine science.
I spent four years in Oregon researching aspects of vent symbiosis and microbiology.
In 1994, I accepted a position in the College of Marine Studies at the University of Delaware, where my lab continues
to research aspects of vent symbioses and free-living microbial life in this very extreme environment. |
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| Robert Feldman Production Sequencing & Collaborations Manager,
Molecular Dynamics, Inc., Sunnyvale, California |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I am a scientist and a principal investigator at Molecular Dynamics, Inc., in Sunnyvale, California, leading
a large-scale DNA and genomic sequencing group. On this cruise, I will be working on comparative molecular genetics
of the giant tubeworms and their bacterial endosymbionts. We will be extracting DNA and RNA from bacteria and hosts
and constructing DNA and RNA libraries. These libraries will form the basis for testing how the organisms are genetically
responding and adapting to their environment and also may tell us about how the host animal and bacterial symbionts
genetically communicate with one another.
Back in our lab, we will be determining the DNA sequence of the entire genome of the bacterial endosymbiont from
the giant tubeworms, Riftia pachyptila. These bacteria have never been isolated and grown in pure culture
in the laboratory so our work has been designated "environmental genomics" in order to reflect the non-laboratory
sources of our DNA samples. We are also collecting DNA to put onto hi-density microarray slides for environmental
probing.
What questions are you trying to answer and why?
We are trying to answer questions related to biodiversity, molecular evolution, and genomics. My group is working,
from an evolutionary and ecological perspective, on large-scale genome sequencing projects. The giant tubeworms
found at the hydrothermal vents are completely dependent on their bacterial endosymbionts for nutrition. By exploring
the genetics of this symbiotic relationship, we hope to gain insights into the origin, evolution, and physiological
maintenance of these tightly coupled microbial-invertebrate communities.
Why is this research important?
This research represents the interdisciplinary linking of deep-sea biology and state-of-the-art biotechnology.
Our work is the first hi-throughput genomic scale work attempted in the deep-sea environment and is laying the
groundwork for future environmental genomic studies. Our work also demonstrates the potential for conducting highly
detailed genetic studies on uncultivated microbes. By further combining hi-throughput DNA sequencing studies with
chip-based hybridization studies, this research has tremendous promise for laying the foundations for dissecting
Earth's biocomplexity, leading to a more comprehensive view of Earth's evolutionary and physiological dynamics.
What's your educational background. What lured you into
marine research?
I received my B.S. and M.S. in biology from the University of Illinois in 1983, my Ph.D. in genetics from the University
of Hawaii in 1994, and served as a postdoctoral fellow at Rutgers University from 1994 -1997. I have worked on
evolutionary genetics of Hawaiian forest birds, complete microbial genomes, and evolutionary biology of deep-sea
hydrothermal vent organisms. I have been fascinated by biodiversity, molecular evolutionary biology and marine
science since I was a young child. I have also long believed that real advances in science come from interdisciplinary
studies. Working in this field is the realization of my life-long ambitions and goals.
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Dan Fornari
Senior Scientist,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I will be testing a digital camera for use as a time-lapse system as part of the biological research program at
the Guaymas vents. I will also be primarily responsible for conducting multibeam bathymetry surveys and mapping
the Guaymas Basin and Mid-Ocean Ridge axes in the Sea of Cortés.
What's your educational background?
I'm a senior scientist in the Geology & Geophysics Department at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).
I'm also the chief scientist for Deep Submergence at WHOI, helping the institution and colleagues around the United
States make maximum use of the National Deep Submergence Facility vehicles Alvin, ROV Jason, DSL-120 sonar,
and the Argo II imaging system. My research has spanned 30 years, and I've worked and studied at three major U.S.
oceanographic Institutions - Scripps Institution in La Jolla, California; Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory
of Columbia University in Palisades, New York; and most recently WHOI since 1993.
