Although I am now a science teacher, I did have an opportunity to be exposed to science research while getting my marine biology degree, and while working as a biologist. The one thing I appreciate the most about being involved in scientific research is how inter-connected everything is. For example, Biologist Kate Buckman’s work on Tevnia tubesorms that attach themselves to the cracks of a piece of basalt rock (shown in image to left) can cross over into the work of a scientist studying how in the process, this can transform the rock. I know that one of the priorities of Ridge 2000 research and GLOBE education programs is interdisciplinary science, so I was inspired to think about the work that is being done on this ship and how it brings together many facets of science.

On this research cruise there are groups of scientists that specialize in very different realms of science. There are chemists, geologists, and biologists who actively work in their own niche of the science world and are experts in their own particular piece of knowledge. On the surface, it seems that “higher up you go” in science, the more specialized you become. In the end, however, each realm of science has a big influence on the other and understanding the general connections between the science disciplines is what makes their research of the scientists successful. In fact, we could consider all of the scientists on board to be oceanographers because their work is so interdisciplinary.

Each day we have a science meeting at 1330 hours. The entire science team, and usually the Alvin pilot, get together in the ship’s library and learn about the events of the previous day. We discuss which hydrothermal vents were visited, the appearance of the environment, and share preliminary data like rock type, animals that were found there, water temperature, etc. It is in these meetings, perhaps, that I can see most clearly how the work of each of these scientists really has an impact on the other.

The microbiologists need to know the temperature of the vent fluids where their rocks were collected and what chemicals were present in the water. Apparently, temperature and chemical composition has a big impact on the type of microbe that can survive in that location. This helps a microbiologist, like Isabel Ferrara, shown in the image on the left extracting microbial DNA from a rock sample, better determine which microbes are present at a specific location.

The geologists who are painstakingly working every evening photographing the bottom of the ocean are helping the science team determine where other vents in the area may be found. If the biologist reports that all of the mussels in one location were nearly dead, the chemists understand that the chemical composition in the water at that location may be changing. When the chemist reports that the amount of a particular chemical in the water is higher than they have previously measured, everyone listens a little closer and wonders what impact that will have on what they study.

And let’s not forget how vital an understanding of physics is in the operation of Alvin! Both scientists and Alvin pilots must have an understanding of forces, motion, simple machines, buoyancy, (I could go on forever!) etc. to make Alvin operational and safe. The image to the right demonstrates how an understanding of buoyancy by the Alvin Crew is required to to add the right amount of weights to both sides of the sub to make the vessel less buoyant. Some of the weights are jettisoned just before reaching the bottom to make Alvin neutrally buoyant and slow the descent. The remaining weights are jettisoned at the end of the dive to assist with surfacing. The sub also adjusts its water intake/outtake to assist with buoyancy issues.

The interplay between all of the sciences is so obvious out here at 9ºN. Realms of science do not exist in isolation. Perhaps it is a disadvantage in school that we don’t always teach science that way. We tend to teach science as separate subjects and disciplines. Historically, we have taught it that way in schools so that you, the student, can build your knowledge in an organized way. But I hope that you begin to recognize how important physics, chemistry, geology, and biology are to each other. If you look around your world, you will see them operating in harmony.

So my question to you is this: where do you notice the interplay of different sciences (physics, chemistry, geology, and biology) operating together in your world?