By Melissa Farenish
Oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard never grew up.
The 67-year-old, best known for his discovery of the R.M.S. Titanic shipwreck in 1985, has declared himself to be “still a kid.”
In a recent telephone interview, an enthusiastic Ballard described his 50-year career exploring the sea. “I’m most known for the Titanic and the Bismarck shipwrecks but that’s a small part of my career,” Ballard said.
Ballard, now a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, veered the conversation away from his shipwreck discoveries. Instead, he highlighted his discoveries of ocean hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, and life forms on the deep, sun-deprived ocean floors. Part of the allure of being a scientist is deconstructing every theory he ever learned in school.
“Most of Earth and the deep ocean see no sun. Most believe there’s no life that far down because we’re taught life is due to the sun and the food chain…” Ballard said.
Ballard, who regularly uses deep-ocean submersibles in his expeditions, first found deep sea life off the Galapagos Islands. It was something he never dreamed possible.
“Imagine turning the corner and coming around to a Disneyland of sorts– giant worms, six-feet tall, and clams. Everything’s monstrous, and you’re looking out the window and you say what the heck? You can’t be here. You’re violating everything I was taught in college!” Ballard said.
The adventure began before Ballard graduated high school. He wrote a letter to Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego hoping someone there would read his letter about his childhood desire to become an oceanographer. He did not expect to receive a response. But chemist Norris Rakestraw answered the letter, and “it changed my life forever.” He received a scholarship and completed his first expedition in 1959 at 17-years-old.
From there, Ballard held several jobs at research institutes and joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). His discovery of the remains of the RMS Titanic made him a celebrity in the world of oceanography. He went on to find the wrecks of German World War II battleship Bismarck in 1989, and most recently discovered President John F. Kennedy’s sunken PT-109 in 2002. But he still felt a sense of responsibility to children who, like him, wanted one person to answer their letter about their dreams.
“I come home from finding the Titanic, and there’s 16,000 letters on my desk, many of them from children. I can’t walk away from that,” Ballard said.
Thinking back to when one lone scientist at Scripps Institute answered his letter almost 30 years ago, he decided it was time to “pay back for the opportunity I was given at the age of 17.”
Now, Ballard is the head of the JASON project, an educational program that teaches middle school students about science and technology. He regularly takes children on his ocean voyages, including his 15-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter. His 50 years at sea has taught him that you never know what you will find next. But one thing he knows for certain -- kids are the future.
“This generation of middle school students will explore more of the Earth than all the other generations combined,” Ballard said. “That’s why I get up and go to work everyday.”
Ballard will speak at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 at Bloomsburg University in Mitrani Hall as part of the National Geographic speaker series. Tickets are available online at www.bloom.edu/CAS/ or by calling the box office at 389-4409.