My work has included marine geological and geophysical mapping and the study of small volcanoes (seamounts) on
the ocean floor, volcanic and hydrothermal processes at the Mid-Ocean Ridge axis, structure and volcanism in oceanic
transforms, and studies of the flanks of Hawaiian volcanoes. I have also worked extensively on studies of hydrothermal
vents and related biological communities following submarine eruptions. My work at the East Pacific Rise (EPR)
near 9° 50' N started in 1991 and is ongoing with self-recording temperature probes that I designed, collecting
data every 30 minutes at 8 high- and 11 low- temperature vents over a 2-kilometer portion of the EPR axis. I also
have been involved with improvements to the submersible Alvin and to ROV and tethered vehicles operated
by WHOI for U.S. scientists.
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Brian Glazer
Doctoral Student,
University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
As the newest member of the Extreme researchers, my role in the project will primarily consist of helping with
all types of analyses. We will be using various chemical and electrochemical techniques to attempt to characterize
the hydrothermal environment, so that we might learn more about the organisms living there. Since I recently joined
Dr. George Luther's group and this is my first cruise, I hope to learn much about the general nature of such expeditions,
as well as continue to develop my skills in performing the necessary analyses.
What kinds of questions will you try to answer, and why is the research important?
Undoubtedly, the research we perform on Extreme 2000 will provide valuable information regarding relationships
between the chemical environment and the biological ecology associated with hydrothermal vents. In addition, I
hope the cruise will inspire me to develop a project of my own for my Ph.D. research.
What is your educational background? What lured you into marine research?
I came to the University of Delaware College of Marine Studies (CMS) after completing a bachelor's degree in
biology with a minor in marine science at Pennsylvania State University. Since then, I have completed a master's
degree at CMS with an emphasis in marine biology-biochemistry, while researching estuarine ecology with Dr. Kent
Price. Having always had an interest in developing an understanding of how organisms respond to their environment,
deciding to work toward a Ph.D. with Dr. Luther as an adviser was an easy choice.
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Dorothee Gotz
Postdoctoral Fellow, Portland State University |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I am a postdoctoral fellow working with Dr. Anna-Louise Reysenbach at Portland State University. During the
expedition, I will be assisting Dr. Reysenbach and Dr. George Luther, from the University of Delaware, with chemical
analyses of water and mineral samples collected from the hydrothermal vents sites.
What questions are you trying to answer and why?
As a research team, we are interested in what types of microbes inhabit sulfide chimneys, and whether they are
specifically able to use the energy associated with the reaction that forms pyrite, a mineral that is abundant
in these structures. We're interested in these questions for many reasons. We don't know much about the diversity
of microbes in these chimneys; we will find new organisms that we have never described before. It has also been
proposed that pyrite is an excellent molecule for studying the early evolution of life and that life may have originated
in an environment like that seen at deep-sea vents today. We are interested in testing this hypothesis by exploring
the diversity of microbes in places where pyrite is forming. Perhaps it will give us clues to the type of ancestral
organisms that evolved more than 3.5 billion years ago. |
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Susan Humphris
Senior Scientist,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
My research focuses on understanding hydrothermal processes at mid-ocean ridges and has two major aspects.
First, I've mapped and sampled various sites of hydrothermal activity using the submersible Alvin and several
remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), including Jason, to understand the relations between hydrothermal processes
and volcanic activity. Second, I've worked extensively on the chemical reactions that take place between circulating
seawater and the oceanic crust in hydrothermal systems. These are important in understanding how seawater gets
transformed into the hot hydrothermal fluid emanating at the seafloor.
What is your educational background? What lured you into marine research?
I am a senior scientist in the Geology and Geophysics Department at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).
Originally a graduate student in the WHOI-MIT Joint Program in Oceanography, I returned to WHOI in 1992 after spending
13 years teaching oceanography to undergraduates at the Sea Education Association, also in Woods Hole.
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Luis Hurtado
Graduate Research Assistant,
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I am a participating scientist from Bob Vrijenhoek's lab at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
What questions are you trying to answer and why?
