A LIFELONG INVESTMENT
Leonard Pace Hampton University, Marine & Fisheries Science Major SEA Semester 2001 Science Program Manager, Schmidt Ocean Institute “My time with SEA Semester taught me lessons about oceanography and celestial navigation which became the core of my passion for marine science. After completing a John A. Knauss Fellowship, as well as positions with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Science Foundation, I am now the Science Program Manager for the Schmidt Ocean Institute. Without a doubt, my time with SEA Semester is what galvanized my desire to follow through with a career in ocean sciences. Throughout my career, I have benefitted from the experiences, friendships, and network of SEA Semester alumni.”
Rebecca Trinh University of California at Berkeley, Marine Science and Ecology Major SEA Semester 2012 Physical Oceanography and Remote Sensing Intern, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory “SEA Semester taught me how to work with others, how to effectively communicate ideas, and how to efficiently work as a team. Nothing makes people come together like hauling on lines and sailing a ship. The program also taught me how to write a proper scientific proposal, carry it out with my teammates, and make sense of it. These valuable
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skills have been instrumental in helping me advance my education and research.
8,640
Being at sea teaches you a lot about yourself, it pushes you, it works you. You will surprise yourself at your strength and will be surprised by the strength of others. Because of SEA I have learned to appreciate the ocean for its immensity and complexity, furthering my desire to understand it and its inhabitants through my research.”
TOTAL Alumni (and counting)
75
feel that SEA Semester influenced their career path
77
believe that SEA Semester improved their self-confidence
%
Jonathan Cedar Dartmouth College, Engineering & Environmental Science Major SEA Semester 2002 Founder and CEO, BioLite Jonathan credits SEA Semester with teaching him how to bridge theory and handson application in a team environment, and with providing him with engineering experience that was the foundation of his highly successful venture. In 2009, he launched BioLite, a high-tech startup that produces clean-burning wood stoves and rechargeable LED lights for off-grid communities around the world, helping to address climate change in the process. “While the technical skills I acquired at SEA continue to inform my work, I frequently find myself calling on the principles of community and teamwork that underpinned our community. On our best days, BioLite feels to me a lot like an intimate ship’s company, with the coordinated actions of our team and the support of our technology efficiently carrying us forward.”
%
80
report that SEA Semester increased their collaborative and teamwork skills
92%
say that SEA Semester gave them skills they have found useful in their careers
%