Dr. Kimberly Galvez, Scientist at Sea: Marine Science, STEM Leadership, and Inspiring Future Generations

Episode Summary:
Ever dream of running away to sea to become a scientist? This week on the Adventures in Learning podcast, we chat with Dr. Kimberly Galvez, chief scientist aboard the Viking Octantis, about the groundbreaking work her team is doing. Discover how advanced technologies like multi-beam sonar systems, drones, and remotely operated vehicles are expanding our understanding of the ocean's depths. Dr. Kim delves into groundbreaking research on microplastics and plankton DNA, emphasizing the critical importance of data collection and storytelling in science. This episode highlights the pivotal role of women in STEM and the transformative power of environmental education, hopefully inspiring future generations to pursue careers in science.

Timestamps
0:00:00 - Exploring Ocean Science on Expedition Ships: Discover the Viking Octantis and its innovative approach to marine research. Learn about Dr. Kim's work in marine geology, seafloor mapping, and microplastics research.
0:06:46 - Science, Stories, Women in STEM: Explore the interconnectedness of Earth's ecosystems and the power of storytelling in scientific research. Dr. Kim shares her journey to becoming a chief scientist and the role of women in STEM.
0:17:35 - Empowering Scientists and Encouraging Curiosity: Addressing challenges in science, including gender pay gaps and the importance of interdisciplinary communication. Learn how to inspire children to pursue STEM careers.
0:27:49 - Inspiring Environmental Education and Outreach: The joy of sharing experiences to educate and inspire others, fostering a sense of wonder and discovery.

Key Takeaways
The Viking Octantis revolutionizes marine exploration with state-of-the-art technology and research initiatives.
Storytelling in science is crucial for public engagement and conservation efforts.
Women play a vital role in STEM, with persistence and opportunity paving the way for future leaders.
Environmental education and hands-on learning are essential for inspiring the next generation of scientists.

Links:
Follow Dr. Kimberly Galvez on LinkedIn and Instagram
https://kimberlygalvez.weebly.com/

Transcript

00:00 - Dr Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
So have you ever dreamed of running away to sea and being a scientist for a major cruise line? Did your dreams when you were a kid involve the ocean? Maybe you didn't even know that there was this incredible world of STEM available to you. Our guest today is somebody that I wish I could have grown up to be. Dr Kimberly Galvez is one of the coolest scientists out there and I am so excited to be able to have you talk to her today on the Adventures in Learning podcast. Dr Kim, welcome to the show. 

00:36 - Dr Kim Galvez (Guest)
Hi. Thank you so much, diane, for having me on, and it's an absolute pleasure to be here. 

00:41 - Dr Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Well, it was such a delight to get to meet you on the Viking Octantis. You're the chief scientist, is that correct? 

00:48 - Dr Kim Galvez (Guest)
Yes, I am the chief scientist on Viking Octantis, where I run an entire research lab, this whole science lab that we have built into the actual expedition ship. 

00:58 - Dr Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
So tell us a little bit about that, because that's very different than expeditions and cruises used to be. What is the role of a scientist on a ship? Well, you're absolutely right. 

01:09 - Dr Kim Galvez (Guest)
It's very different than what a normal cruise ship or expedition ships have been in the past. But with Viking, they created this entire new frame of system and so they thought, OK, let's go to a new place and then, on top of it, let's just not bring guests on board to get to experience it, but we want the guests to really get to know what they're doing. And because we're in such remote areas that don't always have the availability for scientists to go and actually do research, they thought let's go ahead and do that as well. So while they were actually building the two ships, Viking Optantis and Viking Polaris, they actually incorporated them the science element into that. So they thought out how to do an entire science lab that's based on that and that's on the ships and being able to do long term research projects, dedicated research, data collection and working with people all around the world in order to achieve those goals. 

02:07 - Dr Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
And what kind of research are you currently doing? 