We are studying population genetics dynamics and evolution of organisms from hydrothermal vents. In this cruise,
we are interested in collecting clams and tubeworms from the Guaymas Basin. We have a substantial collection of
these organisms from several hydrothermal vents on the Pacific Rise. By comparison of DNA sequences, we are trying
to determine the modes of gene flow (dispersion) and population structure of these organisms. This will allow us
to understand their movements among hydrothermal vents and how the populations are divided genetically. This is
a very interesting topic because although some hydrothermal vents are separated by some or few hundreds of kilometers,
others are separated by several hundreds or thousand of kilometers, which may constitute a barrier or restriction
for dispersion of these organisms. Additionally, the hydrothermal vents at the Pacific Rise may present a very
ephemeral existence. Their presence is governed by a continuous process of destruction of vents by eruptions and
creation of new vents. Thus, it is very intriguing how the organisms disperse among the vents and which mechanisms
they utilize to maintain the survival of the species in these ephemeral and extreme environments.
What's your educational background. What lured you into marine research?
I am a Colombian biologist. I finished a master's degree in Mexico in ecology and conservation of natural resources.
Currently, I am a Ph.D. candidate at Rutgers University in the Ecology and Evolution program. I have always been
fascinated with the study of wildlife and nature. For my bachelor's degree, I studied the ecology and behavior
of humpback whales that migrated from the Antarctic to Colombian waters. Later, for my master's degree, I studied
the ecology and behavior of river dolphins in the Amazon River Basin.
I met Dr. Robert Vrijenhoek during a scientific meeting in Mexico, and he gave me the wonderful opportunity to
participate in hydrothermal vent and population genetics research. These two fields were completely new to me,
so I was very excited about them. For my dissertation thesis, I am comparing DNA sequences and allozymes of individuals
of different populations of clams and tubeworms along the Pacific Rise.
Why is this research important?
I think hydrothermal vent research is very important because it provides knowledge about very ancient environments
in which many forms of life have succeeded in surviving under extreme conditions of temperature, pressure, darkness,
toxic gas emissions, etc. |
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Melissa Kendall
Graduate Student,
Portland State University |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I am a graduate student working with Dr. Anna-Louise Reysenbach. I am interested in trying to grow some of the
high-temperature microbes found at hydrothermal vent sites. Specifically, I will be working to grow iron reducers,
iron oxidizers, and nitrate reducers.
What questions are you trying to answer and why?
As a research team, we are interested in what types of microbes inhabit sulfide chimneys, and whether they are
specifically able to use the energy associated with the reaction that forms pyrite, a mineral that is abundant
in these structures. We're interested in these questions for many reasons. We don't know much about the diversity
of microbes in these chimneys; we will find new organisms that we have never described before. It has also been
proposed that pyrite is an excellent molecule for studying the early evolution of life and that life may have originated
in an environment like that seen at deep-sea vents today. We are interested in testing this hypothesis by exploring
the diversity of microbes in places where pyrite is forming. Perhaps it will give us clues to the type of ancestral
organisms that evolved more than 3.5 billion years ago. |
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Steve Lerner
Research Engineer,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I will be setting up the communication systems to send the information collected on the ship to shore, where you
can participate. We will be using the SeaNet system along with a high-speed digital satellite that allows us to
communicate from anywhere at sea. I will also be setting up Web forms on the ship to allow the scientists to easily
describe their observations and enter journal logs. These dive logs, journal entries, photos, and video clips will
be sent automatically to shore where the shore-side personnel will incorporate this information into Web sites,
allowing anyone on the Internet to participate in the cruise.
What's your educational background?
