By: 蒂芙尼·维特菲尔德
Alumnus Lieutenant Commander John Kidd serves as Executive Officer on the National Ocean Atmospheric Association Corps (NOAA Corps) Pisces ship. In 2010, he earned a Bachelor of Sciences degree from 最靠谱的网赌软件’s Department of Ocean & 地球科学. 基德博士的生活在他参观了一个 美国国家海洋和大气管理局船队 ,最近, he paid it forward by inviting some OES ODU students onto the ship where he is second in command.
“As a senior undergraduate student, I was afforded the opportunity to tour the 美国国家海洋和大气管理局托马斯·杰斐逊号, an opportunity made possible by the collaboration between Rear Admiral Shepard Smith, NOAA, Ret. 还有弗雷德·多布斯教授。”基德长老说. 参观期间, the Commanding Officer talked with the students and 分享d in “great detail” a hydrographic dataset and explained what it took to execute the mission. The National Hydrography Dataset represents the water drainage network throughout the United States which includes features such as rivers, 流, 运河, 湖泊, 池塘, 海岸线, 大坝, 还有水流仪表. The complex connectedness of bodies of water and how they impact the environment appealed to LCDR Kidd. “It was at that moment I knew I wanted to become a NOAA Corps officer and to one day sail as a Commanding Officer of a hydrographic vessel,基德说. “Because this one-hour tour forever changed my life, I wanted to afford the students currently enrolled in OES classes at ODU the same opportunity.”
During the two hour visit to NOAA's Marine Operations Center - Atlantic facilities, ODU OES学生登上了 美国海洋和大气管理局双鱼座船 以及国家海洋和大气管理局托马斯·杰斐逊号. 分成两组, they ventured around these two ships and saw various spaces like the Mess Deck where meals are served, the Wet Lab where the bulk of the science occurs and fish are dissected, the Acoustics Lab where the ship's sonar equipment is operated, and the Bridge where the Commissioned Officers safely navigate the vessel.
Current OES student Victor Akudoro enjoyed this unique opportunity. “It was a nice and educative experience to be at the NOAA facility in Downtown Norfolk, and to tour the NOAA Pisces ship which carries out fish study research and the Thomas Jefferson ship which engages in physical oceanography and modeling analysis. 两艘船上的船员, were very welcoming and they gave us a detailed explanation of how the ship works and their day-to-day activities,秋多罗说.
Seeing a research vessel of that magnitude is eye-opening, but the hopes of working on one took patience and determination for LCDR Kidd. “I've always had a deep respect for the scientific method, and I was naturally drawn to the challenge of developing the critical thinking skills needed to be an effective scientist,基德说. “I also grew up on the water and knew that I wanted to make a living working on boats/ships conducting science.”
His journey from ODU to the NOAA Corps involved LCDR Kidd taking a paid internship with Earth 资源 技术 as a physical scientist. “I first worked at the Atlantic Hydrographic Branch in Norfolk, VA for about six months compiling hydrographic data from NOAA ships and contract survey companies,基德说. He took part in critical components in the workflow to update the nation's nautical charts for the safety of navigation. “I then sailed with the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson for another six months collecting hydrographic data using the ship's hull mounted multibeam echosounder, 侧扫声纳, and her 28-foot aluminum hydrographic launch equipped with the same survey instrumentation,基德说. 在这次实习之后, he became much closer to achieving his dream because he was accepted into the NOAA Corps and reported to Basic Officer Training in June of 2011.
He has served in NOAA Corps for 12 years with at least 8 more years to go. NOAA Corps is not the military and are not combat trained, 但这是一支统一的部队, similar to the United States 公共卫生 服务s.
He credits his time as an undergraduate OES student. “My time spent at ODU equipped me with the baseline knowledge required to be a successful operator of NOAA’s scientific platforms (ships, 小船, 飞机, 和自主系统),基德说. The OES program helped build his STEM skills needed to become a commissioned officer in the NOAA Corps.
“ODU is special due to its strong scientific programs and its proximity to a plethora of scientific opportunities being adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay and NOAA operational units,基德说.