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Heather Goring-Harford: How did I become involved in Ocean Sciences?

Let me share one of my most vivid memories with you. When I was ten years old, my dad took me to the British Museum, and waiting for the train back home at Charing Cross station we stopped in WH Smiths for something to read. Dad said I could have any magazine I liked. Of all of them, the one that inexplicably appealed to me sat on the bottom shelf, sporting two yellow fish on the front cover – Practical Fishkeeping. My dad thought it was funny but bought it for me anyway. Continue reading →

Helen Burns: How did I become involved in Ocean Sciences?

Hi MOOCer's I'm a 2nd year PhD student researching the controls on the Southern Ocean overturning circulation. As a kid my favourite part of the year was visiting the mountains; from our own Welsh and Scottish hills to the slightly more formidable Alps. I had no idea what I wanted to go and do after school, but I knew I didn't want to be stuck in a lab all day so Earth Sciences which had abundant field trips to mountains seemed like a logical choice. Continue reading →

Josie Robinson: How did I become involved in Ocean Sciences?

Hello! In this post I’ll talk a little bit about how I ended up doing a PhD at the world class National Oceanography Centre, Southampton. Let me hold my hands up and say it was never my grand design from childhood to be an oceanographer, I have very much been carried here by the current of my life. As for most, my life direction was decided during high school, when I had to choose between Geography and History for my GSCE’s. Continue reading →

Josh Allin: How did I become involved in ocean sciences?

Hi, I'm Josh and I'll be one the facilitators here on the Exploring our Oceans MOOC. My journey into Earth and ocean sciences began at A level Geography, where I became interested in physical geography and geology. This led me to undertake a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) degree in Earth science at University College Cork. While at UCC I studied many different disciplines of Earth science, including oceanography, geology, climatology and palaeontology. Continue reading →

Emma Cavan: How did I become involved in Ocean Sciences?

I am currently doing a PhD in the ocean carbon cycle however my aspirations at 16 were somewhat different! I grew up in a house of medics and this limited my career pathway knowledge and hence I applied for degrees in medicine. I was quickly rejected from most of the universities I applied to and to this day I am incredibly grateful! It was clear medicine wasn’t something I was passionate about but I knew I didn’t want an office job and so biology seemed the obvious choice. Continue reading →

Flic Williams: How did I become involved in Ocean Science?

How did I become involved in Ocean Science? I remember thinking that Helen Sharman, the first Briton in space, had a great job, and wasn’t it awesome that something like the Mir space station existed. It is fair to say I have always loved science! However it wasn’t until many years after my A-levels and an MSci in Physics, that I started to understand how little is known about our oceans. Continue reading →

Course Overview

  Before we get started on Monday, the course team thought you might appreciate a very brief overview of what to expect from the MOOC, and the topic outlines for each week: Week 1: A hidden landscape (starts 03 February) Getting started in the course The history of ocean exploration Modern mapping of the oceans  Week 2: Mobilis in mobili (starts 10 February) How much water is there? Tides Our spinning planet Week 3: A living soup (starts 17... Continue reading →

Welcome enthusiastic MOOCers

Hello MOOCers, I'm Eric, one of your facilitators in 'Exploring our Oceans' MOOC. I'm a first year PhD student in the field of Marine Electromagnetic Geophysics at the National Oceanography Centre. My project aims to image and quantify methane hydrates pockmark chimneys which are located offshore Norway, by using the University of Southampton Controlled Source Electromagnetic (CSEM) method. Continue reading →

What does the ocean mean to me?

Hello everyone! I am going to share with you some pictures from the oceans which are representative for me. My area of expertise is the deep-sea so I am going to focus on that. Next week it will be your turn to tell us what the oceans mean to you! Although a scientist myself, when I hear the words "deep-sea" I find it hard not to think of the angler fish. Of course, this truly vast environment has much more to display, but the angler fish is nevertheless iconic. Continue reading →