I'm a research engineer in the Deep Submergence Laboratory at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). I've
been with WHOI for almost 10 years and have participated in over a dozen cruises. I have worked with several types
of remotely operated underwater robotic vehicles (Jason, Argo, DSL120, Odyssey) and have developed sonar acquisition
systems, data access and analysis systems, visualization systems, and wireless communications systems. These systems
have been used for applications ranging from real-time survey monitoring and multi-sensor mapping of hydrothermal
vent sites to archaeology and forensic study of shipwrecks. I have a bachelor of science degree in computer engineering
and a master of science degree in electrical engineering from Lehigh University. |
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Krista Longnecker
Graduate Student,
Portland State University |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I am a graduate student working with Dr. Anna-Louise Reysenbach. I am interested in trying to grow some of the
high-temperature microbes found at hydrothermal vent sites. Specifically, I will be focusing on trying to grow
organisms that can use the pyrite reaction for growth. Additionally, I will be assisting technician Jane Boone
and Dr. Reysenbach in preparing sulfides for molecular biological analysis.
What questions are you trying to answer and why?
As a research team, we are interested in what types of microbes inhabit sulfide chimneys, and whether they are
specifically able to use the energy associated with the reaction that forms pyrite, a mineral that is abundant
in these structures. We're interested in these questions for many reasons. We don't know much about the diversity
of microbes in these chimneys; we will find new organisms that we have never described before. It has also been
proposed that pyrite is an excellent molecule for studying the early evolution of life and that life may have originated
in an environment like that seen at deep-sea vents today. We are interested in testing this hypothesis by exploring
the diversity of microbes in places where pyrite is forming. Perhaps it will give us clues to the type of ancestral
organisms that evolved more than 3.5 billion years ago.
What is your educational background?
I graduated from Yale University with a B.S. in Biology in 1993. While I was still an undergraduate, I spent a
semester with the Sea Education Association and was hooked on oceanography because of its interdisciplinary nature.
I decided to take some time before returning to school by working in marine sciences. My time was split between
two non-profit organizations in Maine. One group was involved in environmental issues concerning the local watershed
and the other group was working to build an aquarium in Portland, Maine. After a year at Rutgers University, I
transferred to Oregon State University's Oceanography Department. |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I'm the leader of the chemistry component of the project.
What questions are you trying to answer and why?
Our group has two major goals during Extreme 2000. The first is to use electrochemical sensors to measure hydrogen
sulfide and iron monosulfide in real-time near and at hydrothermal vents. The measurement of these two chemicals
indicates that pyrite (fool's gold) and hydrogen gas are being formed. The hydrogen gas is a useful chemical that
life forms such as Archaea, which are descendants of ancient life, can use for growth. We then will use this information
to prospect for, or discover, life forms that can live off the reaction with hydrogen sulfide and iron monosulfide.
This recently has been proposed to be an important process.
Our second major goal is to use the same electrochemical sensors with probe-like microelectrodes to measure
hydrogen sulfide and other chemicals such as dissolved oxygen, iron, and manganese at submillimeter resolution
in seafloor muds. These chemicals indicate that different bacteria are involved in the decomposition of organic
matter. We will study muds that are quite warm- about 60° C - and which may contain bacteria that have unique
enzymes that can be harvested to do work for man.
What is your educational background?
I have a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a doctorate in physical-inorganic chemistry. I began research in
marine chemistry because I was confronted with some interesting questions by biology and geology colleagues who
needed to know more about the different compounds that sulfur can form in the environment.
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| Liz McCliment, Graduate Student, University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
The submersible will be bringing three kinds of samples up from the seafloor: water, vent chimneys, and sediments.
When the sub is brought back onto the research vessel Atlantis, my job will be to take the sediment samples
and separate them into layers, and then preserve or freeze the samples to bring back home to our lab at the University
of Delaware. I'll be up early in the morning to set up equipment that will go down with the sub and then spend
a few hours each day preparing the supplies and chemicals we'll need when the samples are brought up that evening.
A group of us will spend most of the night separating the sediment for different tests and experiments, and we'll
start the process all over early the next morning!
What questions will you be working to answer?
My own work back in Delaware will include figuring out what kind of microbes live in the chimneys and sediments
and the chemical environments they inhabit. Scientists used to believe that life could not exist in the deep sea;
now we know that many organisms (like bacteria!) flourish there. By studying these "extreme" microbes, we are hoping
to discover the mechanisms they use to live in such harsh environments. How have they adapted themselves? How are
they different from microbes that live in environments more like ours? Studying microbes living in the hydrothermal
environments in the deep sea is one way of answering these questions.
