A SUPPLEMENT TO THE DECEMBER 2023 OCEANOGRAPHY SPECIAL ISSUE
BUILDING DIVERSITY, EQUITY,
AND INCLUSION IN THE OCEAN SCIENCES
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
COVER IMAGE CREDITS. Silhouettes: Rawpixel/
iStock.com. Digital wave: vadishzainer/iStock.com.
OCEANOGRAPHY MAGAZINE STAFF
• Ellen S. Kappel, Oceanography Editor
• Vicky Cullen, Oceanography Assistant Editor
• Johanna Adams, Oceanography Designer
SPECIAL ISSUE GUEST EDITORS
• Ben Cuker, Hampton University
• Corey Garza, University of Washington
• Deidre Gibson, Hampton University
• Catalina Martinez, NOAA Ocean Exploration
• Wendy F. Todd, University of Minnesota Duluth
• Cassie Xu, formerly with Columbia University
SPONSORS
Support for this special issue supplement was provided
by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), National Science Foundation (NSF), Office of Naval
Research (ONR), and National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA).
PREFERRED CITATION
Kappel, E.S., B. Cuker, C. Garza, D. Gibson, C. Martinez,
W.F. Todd, and C. Xu, eds. 2023. Building Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion in the Ocean Sciences Autobiographical Sketches:
A Supplement to the December 2023 Oceanography Special
Issue. Oceanography 36(4) Supplement, https://doi.org/10.5670/
oceanog.2023.36-4-supplement.
This is an open access document made available under a
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Creative Commons license.
Published by The Oceanography Society
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES ......................................................... 2
Sarah M. Aarons .......................................................................................... 2
Rosanna ‘Anolani Alegado ........................................................................ 3
Neeti Bathala ................................................................................................ 4
Salome Buglass ........................................................................................... 5
Anela Choy ...................................................................................................6
Xochitl S. Clare ..............................................................................................7
Jeanette Davis ............................................................................................. 8
Corey Garza ..................................................................................................9
Deidre Gibson .............................................................................................10
Peter Girguis .................................................................................................11
Dionne Hoskins-Brown .............................................................................12
Ambrose Jearld Jr. .....................................................................................13
Brandon Jones ............................................................................................14
Haunani Hi‘ilani Kane ................................................................................15
Catalina Martinez ........................................................................................16
Vernon R. Morris .........................................................................................17
Michael Navarro..........................................................................................18
Jacqueline L. Padilla-Gamiño ..................................................................19
Noelani Puniwai .........................................................................................20
Christina Ravelo ..........................................................................................21
Mei Sato .......................................................................................................22
S. Kersey Sturdivant ..................................................................................23
Wendy F. Todd............................................................................................24
Lisa D. White ...............................................................................................25
Dawn Wright ...............................................................................................26
Oceanography
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE OCEANOGRAPHY SOCIETY
VOL. 36, NO. 4, DECEMBER 2023
BUILDING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
IN THE OCEAN SCIENCES
READ THE SPECIAL ISSUE
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the online supplement to the special issue of
Oceanography magazine on Building Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion in the Ocean Sciences. As part of this project, we
present a series of one-page autobiographical sketches writ-
ten by ocean scientists from diverse backgrounds and modeled
on the sketches published in the two Women in Oceanography
special issues of Oceanography (March 2005 and December
2014). The motivation was similar: people are fascinated by sto-
ries—by learning what the scientists do, how they faced chal-
lenges along the way, and what they find rewarding about their
work. By including these personal journeys, the autobiograph-
ical sketches complement the many articles in the special issue
that describe programs that focus on building diversity, equity,
and inclusion in the ocean sciences and the lessons the lead-
ers of those programs have learned as they have attempted to
address structural and cultural obstacles encountered by under-
represented and marginalized scholars.
We sent out targeted invitations to contribute sketches in an
attempt to capture a range of career stages and paths, including
those of guest editors of the special issue (see sketches contrib-
uted by Corey Garza, Deidre Gibson, Catalina Martinez, and
Wendy Todd). Most contributors provide examples of how they
are nurturing diversity in the ocean sciences through teaching,
developing and implementing programs, mentoring and cham-
pioning others, or writing children’s books. Nearly all talk about
the importance of support of family and community in enabling
their careers, as well as mentors who believed in their abilities.
