Tales from the Deep: Stories of Scientific Ocean Drilling

 

Screenshot from the StoryCorps archive showing an image of the JR viewed from the helideck and the title "Tales from the Deep: Stories of Scientific Ocean Drilling"
Click the image to visit the StoryCorps archive!

 

Welcome to Tales from the Deep: Stories of Scientific Ocean Drilling! This project was born as a community in the StoryCorps archives, as a way to preserve the stories of those involved in scientific ocean drilling. The scientific drilling vessel Glomar Challenger began collecting deep-sea core samples in 1968, with JOIDES Resolution in 1985 and Chikyū in 2005 continuing to investigate and expand our knowledge of marine geology and geophysics. In this collection of audio narratives, those who have sailed on these ships and mission-specific platforms, and supported the many off- and onshore missions, share stories about their personal and professional experiences at sea.

The most important thing to know about Tales from the Deep is that we’re just getting started! In the coming months, we will add many more narratives, as well as audiogram-style trailers, transcripts, relevant images and educational materials, and more. This project is evolving into a multi-media repository for stories about life at sea. For now, you can click each of the images below to listen to the ever-growing library of audio narratives in the StoryCorps archive. But you can look forward to the development of this website in the coming months, where we will host a web of interconnected resources that bring scientific ocean drilling to life.

If you are as excited about this project as we are, there are ways you can get involved:

  • Share your story and be featured in a StoryCorps recorded conversation about an experience on Glomar Challenger, JOIDES Resolution, Chikyū, a mission-specific platform, or as shore-based support
  • Recommend a topic for a new conversation
  • Suggest ideas for additional resources to supplement each audio narrative
  • Provide feedback about the resources that are currently available

Let us hear your thoughts in this survey, where you can also sign up to record your topic, and stay tuned for the next story! Dr. Laura Guertin, the mastermind behind this project, is also happy to take questions and feedback directly via email (guertin@psu.edu).

 

Screenshot from the StoryCorps archive showing Laura Guertin and Maya Pincus, with the conversation title "The journey begins in hotel quarantine"

 

Screenshot from the StoryCorps archive showing Laura Guertin and Andrew McIntyre, with the conversation title "The Top 5 Best Bits from the South Atlantic"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screenshot from the StoryCorps archive showing Maryalice Yakutchik, with the conversation title "I have reservoirs of fear"

 

Screenshot from the StoryCorps archive showing a birthday party on the JR, with the conversation title "Celebrating longevity with birthday noodle soup"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screenshot from the StoryCorps archive showing Laura Guertin and Tessa Peixoto, with the conversation title "What do you do on the ship if you have a food allergy?"

 

Screenshot from the StoryCorps archive showing Chieh Peng and Etienne Claasen, with the conversation title "We have to live the same day twice!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screenshot from the StoryCorps archive showing Mike Widdowson looking at a core, with the conversation title "How did I get here?"

 

Screenshot from the StoryCorps archive showing an MSP and Chris Lowery looking into a microscope, with the conversation title "Microfossils help us address the questions we can't otherwise answer"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screenshot from the StoryCorps archive showing Aidan Leetz in a hardhat, with the conversation title "I thought I might speak about it..."

 

Screenshot from the StoryCorps archive showing Jason Sylvan in a life vest, with the conversation title "Each time you go out you see very different things"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screenshot from the StoryCorps archive showing Jeff Ryan with his hands in a clean bag, with the conversation title "I get there and my luggage was shredded"

 

Screenshot from the StoryCorps archive showing Emily Estes pointing to a RigWatch screen, with the conversation title "You really need something at the end of the day that can help you disconnect"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screenshot from the StoryCorps archive showing Claire Routledge holding a bowl of core catcher sediment, with the conversation title "...they were relatively long shifts..."

 

The idea for Tales from the Deep: Stories of Scientific Ocean Drilling was developed at the June 2022 Advancing Scientific Ocean Drilling IMPACT workshop. It was spearheaded by Dr. Laura Guertin, with support from Maryalice Yakutchik and Maya Pincus (Onboard Outreach Officers for Expeditions 390, 392, and 391 respectively).