What is your educational background? What lured you into marine research?
I began by taking extra science courses in high school, and majored in marine biology at Texas A&M University.
I've always thought that studying marine biology was a great way to learn about interactions between biological
systems and their environment - an area where there is still a lot left to discover.
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Dr. Donald Nuzzio,
Adjunct Professor,
University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies
For more information about Dr. Nuzzio's company - Analytical Instrument Systems, Inc.
- please visit www.AIShome.com. |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I'm the person who built the instrument that is being used by Professors Luther and Cary to gather electrochemical
data from the deep-sea floor. My company - Analytical Instrument Systems, Inc. - in Flemington, New Jersey, builds
analytical instrumentation for the laboratory and the field.
I was the first person to perform voltammetry, a type of electrochemical analysis, at 2,500 meters deep in the
Pacific Ocean, at 9°N along the East Pacific Rise. The instrument I developed allows the researcher to collect
chemical information near hydrothermal vents in "real time," or right on site as the chemicals spew from the vents,
rather than collecting a water sample and taking it to back to the lab for analysis. This has never been done before.
Specifically, my role during Extreme 2000 is to insure that the DLK-SUB-1 electrochemical analyzer attached
to the sub Alvin is in proper working order, to test new electronic designs for the instruments of the future,
and to help in general with data collection on the cruise.
What questions are you trying to answer and why?
We are trying to answer the questions of what type of chemistry is occurring in real time at the vent sites
on the ocean floor. Also, what is the chemistry, in real time, of the water right where deep-sea organisms live?
The emphasis on "real time" is important because it will allow us to fully understand the different biological,
geological, and chemical processes that are occurring when we observe an organism or when a geochemical event is
happening.
What is your educational background?
I have a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey;
and a master of science degree in chemistry and a doctorate in analytical chemistry from Rutgers University. Currently,
I'm president of Analytical Instrument Systems, Inc., in Flemington, New Jersey, and an adjunct associate professor
at the University of Delaware College of Marine Studies. My major focus is to develop high-quality, compact, portable
analytical instrumentation for use in underwater research.
For more information about Analytical Instrument Systems, Inc., visit www.AIShome.com.
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Alice Ortmann
Graduate Student, University of British Columbia |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I am a graduate student working on my Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. During
the Extreme 2000 cruise, I will be working as part of Craig Cary's team. My specific research interest is determining
the abundance and distribution of viruses that infect bacteria at hydrothermal vents. In surface waters, it has
been found that viruses that infect bacteria can be very important in controlling bacterial populations and nutrient
cycling. I am trying to determine if viruses have similar effects at hydrothermal vents.
What is your educational background. What lured you into marine science?
Marine science has always interested me because the ocean is so different from life on land. Watching fish swim
in an aquarium has always fascinated me. During my bachelor's degree at Simon Fraser University, I took as many
marine science classes as possible and spent four months at the Bamfield Marine Station on Vancouver Island. When
it came to choosing a research topic for graduate school, I knew I wanted to try and understand more about the
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Anna-Louise Reysenbach
Professor,
Portland State University
* Principal Investigator
For more information about Dr. Reysenbach, please visit caddis.esr.pdx.edu/alr |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I am one of the co-principal investigators on the National Science Foundation grant with Drs. Luther and Cary to
study the microbial diversity and ecology of hydrothermal sulfide chimneys. My students (Krista Longnecker and
Melissa Kendall) are interested in trying to grow some of the high-temperature microbes. Krista will be focusing
on trying to grow organisms that can use the pyrite reaction for growth, and Melissa will be trying to grow iron
reducers, iron oxidizers, and nitrate reducers. Additionally, they will be assisting my technician (Jane Boone)
and myself in preparing the sulfides for molecular biological analysis. With the aid of Jane, I will be enriching
for organisms that are hydrogen oxidizers, sulfur reducers, methnogens, and sulfate reducers. My new postdoctoral
fellow, Dorothee Gotz, will be assisting Dr. Luther in the chemical analyses.
