Strategies for Success: Preparing for a Career in ocean science and technology Deidre Sullivan Director Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center

Outline of Presentation MATE Center Who am I? Trends in the Marine Economy, Science and Technology Realities of Career Advice Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes for Success Barriers to Success 2

3 1.Workforce Research 2.Underwater Robotics Competitions 3.Faculty Education 4.At-Sea Internships 5.Curriculum & Textbook Development 6.Career Awareness The MATE Center Mission: Working to improve marine technical education and prepare the ocean workforce.

Deidre Sullivan Owner of Video Production Company Scuba Instructor for Club Med Camp Director Christmas Tree Lot Manager Zoo Tour Guide Kelp, Fish and Lettuce Farmer Retail Store Manager Cocktail Waitress Scientist/Seafloor Habitat Mapper College & University Instructor Director of the MATE Center Philanthropist, Saxophonist or Japanese Fish Printer 4

5 The Marine Economy  National Security/Defense  Transportation and Commerce  Energy and Exploration Activities  Telecommunications  Recreation and Tourism  Fisheries and Aquaculture  Search & Recovery Operations  Nautical/Underwater Archeology  Government Assessment and Regulation  Scientific/Medical Research  Education and the Arts

Ocean Developments 6 Working deeper Long-term observations/climate change Renewable energy and food Drilling for oil in unprecedented depths Ocean observing systems Offshore wind and wave energy installations Offshore fish aquaculture Marine safety and health concerns Environmental protection (storms/sea level)

7 Trends in Technology  Increased use of Remote Sensing Atmosphere, Land, Sea Surface, Sea Floor, Mid- Ocean  Increased use of Miniaturization Cheaper, lighter, (ROVs, AUVs, GPS, Animal Tags)  Increased use of Computer Processing Power Smarter equipment, data streams Higher level data products, 3-D Sonars  Increased use of Molecular Biology Species identification, phylogeny

8 Green algae for biofuel Tank-raised bluefin tuna Fish friendly tidal turbine Google’s floating data center Time’s Best Inventions of

And the public is participating: Crowd Sourcing

Students are not being adequately prepared for ocean occupations Most students don’t receive adequate career guidance Many education programs are not keeping up with changes in research & industry Problem solving and creativity are limited Students and educators are unaware of many ocean occupations because many are not classified by the Department of Labor

11 Occupations Difficult to Fill in Industry Electronics Technician Software Engineer Electrical Engineer Mechanical Engineer Engineers/Scientist with acoustic backgrounds UW Vehicle Pilot / Tech Computer Programmer/Scientist Project / Program Manager Diver Machinist / Welder Ship Officer / Crew

12 There is a widespread need for employees with a broad range of knowledge and skills Interdisciplinary Engineering (EE & ME) + physical oceanography Computer science + physical oceanography Marine biology + physics Marine biology + math/modeling Science + technology Oceanography + electronics Oceanography + high performance computing Oceanography + remote sensing Marine resource management + GIS Geology + software development 12

Comparison of Salary Ranges Across Sectors 13 OccupationsOverallAcademia Federal Agencies Industry Bureau of Labor Statistics Annual Salary Range Annual Salary MinMaxMinMaxMinMaxMinMax Biologist $35K - $150K $35K$150K$38K$149K$40K$135K$35K$90K Software Engineer $26K - $150K $30K$125K$26K$149K$60K$150K$40K$131K Electrical Engineer $32K - $150K $40K$100K$32K$128K$50K$150k$51K$121K Oceanographer $32K - $150K $35K$150K$32K$149K$40K$135K$41K$144K Electronics Technician $25K - $125K $25K$80K$26K$101K$45K$125K$27K$76K Underwater Vehicle Technician $40K - $125K $40K$90Kn/a $50K$125Kn/a High starting salaries in Industry

Barriers to Success Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell Barriers to At-Sea Internship Participation Being on a Boat Sleeping in a strange place Eating different foods Not knowing how to swim Being afraid of being asked something you don’t know how to do Being away from family, friends, cell phone… Attitude