02:10 - Dr Kim Galvez (Guest)
Oh, that's an excellent question. So we do a whole bunch of different kinds of research right now. My background is specifically in marine geology and geophysics, and so when I started my PhD, I didn't really know everything that I thought I would have liked to learn, and so my background specifically worked on a little bit of the both sides of sedimentology as well as the geophysics using multi-beam sonar systems, and what that does is actually mapping the seafloor, and so when I joined Viking, I actually was really excited, because they do a big project that's similar to that, where they have their own multi-beam sonar system, which we just got online and we're actually officially using and helping close a lot of the gaps of the seafloor that currently are still there. We've mapped less than 50% of our world's oceans, and on top of it, in the Great Lakes, where we also operate, there's been less than about 16% of the lakes mapped to a high resolution. So we're working on dedicating a lot of that mapping time to those efforts, as well as looking at the different geology patterns and oceanographic patterns, which means that we also measure the systems. 

03:19
We have a whole bunch of sensors on board that water runs through a pipeline system, coming from under the hull of the ship, run through the sensors and then through that we're also able to collect samples for microplastics research as well. Before then the water's then emptied out overboard on ship. So we do microplastics, we do seafloor mapping, we do plankton research. Right now we also just have opened up our first PCR, which means that we're able to sequence genetic samples while at sea, and right now we're focusing with Scripps Institution of Oceanography on being able to focus on kind of sequencing the DNA of the plankton that live in not only in Antarctica, but we're looking into expanding it as well into the aquatic environment, such as those of the Great Lakes as well, into expanding it as well into the aquatic environment, such as those of the Great Lakes as well. 

04:06
We also do a lot of drone work. So we have two different types of drones on board. For the science team we have an aerial drone that's actually a DJI Mavic 3 multispectral drone and that means that it can take images in a different range of the color spectrum. So it really helps with being able to detect certain types of vegetation as well as certain growth patterns that might occur depending on whether or not there's ice cover in certain areas for coastal environments, and our underwater drone is known as a remotely operated vehicle, and that's an ROV which can actually go all the way down to 300 meters deep, collect temperature data and collect a lot of video and imagery of the surrounding habitat and environments that are there. 

04:47
And then, last but not least, we also have what's called a baited remote underwater video system, and that's referring to this unique camera setup that we have with a bait cannon front, where we're looking to attract the certain kinds of organisms and animals that live in a certain area and attract them to come into field of view of the images or of the cameras, and then they were able to then see what's in this environment and because the cameras are calibrated to the end of the bait can, we can also measure the size of the animals as well, which is a unique feature for these specific types of baited remote underwater video systems. 

05:23 - Dr Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Okay, that is all just incredibly cool, and I was thinking as you were talking, I had read that you know we know more about the surface of Mars than we do about our own oceans in terms of what lies beneath, and so it feels to me like you're sort of at the forefront of doing some really cool exploration. Does it feel like that to you? 

05:45 - Dr Kim Galvez (Guest)
Yes, absolutely so. A lot of our waters are deep down. Only about less than 20% of the world's waters are above 200 meters, and so we're really on the exploratory edge of these environments, and there's a lot of great work done by various entities throughout the world in exploring the deep sea ocean, but what's also not being explored are the polar regions, and so there's just simply not enough scientists around to actually go down there and do a lot of the work, and so we're really excited to be able to dedicate a lot of that kind of research for so long of a period that we're in Antarctica, and next year, when we start off in the Arctic, we're looking into that as well and so being able to explore what kind of geology there is, what kind of environments there are, the overall habitats in the underwater environment. Oh, and also I forgot to mention that we also launch weather balloons on Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris as well, and so it's a lot of fun to be able to do that. 

06:46 - Dr Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
And one of the things I'm thinking as you're talking is everything's interconnected. As we look at climate change, as we look at our changing planet, we connect what's going on with the oceans to what's going on with the ecosystems. You talked about the plankton and the krill and how that impacts penguins and seals and whales and their lives, but it also impacts us as humans. Everything is interconnected. How do you sort of, I guess, zero in on this is what we're going to study. 

07:15 - Dr Kim Galvez (Guest)
Absolutely so. 