In our invitation letter, we asked potential contributors to
provide roughly 500 words that focus on some/all of the fol-
lowing questions, although we gave them leeway to write about
anything they wished.
1. Briefly, what are your scientific/research interests, and/or
professional endeavors?
2. Please share anything about your background and life jour-
ney that you feel is important.
3. How did you choose your field of study?
4. What have you found most rewarding about your career and
why?
5. What have been your greatest career challenges? How have
you responded to these challenges?
6. How have you balanced your career and personal life? How
has this balance influenced your career choices and your per-
sonal life?
7. Are the conditions for underrepresented scholars in your
area of the field different now than when you began your
career? If so, how has that affected your work?
8. Is there any advice you would like to provide for young ocean-
ographers and other scholars from diverse backgrounds?
The handful of autobiographical sketches shared here dis-
play only a fraction of the depth, richness, complexity, and chal-
lenges faced by scholars from underrepresented and marginal-
ized groups in the ocean and geo sciences. There are so many
more stories to be told; I hope that this collection inspires others
to write about their journeys.
— Ellen S. Kappel, Editor
Sarah M. Aarons
Sarah M. Aarons (saarons@ucsd.edu) is Assistant Professor, Scripps Institution
of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
I work to understand the chemical evolution of Earth’s surface in the past and present.
Our group tracks the chemical changes in mineral dust transported in the atmosphere and
deposited over the ocean, ice sheets, and land. We have started to measure nontraditional
stable isotope compositions of seawater and marine sediments to probe the utility of these
new proxies. I have always been fascinated by using isotope geochemistry to track changes
in material or its history and applying it to understand past climates. I stumbled upon this
field of study through a combination trying new classes and meeting welcoming mentors at
the right academic transitions. Receipt of several fellowships both during my PhD and as a
postdoctoral researcher allowed me to continue in this field. I am currently an assistant pro-
fessor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
The field of isotope geochemistry is one of the least accessible and diverse subfields of the
geosciences. Trace metal clean labs and mass spectrometers are very costly, so our ability to
conduct this research is constrained by whether we have these facilities at our institutions or
whether our advisors have close working relationships with those that do. Maintaining rela-
tionships with supportive collaborators who can facilitate research helped me to stay active
in the field of isotope geochemistry and to branch out into new subfields.
I am an Iñupiaq (Alaska Native), born and raised in Alaska. My mom was born in a one
room cabin with no running water or electricity, and her and her family and our ancestors
before that relied on the land for subsistence. We grew up spending so much time outside
and becoming intimately familiar with small subtle nuances in the environment that gave
us clues about where the best berry patches or fishing spots were. Both my parents fostered
my love of science and were always encouraging of my academic path. I experienced the
loss of my mom during graduate school, which emphasized the importance of prioritizing
what is most important to me: my family. I now have a partner who is wholly supportive of
my career, and having this equal partnership in raising our child has allowed me to main-
tain my commitment to both science and personal values.
Since graduate school, I see more and more women in our field and more diversity in
the people who are earning PhDs and being appointed to faculty and research positions.
When I started graduate school, I did not know of any other Indigenous Earth scientists,
and now there is an active and supportive cohort of them. Seeing more representation and
having trusting relationships with people who understand and validate my experiences has
helped me immensely. Having people who I trust and can rely on for advice and guidance
throughout this journey is invaluable. I am thrilled to see the new and exciting science that
is emerging from a more inclusive cohort of scientists and the structural shifts that are hap-
pening to make this field a more welcoming environment.
Sarah, her partner Nick, and their son
Cas on a windy but beautiful evening in
Anchorage, Alaska, during the summer
of 2023. Photo credit Sarah Aarons
Rosanna ‘Anolani Alegado
Rosanna ‘Anolani Alegado (rosie.alegado@hawaii.edu) is Associate Professor,
Department of Oceanography, Director, Hawai‘i Sea Grant Ulana ‘Ike
Center of Excellence, and Co-Director, SOEST Maile Mentoring Bridge Program,
University of Hawai‘i Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.