What questions are you trying to answer and why?
As a research team, we are interested in what types of microbes inhabit sulfide chimneys, and whether they are
specifically able to use the energy associated with the reaction that forms pyrite, a mineral that is abundant
in these structures. We're interested in these questions for many reasons. We don't know much about the diversity
of microbes in these chimneys; we will find new organisms that we have never described before. It has also been
proposed that pyrite is an excellent molecule for studying the early evolution of life and that life may have originated
in an environment like that seen at deep-sea vents today. We are interested in testing this hypothesis by exploring
the diversity of microbes in places where pyrite is forming. Perhaps it will give us clues to the type of ancestral
organisms that evolved more than 3.5 billion years ago.
Why is this research important?
We know SO little about the diversity of the microbial world. (It has been estimated that we have only described
about 1% of the microbial diversity!) This study will help us characterize the types of microbes associated with
chimneys; we will better understand their distribution and ecology. Additionally, using the in situ chemical
measurements that Dr. Luther's lab will be taking, we will be able to determine where pyrite could be forming,
and perhaps locate organisms that are dependent on this reaction for their growth. Additionally, we will be trying
to grow some of these organisms in the lab. Any successful cultures that we obtain in the lab will help us better
understand how these organisms use the pyrite reaction, and associated hydrogen.
What's your educational background? What lured you into marine research?
I am a microbial biologist and have always worked with organisms that live in extreme environments. During my Ph.D.
I started scuba diving and enjoyed that so much that I decided I had to combine my love for diving and other water
sports with my career as a microbial biologist. What better place to achieve this goal than deep-sea hydrothermal
vents!
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Tim Rozan
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
The goal of this cruise is to pursue research about life in extreme environments. This cruise has two components:
one chemical and one biological. I am an environmental chemist dedicated to understanding the chemistry occurring
in the harsh environment at hydrothermal vent sites. We will use a variety of techniques to measure the different
chemical species found at vent sites on the seafloor. My job will be to analyze both water and sediments collected
by the deep-sea sub Alvin at a depth of 3,500 meters below the surface.
What is your educational background?
I obtained a bachelor of arts degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Johns Hopkins University. Following
college, I was commissioned an officer in the United States Navy. I spent the next six years operating nuclear
submarines (although this will be my first chance at look out a porthole). After my naval service, I obtained an
M.E.S and Ph.D. from Yale University in environmental geochemistry, where I focused on trace metal speciation in
rivers. Finally, I was awarded a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship and chose to work with Dr.
George Luther at the University of Delaware. I currently work on metal and sulfur cycling in fresh and estuarine
waters.
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Tim Shank
Postdoctoral Fellow,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
My primary role as a biologist on this cruise is the collection of various vent species in order to examine the
extent of genetic damage inflicted by the extremely toxic, petroleum-rich Guaymas environment. I am also conducting
short-term time-series studies using a time-lapse camera and temperature-probe arrays in order to characterize
how sulfide chimneys grow and how animals colonize young chimney structures.
What questions are you trying to answer and why?
I am a molecular ecologist interested in the factors that structure the many populations of deep-sea hydrothermal
vent animals and the evolution of their numerous adaptations that permit them to thrive in these harsh environments.
I use a combination of molecular genetic approaches and ecological field studies to try to understand how the various
species of vent animals migrated and evolved in these deep-sea habitats, and how these evolutionary processes relate
to the geologic history of the region.
My interest in Guaymas centers around the unusual hydrothermal setting that exists there. Guaymas Basin vents are
different from almost all of these in that the vent fluids must pass through almost a half a mile of sediments
before reaching the seafloor and the lush communities of creatures that thrive there. Over millions of years, organic
matter in these sediments (brought by rivers and wind into the Sea of Cortés) has been converted to petroleum
or oil products, products that are toxic (and cancer-causing) to almost all-living things on Earth. Thus, organisms
that flourish at these vents are specially adapted for living in Guaymas Basin's extreme venting conditions.
