TITLE: Graduate Student
ACADEMIC INSTITUTION: University of Southern California

 

What is your role in Extreme 2008?
I am going as part of the Caron lab, and am hoping to assist them in their research and learn as much as I can.

What questions are you trying to answer and why?
We are looking at protistan diversity in the deep sea.

Why is this research important? What are the benefits?
For a long time, people thought that the deep sea was void of living creatures, that it was this large, lifeless expanse of the ocean. Lately, the development of new technology and research efforts have clued us in that parts of the deep sea--such as around hydrothermal vents--are filled with diverse lifeforms. However, much of this research is in its infancy; not a lot of work has been done to elucidate the identity, diversity and physiology of deep-sea organisms. The Caron lab group is specifically interested in microscopic organisms known as protists, and on this cruise, as with past deep sea cruises, we hope to add to our knowledge of what critters are out there and what they're up to.

What's your background, and what lured you into marine science/education?
I was born and raised in Malaysia, a small country surrounded by a relatively long coastline. I decided to venture into marine science because I wanted to help my country learn more about the ocean and how to steward it better.