07:17
Everything is intertwined and connected in that regards, and so how we've determined how we're looking at the different perspectives and projects in certain areas is really we want to be able to tell the full story of what's at every site and what that site can tell us in regards to that, whether it be from the plankton, which then relate to how temperature and oxygen impact the water environment, which is then impacted by how the atmosphere then talks to them, and then that in regards goes to, you know, the seals and the whales, like you just mentioned. 

07:49
So we take a lot of regard of looking into what data currently exists in what area and then building off that data set and exactly what story are we trying to tell? Or, in certain regards, where there has been very little to no data collected and stuff, what is the start of the story? So we need to first take as much data as we can, collect as much data as we can in those environments and then start to look through it and see what the story is from there before we actually decide what other data frames are we going to focus on for that region. 

08:26 - Dr Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Well, and I love the idea of looking at it as what is the story that we're going to tell and you know what story exists here. I think that for so many people, our scientific storytelling has not been particularly effective in terms of the lay person, and so when you can take what's going on in the data and be able to turn it into a compelling story that people understand, I think it helps fuel a desire to take care of things a little bit better, that conservation ethos as well. So I love that aspect of what you're doing. 

08:56 - Dr Kim Galvez (Guest)
It's a lot of fun and being able to really share. 

09:00
That is a fantastic way that also encourages that kind of talk between scientists and the community and citizens all over the world, because this is their world just as much as it is anyone else's. 

09:15
Us to work with people directly because we collect the data on there, but, yes, but we have a whole team and a whole group of guests on board that are always eager to learn and see what there is around them and we're able to then show them the data that's being collected right there on the ship while they're there with us, and it's a fantastic way that we can really integrate people into the actual data science collection. 

09:40
And being able to have that kind of connectivity is a great way that we can tell that story, see how it is, see how you know, being a scientist does not need to be something that is so far removed from what people every day are doing. We're bringing these people with us to actually collect the data and it's a lot of fun to be able to do that. And then they go home and they're able to then, you know, tell that story further to their own families and hopefully, you know, we get that then support and positivity for what ends up being that kind of data collection Because, again, like you said, this kind of information is crucial for climate change and for our own day-to-day lives. We need to be able to know this information so we can make proper decisions. 

10:19 - Dr Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
You know, and one of the things you and I talked about when I was lucky enough to be one of your guests is we talked a little bit about the role of women in STEM and particularly the fact that you are the chief scientist on board the ship. To me, that makes my little girl heart so happy. How did you get there? What were your adventures in learning that have led you to this point? 

10:44 - Dr Kim Galvez (Guest)
That is a phenomenal question, and I would like to state that in total, between Polaris and Octantis, there are four chief scientists, so we rotate on and off, and right now three out of those four are also are women, including myself, and so it's a great opportunity for all of us to be able to work hard and to be able to get to these places. 

11:05
And you know, like we just talked about, this role did not exist beyond a couple years ago, since the Viking Octantis first launched at the end of 2021, there have very few opportunities to kind of have this role of science meets guest interaction and go and do a lot of exploratory work. And so my role was never, you know, I never thought, oh, I'm going to be the first female to do much, because we already had so much of that being paved way in the generation prior to that, and so part of my work was just being interested in continuing to ask questions, even sometimes, you know, during school time, I might not have done a great job at a certain subject or whatnot, and you know teachers, some were very encouraging and some weren't, but I really decided that I wanted to make sure to progress this myself, because this is what I wanted to do, and so whether, if I wasn't good at it, I would try double as hard to make sure to progress this myself, because this is what I wanted to do, and so whether, if I wasn't good at it, I would try double as hard to make sure that I got better grades so that I could learn it, even though I didn't like it. And then I just continued on the path forward and throughout my time in school it just I said yes to certain opportunities and those opportunities then led to another opportunity and some ended up being a really great experience. I mean, they were all experiences overall, but I really got to figure out what I ended up liking and what I didn't like by just being able to say yes. If it's something I wasn't sure about, I still said yes because I wanted to know if it was something that I really liked or enjoyed, but I just didn't know it. Until you know, until you have that opportunity. 