Scientists now know that almost all cancers are initiated by discrete damage to the genetic material (DNA or deoxyribonucleic
acid) within the animal's cells. It is extremely interesting that despite the tremendous amount of petroleum in
the Guaymas environment, none of the tubeworms, clams, or fish have been observed to have any signs of cancer (tumors,
lesions, etc.) as one might expect. Thus, my primary research question during this cruise is, do these animals
possess unique molecular genetic adaptations that allow them to be immune to these harsh carcinogens?
Why is this research important?
Understanding how these organisms are uniquely adapted to thrive in these environments will not only help us to
discover medicinal elements that can be used in biomedical applications, but also help us learn how to search for
and understand life in analogous environments on Earth, for example, in Lake Vostok under the tremendous ice sheet
of Antarctica, and other planets and their satellites, for example, the ice-covered oceans of Europa.
What's your educational background and what lured you into marine research?
I have a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, and a Ph.D. from Rutgers
University. Growing up on the North Carolina coast, I have always been fascinated with marine life, but it wasn't
until my days at Carolina that my path was set. As a sophomore, I told my marine sciences professor, Conrad Neumann,
that I wanted to be a marine biologist. Neumann advised me to look beyond simply studying oceanic life and recommended
that I study genetics or chemistry, which could be applied to marine science. I paid heed to the suggestion and
after graduation went to work in the molecular genetics lab at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Research
Triangle Park, NC, and continued to take marine classes at UNC. If it weren't for those three years at the EPA
where I gained skills I still utilize, I wouldn't be where I am now, a postdoctoral scholar at the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution.
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Alison Sipe
Graduate Student, University of Delaware, and
National Sea Grant Knauss Fellow,
National Science Foundation |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I will be assisting Dr. Cary and his colleagues in various ways while I am at sea on the Extreme 2000 cruise. If
I'm not busy in the laboratory processing vent samples, I will be updating the cruise Web site and preparing for
the live broadcast of the Alvin dive, which will connect students in their classrooms with the scientists
busy at work in the submersible.
What questions are you trying to answer and why?
We will use molecular genetic approaches to study the diversity, ecology, and evolutionary history of the microorganisms
thriving in extreme habitats of the hydrothermal vents. Studying the bacteria that live in these hostile environments
has the potential to provide new information on how life began on Earth and beyond.
What's your educational background? What lured you into marine research?
Mr. Twilley, my 10th-grade biology teacher, initially peaked my biological interests as he struck fear in all students
with his details of pathogenic bacteria, parasites, and various blood-sucking organisms. These interests evolved
throughout college as I concentrated on environmental and marine sciences at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.
I earned an M.S. degree in Marine Microbial Ecology from the University of Delaware in 1998, where I worked with
Dr. Cary as my graduate adviser. This past year, I have been a National Sea Grant Knauss Fellow at the National
Science Foundation, where I continue to learn how this governmental agency distributes federal money to support
basic science and education research. Although I am no longer an active researcher, I anticipate science will remain
my career focus. Science is my connection to the world around me.
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Luis Soto
Professor,
Universidad Nacional Autonomia de Mexico |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
As a deep-sea oceanographer, I am interested in studying the ecological processes that make possible the existence
of a diverse megafauna which is associated or depends directly upon the organic compounds derived from the hydrothermal
vent system in Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California. Extreme 2000 provides me with an excellent opportunity to continue
my research investigating the organic carbon sources that sustain the trophic web of vent fauna and the associated
abyssal creatures. We have already published on this important subject several papers on the faunal diversity,
carbon flow, sedimentary organic matter, and carbon isotopic values for the most conspicuous vent organisms.
What questions are you working to answer and why?
