116 | Unlocking the Secrets of the Ocean with Chris Scholin
Christopher A. Scholin is the President and CEO of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and has been a driving force behind groundbreaking research since 2009. He started his professional journey as a research assistant professor at the University of South Carolina at Columbia. Driven by a passion for merging molecular biology and ecology, Chris joined the esteemed Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (MIT/WHOI) Joint Program in Biological Oceanography. In 2021, he was honored with the Lockheed Martin Award for Ocean Science and Engineering from the Marine Technology Society. Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology with Highest Honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master of Business Administration degree in Molecular Biology and Immunology from Duke University. Chris continues to engage in research projects and maintains an impressive scientific portfolio.
Today, you’ll hear Chris and I discuss his childhood fascination with the ocean and how it led him to pursue a career in oceanography. He explains how he accidentally became the CEO of MBARI and delves into his contributions to the development of advanced oceanic technology. He describes his early experiences with scuba diving, his interest in laboratory science and technology, and how he combined these interests to pursue a career in oceanography. He recounts his unconventional path into oceanography and discusses his exposure to molecular biology and biotech and how he saw these fields as a way to combine his passion for oceanography and technology. You’ll also learn about the challenges of working in ocean science and the importance of taking risks and being willing to make mistakes.
"Sometimes you gotta follow your heart. If it's something you wanna do, give it a try."
- Chris Scholin
This week on Kathy Sullivan Explores:
Chris’s childhood fascination with the ocean
Learning to scuba dive in St. Louis, Michigan
How a librarian changed the course of Chris’s career
How Chris learned to follow his heart
Applying molecular biology and biotech to oceanography
What algae blooms can teach us
How to differentiate between similar-looking organisms
The legacy of David Packard on MBARI
The upside of taking risks
How mistakes can lead to important discoveries
The challenges of overseeing senior scientists
Our Favorite Quotes:
“Only about 30% of the sea floor of the entire earth has been mapped in any detail.” - Chris Scholin
“The tide of popular opinion about whether it was even, even feasible was really against me. I just had to stand my ground and keep trying my best and proving it could work.” - Chris Scholin
Connect with Chris Scholin:
Spaceship Not Required
I’m Kathy Sullivan, the only person to have walked in space and gone to the deepest point in the ocean.
I’m an explorer, and that doesn’t always have to involve going to some remote or exotic place. It simply requires a commitment to put curiosity into action.
In this podcast, you can explore, reflecting on lessons learned from life so far and from my brilliant and ever-inquisitive guests. We explore together in this very moment from right where you are… spaceship not required.
Welcome to Kathy Sullivan Explores.