12:42
And so throughout my time, you know, just saying here and there yes to certain opportunities led me that after my PhD, I worked with NOAA. Actually, I worked at NOAA in the deep sea, ocean exploration, and so it was a fantastic opportunity to be part of a team there because, again, there were a lot of females that were also in very supportive and encouraging and making sure you had the opportunities that you were seeking. And then, when I found out about the opportunity at Viking, it was just I thought that was so cool and, and you know, I was like, oh, you know, it would be really cool. I don't know if I'll get it, or that job sounds so cool. And I don't know if I'll get it, or that job sounds so cool and I don't know if I'm cool enough for it. But I decided you know what, it's always a no if you don't try. 

13:28
So I sent in my resume, I sent in the application and, lo and behold, three weeks later I was signing my contract and I moved out of Washington DC, out of Washington DC, and then I ended up working at Viking and it ended up just really being between persistence and curiosity and just taking a chance and saying, you know, let's give it a shot, let's see where it goes. If it doesn't work out, you know there's always going to be something else. And so I thought, you know, now is the time because I can and no one can tell me that I can't do something. So it's a lot of fun to be able to push that and be part of that and talk to a whole bunch of people because again, they see a female scientist role being filled and it's really crucial to gain that kind of leveling and work, and especially the type of work that we have to do. 

14:18
I don't just sit in the science lab. I need to coordinate with the rest of the ship on what is capable, what we're capable of doing for that day and what the needs are for science, and then talking to the rest of the ship, like the captain, like the team on the bridge, you know, because we always have to connect to each other in order to decide what is possible and what's not. And so it's a huge team effort, and being a female that works on that level and having the respect of all of my peers is a really great way that we're able to continue forging those major pathways that the generation before us had. So we will always continue. 

14:55 - Dr Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
And who were some? You mentioned the women who came before you and the people who sort of paved the way, who were your STEM role models or your science role models. 

15:04 - Dr Kim Galvez (Guest)
So it was. It's a hard question because there are so many and a lot of them also. It's always been a mix between. You know there are certain male role model figures as well as female role model figures. You know Sylvia Earle has always been a huge fan. I mean, I've always been a huge fan. Sylvia Earle has always been a huge fan. I mean, I've always been a huge fan of Sylvia Earle and I would love if at some point in my career I got to meet her and sit down and have a dinner with her, talk about all of her experiences. That's been someone that I've always looked up to. 

15:34
A lot of the women, even in in roles that weren't, you know, famously, have really supported and helped me throughout those times. And I have to say part of that was also my mother. She is not science oriented or anything. She has had her career more in business aspects. But she was always one to continue to push us and to say you can do anything that you want and go for it. 

15:59
And even though my mom tries really hard to fully understand a lot of the work that I've done in the past, you know she was able to just recently come on a voyage and so she got to see us me working full hand on it and she said you know, this is fantastic, I'm so proud and being able to be that person that you know not necessarily gave me permission, but gave me the courage to go and be independent, to say yes and not always to take no for an answer. And so it was a lot of fun to be able to have a mom like that and to you know, forge our own paths and be creative and go forth and do it, and I had many role models and many teachers throughout the years be very encouraging for that factor as well, female as well as male, and it's, it's been a fantastic road so far. 

16:45 - Dr Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
I love that. You know, for me, I'm realizing I love Sylvia Earle. One of my sort of lifelong inspirations has been Jane Goodall. Yes, and the idea of being a naturalist and observing the world around you and being very systematic in what you observe and raising questions that people don't think about. And you know, she's the tip of the iceberg, she's the one I would. You know if you could have a dinner party and sit down with anybody. She's on my list, oh, yeah for sure. But you're right, there are so many people and it's day-to-day people. It's the folks you meet like you, dr Kim, you know, and it's the people you meet who just share a passion and a love for the planet and are finding ways to tell that story, and I think that that's so cool and I'm glad you had a mom who supported you that way. I think that's awesome. What are some of the biggest issues that you see facing scientists today? 

