Researcher Spotlight
Meet Sam Kelsey, Research Assistant III, The Ecosystems Center
When Sam Kelsey was studying at the MBL as a college student back in 1997, he never dreamed that he’d end up working here for almost a decade. Sam was at the MBL as part of the Ecosystems Center’s first Semester in Environmental Science (SES) class. The program gives undergraduate students from around the country the chance to immerse themselves in hands-on ecological research. Sam, then a senior at Dickinson College, spent the fall semester studying the Atlantic white cedar swamps located near Devil’s Lane in Woods Hole.
Ten years later, Sam still immerses himself in his work—literally! Now a research assistant III in the Ecosystems Center, he is part of a long-term study of the effects of sewage disposal in Boston Harbor. As part of this research, Sam and his colleagues SCUBA dive on the harbor’s outfall sites to collect sediment cores and measure ecosystem metabolic rates. Their hope is to better understand how long it will take the harbor to recover from decades of sewage addition.
From May to October, Sam dives in the cold, dark waters of Boston Harbor, plunging as deep as 40 feet to collect sediment samples from the mucky ocean floor. This is no diving paradise. “The water is often cold with poor visibility, especially while digging in the mud,” explains Sam. “It can be challenging in these conditions to collect samples while keeping track of my dive partner and the boat’s anchor line.”
It could be that Sam’s tolerance for the “less-than-glamorous” side of working on the water is in his blood. Four generations of his family have been Maine lobstermen, and Sam spent a lot of time growing up on his uncle’s boats in South Bristol (near Boothbay Harbor). “Even though I was cutting bait most of the time, it was a great way to spend the summers,” he says.
But diving is just part of Sam’s job. He spends the majority of his time analyzing in the lab what he collects in the field. Sam enjoys being part of a long-term study (it started in 1991) and finds it gratifying to be involved in all aspects of the research—from collection of the samples to presentation of the results. “It’s easy to collect samples and not know their ultimate meaning,” he says. “But the most satisfying part of the research is seeing it all synthesized together.” To that end, Sam recently gave a presentation on his Boston Harbor work at the 2007 Estuarine Research Federation meeting.
In addition to the Boston Harbor project, Sam’s MBL career has included working as an SES teaching assistant and spending three summers at the Ecosystems Center field site in Toolik Lake, Alaska. With such varied experience under his belt, Sam is a valued resource for scientists and students at the Center, and often trains others on everything from field techniques to lab equipment. He also maintains and makes minor repairs to some of the Center’s chemistry instruments such as spectrophotometers. And maybe it’s the years he spent lobstering, but according to Sam’s supervisor, senior scientist Anne Giblin, for whom he’s worked for his entire MBL career, he is also a great person to have with you in the field. “Sam is always cheerful no matter how bad the weather is or what goes wrong,” says Anne. “He never gets angry or grumpy and always puts his energy into solving problems rather than complaining about them. He also has a great mix of skills. He is the guy to go to when you want to know what knot to use, to get the boat started, or build some field gear.”
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Employee Spotlight
Meet Herb Luther, Research and Education Lab Assistant, Education Department, Loeb 127
For more than a century, students from around the world have traveled to Woods Hole to participate in the MBL’s renowned courses. With an all-star faculty teaching all-star students, it’s no wonder that MBL course alumni have gone on to distinguished careers in the life sciences, some have even won the Nobel Prize.
Through the years, there has been a tradition of taking a class photo of faculty and students before the course ends. From turn-of the century images of scientists in hoop skirts and jackets and ties (see “Looking Back,” page 3) to today, these photos serve as historical document of MBL’s educational program.
For the last 10 years, Herb Luther has worked with the courses to assure that they take a class photo. He installs the photos on display boards, which are located in each laboratory where courses are held. At the end of the year, Herb sends digital copies of the photos to the Library to be archived and to Communications for the database of photos on the MBL alumni website.
Six years ago, the Alumni Affairs Office asked if Herb would be willing to do the same for many of the historical photos—some going back to the 1890s—so that they could be posted on the MBL website for alumni and others to enjoy. The following year, the website was launched to the delight of alumni everywhere. Now, some 300 scans later, nine courses are represented. “It was a big job and one I just couldn’t squeeze in,” says Kate Shaw, director of annual giving and alumni affairs. “But Herb made available some of his precious ‘off-season’ time to do the work. His enthusiasm for the project was wonderful and his experience working closely with faculty and students was invaluable. Apart from allowing alumni to view their class pictures, having the digital versions allowed us to raise more money for the courses. For the past three years, classes celebrating MBL anniversaries have received their class photos with an appeal from a classmate to support MBL courses. It’s been tremendously helpful.”
Herb began working at the MBL as a temporary employee in 1992. After positions in the MRC tank room and Shipping and Receiving, he moved to the Education department where he helps to make sure that the scientific equipment loaned to the MBL each year for the courses—valued at some $22 million—gets to the proper course at the proper time and is returned to the vendors in good condition when the courses are over. “In the spring, all of the loaned equipment that comes into the Education department has to be opened, inventoried, and moved to where it’s needed,” explains Herb. “It’s a staggering amount of items. In the fall, the whole process reverses.”
Over the years, Herb has become a well-known member of the Education team and is often the guy the course faculty and students come to when they need issues solved immediately. And the questions aren’t just technical ones regarding a problem with the lab or a piece of equipment not working correctly. Herb is just as likely the person the courses ask for tips on the best place to get pizza on a Friday night or where to go on a day off. “I really love the long-term acquaintances that I make through the courses,” says Herb. “You get to be very good friends with these people.”
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