Student Spotlight

Dax Soule, Marine Geology and Geophysics

 

 

Why did you choose to become an Oceanography Graduate student?

My advisor, Dr. William Wilcock, has the ability to advise in either Earth & Space Sciences or the Oceanography department. My undergraduate degree is in Geophysics, and I felt that Oceanography’s curriculum would give me exposure to a much broader range of subjects that I had no background in. Seismology is what I want to do, but I thought it would be important as a scientist to get formal exposure to topics such as Physical Oceanography and Biology that might not be included in a strictly geophysics based curriculum. Oceanography is unique in that it incorporates multiple scientific disciplines and focuses them one huge topic, our oceans. This interdisciplinary nature was attractive to me and I have been very happy with my choice.

 

Why did you choose Marine Geology & Geophysics as your study option?

That answer goes back a bit. As I mentioned earlier, my degree is in Geophysics. How that happened is a pretty cool accident. I am a second career student. I dropped out of college the first time I tried to earn a History degree. When I returned to school my plan was to complete my history degree and get another job. The first course I took was a Shakespeare class that just happened to be taught in the Geology building. After a term of looking at all the pictures of people in far-off places doing amazing things, I decided to give it a try.

 

Have you participated in fieldwork?

I’ve been all over. Climate change studies in southern Chile on an icebreaker, cliff stability assessment using DC Resistivity at Pointe Du Hoc in France, a seismic survey of the 90th East Ridge in the Indian Ocean, mapping for the upcoming Ocean Observatory in the Northeast Pacific on the R/V Thompson, and most recently the Endeavour Tomography Experiment on the R/V Langseth in the NE Pacific Ocean. The fieldwork I have done has been research related rather than for course work.

 

What are your plans for this academic year and beyond?

The project I am working on uses a seafloor seismic network to identify and track vocalizing fin and blue whales. I just presented my to-date results at a conference in Quebec. I plan to spend this academic year finishing the analysis of this data set and producing my first article. My ultimate goal is to begin the analysis of the seismic data set collected during the Endeavor Tomography Experiment earlier this year.

The next two years is about as far out as I can project. I don’t want to sound short sighted, but the Toucan Sam approach to academics has served me well so far (just follow your nose). All of my energy at this moment is focused on doing a great job with the data sets that I have. When they are finished I will look around and pick something fun from the available choices.