17:38 - Dr Kim Galvez (Guest)
Okay, yeah, that's an excellent question. We had just spoken about, you know, female role models and female scientists in the world, and while that has taken a significant leap forward and is improving, there's still a huge pay gap in between, you know, male scientists and female scientists going around and, just like in every other industry that there is and there is also on the bigger scale, there needs to be a lot more communication that happens on the interdisciplinary forms of science. There's still a huge separations between different elements and different departments in science when you talk about physics or geology or biology or atmospheric science, and it seems that recently a lot of that has started to really come together because we've started to realize how much interconnectivity there is between every element of that. But there definitely needs to be a bit of a role to have that a little bit more open to communication, and that actually goes with being able to share data, being able to share data as well as publications, instead of, you know, having higher up institutions being able to afford publications or even submitting publications to certain journals and only qualifying those scientists that have been able to achieve those kinds of publications or networking capabilities. 

19:11
I think by having a lot of more of the FAIR principles, which stands for findable, accessible, interoperable and I believe the term is oh shoot, oh sorry, that's okay. They're interoperable and reproducible, and so being able to have access to this kind of data is crucial for a lot of people around the world not just females, but scientists from all walks of life and being able to have access to that data so that they can progress their own careers as well, and we have started to move in that direction. But I definitely think there is a lot of more work to do there as well, and that's what I'm really hoping to also achieve in this job, where we're able to access and put all of our data in a network so that it is publicly available for everyone to have access to. 

19:59 - Dr Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
I think that that is so important, and I think also finding ways to encourage children from all backgrounds to approach STEM and science as a potential career. And I'm wondering, based on your own experiences, what would you recommend to teachers and educators and families in terms of encouraging kids to go into this field? 

20:22 - Dr Kim Galvez (Guest)
I would say just let their curiosity take off. Don't discourage anything. If they have an interest in it, let them see how far it goes. The worst thing you could do with your kids is tell them, no, you can't do that because it's you know, you're not old enough or you're not something that someone that I want to do, that Let them explore. They need to be able to touch and feel and look at the world in a new way, and they are new. They haven't had that influence yet that you and I have current, that have experienced through our own experiences. They need their own experiences and they need to learn that you know X plus Y equals Z, that you know X plus Y equals Z, and so being able to come up with that on their own really helps encourage their curiosity and expand that factor. 

21:10
And you know, having someone in my life that was very also nature oriented my mom was great. You know it was something. We had a backyard with a lot of fruit trees and everything, and you know we didn't use any pesticides, and so when there were actual butterflies coming in and you know laying their eggs for the nest or whatnot, we would say, oh my God, let's go look at this and see what it's like. We had, you know, old school encyclopedias around all the time. If there was an encouragement to get you know a book about animals or dinosaurs or bugs or something you know, it was never a no. While, you know, we couldn't always get the newest and brightest elements of that, you know she always took us to the library. There were always elements where we would spend hours in the library, get to pick our own books of what we wanted to do and encourage. You know there's so many nature documentaries around If they're curious about that. Television doesn't always have to mean one specific genre or another. You can have them explore into different elements and it's a fantastic world to be part of. Go exploring If you can travel, I highly encourage it. It's fantastic. But stay curious, ask why is it like this, why is something like this? And just by continuously asking why or noticing something small, it can really help encourage that. 

22:28
And you know I had a fun fifth grade teacher. I still remember her, mrs Nudd, if you're out there, hi. She really helped expand my curiosity as well. She brought animals to the classroom and we had connectivity between different levels of grades throughout our classes and so we would take time to, as a fifth grader, help with the first graders or the kindergartners, teaching them to read and explore and look at things. We had mice, we had hamsters, we had fish and we had a snake overall, and it was so cool to be able to really get to know what these animals were and how they were. And you know again k to really get to know what these animals were and how they were. And you know, again kudos. Again back to my mom, because she was just the coolest, or she is the coolest. She is just the coolest person and you know she always let us have different kinds of pets as well. So we had, you know, all the different kinds of hamsters and mice. 