I ola Kanaloa,1 i ola kākou: In the thriving of Kanaloa, we all will thrive. Social justice, equal-
ity, aloha ‘āina: these tenets are embedded in the fiber of my being. I was born and raised in
Hawai‘i at the heart of the largest and most ancient ocean on Earth. As a child of grassroots
community activists and scholars, I was ingrained with a clear and unique view of the social
issues faced by the ‘ōiwi (Native Hawaiian), local, and immigrant communities. I have car-
ried this upbringing into all stages of my life, as both a community member and a scientist.
Mai ke kai, mai ke ola: From the ocean comes life. I center a critical ‘ōiwi perspective on
research by training scholars to draw upon multiple knowledge systems to address key
problems and empower communities to understand and protect their resources. I direct
the ME*E Lab, which applies contemporary and ‘ōiwi methodologies within a One Health
framework to understand eco-evolutionary processes influencing the microbiomes of
Indigenous seascapes.
Kūlana Noi‘i: A kanaka ‘ōiwi-centered framework for ethical research with communities.
My research and service are rooted in meaningful academic collaborations and partner-
ships with Indigenous communities. Together with community partners, I was involved in
co-developing Kūlana Noi‘i, a process for building and sustaining equitable relationships
between researchers and communities. It has been very exciting to see the He‘eia National
Estuarine Research Reserve adopt and adapt Kūlana Noi‘i in guiding their research pro-
tocols with community partners. As part of supporting ethical research practices, I feel a
strong obligation to advocate for Indigenous data sovereignty for Native peoples to avoid
extraction of customary knowledge.
E noke mau: Be persistent. When the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology
(SOEST) hired me 10 years ago, I was the first kanaka ‘ōiwi tenure-track faculty member in
its 35-year history. At the time, it was not always clear that my colleagues understood or val-
ued the work that I did. Nevertheless, I realized the significance of my work to the Native
Hawaiian community and to other young researchers in ocean sciences and persisted.
I have been privileged to have the strong support of my community, and this support has
driven me forward. I have also been fortunate to have the support of my family. The first five
years of my faculty position was rocky—my husband was still practicing law in California,
and I had to raise our four-year-old and a nine-month-old mostly on my own. Our fami-
lies helped care for our children, enabling me to establish and grow my research and lab.
Over the past 10 years, I’ve seen a tremendous improvement in the number of Native
Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) majoring in the geosciences, pursuing graduate
degrees, and attaining tenure-track faculty positions in SOEST. These new generations of
NHPI in SOEST have reinforced my determination to continue to work toward transform-
ing the geosciences and training scholar-practitioners.
1 Kanaloa is one of the four principal deities in Hawaiian culture and embodies natural cycles, processes, and organ-
isms related to the open ocean and aquifers. The island of Kaho‘olawe is also a sacred body form of Kanaloa.
Photo credit: Nick Neumann
Neeti Bathala
Neeti Bathala (neeti.bathala@alumni.duke.edu) is Visiting
Faculty in Environmental Science, Villanova University,
Villanova, PA, USA.
As a dedicated career academic, I have spent almost two decades
in higher education specializing in ecology and environmental sci-
ence with a focus on tropical and marine ecosystems. My passion
for teaching spans diverse student groups, from undergraduates
to postgraduates. I am currently in the role of Visiting Faculty in
Environmental Science at Villanova University.
Growing up near New Jersey’s coastline, the ocean’s constant
presence fueled my fascination and respect for its mysteries. This early connection shaped
my career focus on studying and safeguarding marine ecosystems and the environment.
