Research and Career Exploration Aboard Ships

Dr. Hintz (upper left) and Dr. Ebanks (far right) with undergraduate 

students from across the country on a research cruise in early July 2024.

Research and Career Exploration Aboard Ships

From aboard the research vessel Kilo Moana en route to Honolulu, Hawaii from San Francisco, Savannah State University (SSU) professors Drs. Christopher Hintz and Dwight Ebanks have a message for SSU students: apply to the National Science Foundation-funded STEMSEAS program to take advantage of research opportunities and career exploration aboard ships.

Hintz and Ebanks, who teach in the Marine and Environmental Sciences program, are serving as faculty mentors during the cruise to Hawaii that is carrying 14 undergraduate students from universities across the nation. Two more mentors aboard include Emma Robertson, a Ph.D. student at the Alfred Wegener Institute and Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, and Dr. Yvonne Cagle, a NASA astronaut who, in addition to serving as mentor, is helping students connect with NASA opportunities.

STEMSEAS has been running since 2016 and is a collaboration among Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, University of California at Berkeley, Morgan State University, and the University Oceanographic Laboratory System. To date, more than 200 undergraduate students have benefitted from the program, which utilizes vessels operated by different universities throughout the country. Supported by a collaborative grant from the National Science Foundation, the program comes with minimal costs to students and offers voyages that last from 6-10 days, mostly in the summer. Students participate in geoscience and oceanography activities while onboard.

“The benefits to students include the opportunity to engage in practical applications using instrumentation to collect data, conduct oceanographic sampling and acoustic work,” said Hintz.

Hintz is in his third STEMSEAS cruise as a mentor. In July 2017, he and SSU’s Dr. Carol Pride led a cruise from Panama City, Florida to Lewes, Delaware that included six SSU marine science students. Pride has led two STEMSEAS cruises. Ebanks is in his second cruise, as well.

Another SSU faculty, Dr. Sue Ebanks, was on a cruise in October 2022 as the senior scientist with her former graduate student and SSU alumna, Savannah Geiger. 

Student learning aboard does not rely on standardized curriculum. Instead, faculty mentors develop activities and research projects that bring into focus students’ scientific interests and desired career pathways.

“In addition to the daily science meetings, a lot of the informal opportunities for students come from speaking to peers, crew members and others aboard who help provide valuable insights into career paths and additional research opportunities,” said Hintz.

Sharon Cooper serves as program director and principal investigator for STEMSEAS.

"The STEMSEAS program leaders are thrilled to be able to partner with SSU on this first expedition of the renewed STEMSEAS project, which is funded for four years," said Cooper.   

And she added, “STEMSEAS is designed to open students' hearts and minds to the wide range of geoscience and oceanographic sciences and career directions,” said Cooper. “We hope these experiences inspire students and also grow their network of mentors and peers, to build their resilience and opportunities. The ideal STEMSEAS applicant will be curious, eager, and open-minded, with a desire to work hard and take full advantage of the unique opportunity to be out at sea. No previous experience is required.”

An application to STEMSEAS can be found at HERE.