Indeed, some of the most intriguing questions regarding this unique environment are the reasons behind the significant
diversity and rich biomass that one observes in certain sites characterized by an intense hydrothermal activity,
whereas in similar areas, the abiotic and perhaps the ecological interactions determine the faunal complexity,
which reflects the ephemeral nature of hydrothermal phenomena. There is still a great deal of knowledge that we
have to learn about the physiological and ecological adaptations that the vent fauna have developed in order to
conquer their extreme environment in the deep ocean.
Why is this research important?
The study of vent megafauna and the associated abyssal organisms may shed some light on the evolution of marine
life in a very inhospitable environment devoid of light, nutrients, and under extreme hydrostatic pressure conditions.
The fascinating flourishing of complex marine life in the deep ocean basins of the world due to the energy trapped
in mineral compounds contained in the Earth's crust, poses an enormous possibility for explaining alternative pathways
for the origin of life in the planet.
What is your educational background? What lured you into marine research?
I obtained my M.S. at Florida State University and my Ph.D. at Rosenstiel School of Marine Science, University
of Miami, both in the field of biological oceanography, with an emphasis in deep-sea biology. I am currently the
head of the Benthic Ecology Lab at the Institute of Marine Science, University of Mexico, and in the past I have
organized international expeditions with WHOI and IFREMER, to study the ecology of hydrothermal vent systems in
Guaymas Basin. I do hope that my participation in Extreme 2000 may contribute to strengthening the scientific cooperation
between our two nations in the field of oceanography.
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Martial Taillefert
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
The goal of this research cruise is to pursue our research about the existence of microorganisms in extreme
environments. This cruise has two components: one chemical and one biological. I am dedicated to the chemical aspect
of the research. We will use electrochemistry extensively to measure chemical species at 3,500 meters deep in the
ocean. One of my duties is to prepare the electrodes that will be deployed with Alvin's mechanical arms
at the hydrothermal vents. We will also collect sediments from 3,500 meters to find out if the distribution of
chemical and biological species and the chemical reactions in the sediment at high temperature are similar to what
we observe in cold environments. I will dedicate most of my time to extracting the sediment waters and performing
a variety of analyses onboard the research vessel Atlantis.
What is your educational background?
My background is diverse. I obtained my B.S. and M.S. in chemistry from the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
I specialized in analytical chemistry of aquatic systems. Since there is no ocean in Switzerland, I worked mostly
on lakes and rivers. I moved to the United States to get my Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at Northwestern University
in Chicago. I conducted research on the distribution of metals in the water column of a shallow lake from Wisconsin
and in the sediment of Lake Michigan. Finally, I decided to study oceanography at the University of Delaware, where
I work as a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. George Luther.
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Phil Taylor
Biological Oceanography Program Director,
National Science Foundation |
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What is your role in Extreme 2000?
I am the director of the research program at the U.S. National Science Foundation that is supporting much of the
research conducted on the Extreme 2000 cruise. I direct the Biological Oceanography Program, which supports biological
oceanographic/marine ecological research activities in U.S. institutions. This program is part of NSF's Ocean Science
Division, which supports both the research and the facilities (RV Atlantis; DSRV Alvin) operated
during this cruise.
While I have been with NSF for over 14 years, this will be the first deep-submergence cruise with which I will
be involved. My role in Extreme 2000 will be to observe the various projects in action, to help where I can, and
to better understand the research that NSF's Ocean Science Division is supporting. I will be trying to gain a better
understanding of how deep-submergence projects are implemented using the advanced technology available on ship
and in the submersible. This experience should provide me with a better understanding of what our researchers need
when going to sea - an understanding that is critical in my role in U.S. science administration.
What's your educational background? What lured you into marine research?
I have a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Irvine, and my research interests
have always been in marine ecology. Most of my research has been in the ecology of coastal systems, including coral
reefs. My extreme interests in the ocean stem back to grade school and I can remember doing my "career" report
in eighth grade on being an oceanographer. I loved science; I loved the coastal ocean environment. It was after
my bachelor's-degree education that I decided to go for graduate studies in marine ecological science.
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