My initial academic exposure to ocean sciences was when I spent a summer at the Duke
Marine Lab in Beaufort, North Carolina. This experience ignited my passion for ecology and
fieldwork, offering invaluable insights into the connection between land and sea and shaping
my dedication to ocean conservation. Continuing my academic journey, I engaged in con-
servation research in Costa Rica with the Organization for Tropical Studies. After complet-
ing my PhD in ecology at the University of Georgia, I expanded my expertise in marine eco-
systems through studies in Belize, the Galápagos Islands, and Hawai‘i.
Navigating the ecological sphere as an Indian American woman involved confronting
dual challenges stemming from both gender and race biases. There were pervasive assump-
tions casting doubt on my ability to excel in rigorous fieldwork. Initial networking limita-
tions were linked to the underrepresentation of Indian Americans in the environmental
field. It is gratifying to witness strides in the representation of diverse women, particularly
in ocean science. These experiences have inspired me to be a community-based educator,
reaching beyond academia to serve as a representation and role model. My objective is to
inspire and support individuals in pursuing their dreams through education, irrespective of
their age, ethnicity, or access.
Outside of the academic realm, I continue to be deeply committed to empowering women
in STEM. Inspired by students’ yearning for early exposure to science, I have authored
award-winning children’s books1 on citizen science and ocean species. My books consis-
tently showcase a young, diverse girl as a burgeoning scientist, broadening access to the won-
ders of our natural world for young learners. By nurturing STEM interest at a young age,
I aim to diversify graduate recruits and shape future environmental leaders and educators.
In ecology, we recognize that diversity in ecosystems fosters strength and resilience.
I uphold this principle in my professional pursuits, fortunate to have had mentors who
endorse it as well. My aim is to reciprocate this support for my students, fostering an envi-
ronment that values and embraces diversity. While strides toward inclusivity have been
made, challenges persist for underrepresented scholars. The changing landscape has
spurred intensified efforts for equitable opportunities. Community-based education and
service remain pivotal aspects shaping my work in addressing these challenges.
To aspiring oceanographers and diverse scholars: embrace your uniqueness, seek sup-
portive mentors, and persist in your journey. Your voice matters: believe in your abilities
and pursue your passions fully.
1 Moonlight Crab Count and Adventures Through the Garden Gate
Neeti Bathala diving with a curious sea
turtle in a bleached and damaged reef
offshore of Honolulu, Hawai‘i.
Salome Buglass
Salome Buglass (salomebu@gmail.com)
is a PhD candidate, University of British
Columbia, Canada, and Research Scientist,
Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora,
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
From an early age, I developed an affinity for
the ocean. As my family moved many times
across different countries—almost always to
coastal towns—amid this perpetual change,
the seas emerged as a grounding constant
in my life. However, the idea of becoming a marine scientist only struck me in my late
twenties. The lack of diverse role models probably did not help, nor did my academic strug-
gle, having changed schools seven times, navigated three languages, and dealt with dyslexia.
Nevertheless, these difficulties helped me develop valuable skills, such as knowing when to
seek help and building a supportive network.
Although I pursued BSc and MSc degrees in geography, all my research projects, theses,
and hobbies revolved around the marine biome. Naturally, I seized the opportunity to work
as a marine ecologist at the Charles Darwin Foundation in the Galápagos Islands. After
working on several diverse projects, I joined the Deep-sea and Seamounts Research Project,
where I got a chance to cultivate my passion for studying unknown marine communities in
the ocean’s darker and deeper parts. It also allowed me to participate in oceanographic expe-
ditions using state-of-the-art submersibles and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), gaining
first-hand experience collecting data and samples from remote deep-sea ecosystems.
Although this career journey has led to incredible experiences, it has also brought sig-
nificant challenges, as I had to endure a fair amount of misogynoir. At many points, I was
tempted to opt out. I now recognize that this dilemma is common among women, particu-
larly women of color, and they often end up leaking out of the STEM pipeline. However, the
uncomfortable, unjust, and frustrating situations I faced fueled my drive to persevere and
to stand up for myself and others. One of the proudest moments in my career was secur-
ing a National Geographic grant that enabled me to lead my own study exploring shallow
seamount habitats using affordable ROVs. This ultimately led to the discovery of unknown
mesophotic kelp forests. I was deeply curious about how kelp forests could grow with so little
light, and I wanted to elucidate their ecology further. In 2020, I decided to pursue a PhD to
help me get to the bottom of this and break the glass ceiling hanging over me at the time.