23:21
And you know we have a snake who we actually just had to give to someone else because it was my brother's snake and when he moved away he couldn't bring it with him because he doesn't live in an apartment anymore, and so you know, we found a great new home for him. His name's Chester. He was a ball python snake and he's about six and a half feet long now and we had a great time having him around. We had fished, we had all these different elements and you know we got to go to the stores and look at the ones and my mom always encouraged us, you know, pick the one that's your favorite and see how it goes. 

23:57
And you know it was never being shying away from looking at something that the natural world is part of. There is a cycle to life and being part of that and bringing us out to the national parks and seeing what there is around us was a great way that it was always enabled, me and my friends because, being my friend, apparently they didn't have a choice. My mom said what You've never been to the Florida Everglades, where you know we grew up in Miami. So what do you mean? You haven't been out there. That's it this weekend you're. You know we grew up in Miami, so what do you mean? You haven't been out there? That's it this weekend. You're coming over, we're going to the Everglades and we're going to go on a hike and so and my friends would show up Saturday morning 9 am. 

24:34
They were there and it was exciting. We went camping. It was so much fun. Go explore, have fun. There's so much the world can offer. 

24:41 - Dr Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
I love all of that. I think your mother and I would have been best friends, so kind of. The last question I had wanted to ask you today is you've had the privilege of traveling the world. What are the craziest or coolest adventures that you've had? 

25:00 - Dr Kim Galvez (Guest)
Oh, that's hard because you know I still have so much left to see Right now. Part of the most amazing adventures I've had are during my college experience. I actually was able to do a study abroad system and I lived three and a half months in the Galapagos Islands. I lived with a host family that was there and so I was fully immersed, not just in nature but in the culture that was surrounding that as well, of the of the people that chose to live. You know literally that island life and it was absolutely incredible, you know, being surrounded by the culture the food was always incredible and so fresh because everything was right there and being able to really just be surrounded by that environment. You know we went snorkeling, I went diving, I got to see all the different kinds of marine iguanas and the different flora and fauna that are associated in the Galapagos and, you know, endemic to the Galapagos, they only live there and being able to be not just visit for, you know, a week or two, but having that experience where you know I worked really hard through school and and it did cost extra, but being able to then save up and afford it and being able to go and fully immerse myself. In that experience my family was very much like oh my God, you can't give this up, go for it, do what whatever you need. And it was so much fun. You know it was my first time being away from my family for so long, but at the same time, you know, I still talk to my host family. We Skype every now and then, and it was great. I see the kids growing up and it feels like they're part of my family now as well. And it was so much fun. 

26:38
But then, of course, now working for Viking, I got to experience now Antarctica. 

26:43
I've done two full seasons in Antarctica now and it is absolutely one of the most amazing experiences that currently there is to offer. 

26:54
I believe so as far as nature and an environment that you know people aren't made to live in, and so by having this almost untouched area still in its beautiful form that it is is absolutely incredible to go see, and so by being able not just to go see it but also explore and collect the data, get to know it on a molecular level, is a phenomenal way that we can actually see all there is about this and you know, despite me having now up to six months to eight months down there in total, it's still almost brand new. 

27:31
Every time I go, I'm wowed constantly, because there's always something new that happens that you never think it does. And if it doesn't happen to me but happens to one of my friends or one of my colleagues or a guest and they come and they're so excited about it, it makes my day that much better. Being able to share these experiences is a phenomenal way that you everyone can learn and then enjoy out of it in the long run, and so I think being able to educate the people in the environment that they are in around them and getting them to see what there is, it's an incredible experience. It's so much fun, I love doing it and I really hope that instills and it resonates within the people that get to experience that as well, and then they get to bring that excitement home and hopefully inspire that next generation. 

28:19 - Dr Diane Jackson Schnoor (Host)
Well, thank you so much for sharing with us today. Dr Kim, you have certainly inspired me, and I have a feeling there are listeners out there who are going to take a look at the world in a slightly different way. 

28:32 - Dr Kim Galvez (Guest)
Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it, Diane.