Starting a PhD during the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement was quite a roller-
coaster ride. As an Afro-Caribbean Latina, the flood of information and new vernacular
profoundly impacted and empowered me. It also filled my mailbox with requests for sci-
ence talks and DEI media campaigns. At times, I felt flattered, but at others, I felt tokenized
and used, as I was often asked to provide my contributions for free while helping diversify
institutions’ media touchpoints. Although this visibility and the perceived need to “diversify
academia” has opened doors, it also fuels my impostor syndrome, often preventing me from
recognizing the merits of my own accomplishments. Nevertheless, I embrace the increase
in media and scientific interest, as I hope it will help me and others to pursue careers in the
field of marine sciences, challenge stereotypes, and inspire those not represented in current
traditional depictions of women of color.
Salome Buglass and Sylvia Earle inside
the DeepSee submersible descending
to the newly discovered mesophotic
kelp forest at 70 m depth in the
Galápagos to collect samples. Photo
credit: ROLEX/Franck Gazzola
Anela Choy
Anela Choy (anela@ucsd.edu) is Associate Professor,
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of
California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
My family and ancestors are from lands and islands spread
across and within the largest, deepest ocean on Earth. I am
a fifth-generation person of Hawai‘i, who grew up in a way
that felt half in and half out of the ocean. I have always been
surrounded by a community of ocean protectors, explorers,
naturalists, and scientists. However, these individuals are not
the practicing Western types of scientists who I now work alongside in the oceanographic
community. They are swimmers and divers who would take us out into the reefs and ocean
beyond, surfers and water people who intimately know individual waves and how they
bend differently when the wind or swell direction shifts. From a young age, this commu-
nity has nurtured in me a deep love and respect for the ocean and for its inhabitants, and I
now work as a biological oceanographer and deep-sea biologist, striving to share this same
regard for the sea with others.
I work to understand the highly diverse and poorly known animal assemblages that live
in deep open ocean waters offshore of our continental shelves, finding the connections and
processes that bridge these varied inhabitants and their habitats. My colleagues and I study
the composition of deep-sea food webs, asking which species live at different depth hori-
zons and how they move vertically and interact with other species. We look into the stom-
achs of fishes and apply a targeted combination of biochemical tracers, such as isotopes
and trace metals, as we try to understand the key feeding relationships that impact ocean
biogeochemistry and connect directly to human societies through fishing, climate change,
and pollution. We are a seagoing group and have the tremendous privilege of traveling far
offshore on research vessels, working in large science teams of diverse participants where
all jobs, big and small, are purposeful and important. Sampling the full food web at depth
requires specialized instrumentation and long days together on the back deck and in the
labs. We are working to broaden the participation of who can sail for science, as well as
making our spaces at sea safer and more welcoming in order to allow for students from
more walks of life to thrive.
In Hawai‘i, I attended public schools where the curriculum required learning how to get
along, have fun, and succeed with people from a rainbow of different backgrounds and cul-
tures. My high school was down the street from one of the most prestigious private schools
in the state, where great diplomats like President Obama were educated. Our crowd, how-
ever, was a rowdy mix of daughters and sons of first- and second-generation immigrants
from Korea, Micronesia, Vietnam, American Samoa, and the Philippines, among other
places, as well as Native Hawaiians who live every day with American colonialism and the
illegal overthrow of their nation. I liken navigating diverse social landscapes such as this to
navigating the multi-faceted landscape of academia, especially as we all strive to be more
inclusive and welcoming of diverse perspectives and people. I am deeply motivated by the
great privilege and challenge of trying to build new spaces within this academic ecosystem,
especially in seagoing oceanography where our ocean voyages are deeply enriched by those
who perhaps couldn’t or didn’t envision themselves as sailors and scientists before.
Participants from RR2104, a deep-
sea food web and education cruise,
gather in front of R/V Roger Revelle
in June 2021.