What is an Oceanographer?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

1, October 2020 – What is an Oceanographer?

Vic Grosjean interviewed with Lindsey Russell for the IET.tv

Oceanographer is the top green jobs for kids to pursue according to the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET).

Lindsey Russell TV presenter said: “Climate change is one of the biggest issues we face as a generation and it’s an extremely important time for us to take action so I’m honoured to be able to work with the IET to front this campaign. I’ve spoken to some incredibly talented people and hopefully, the video series helps inform kids about the options they have to turn their passion into a career and help save the planet.”

What is an Oceanographer?

Can you start by telling me what your job title is?

Chartered Engineer & Engineer Consultant and Host at Ocean Innovators

What exactly do you do in your day to day job?

Engineering Design work, Project Management and Documentation in relations to Environmental Monitoring

So what age were you when you heard this job even existed? And how did you find out about it?

I created my own job based on the mix of activities I wanted to do.

What steps did you take to get this job? Ie: what subjects you took particular interest in at school and loved growing up / what you studied at Uni

I have studied Mechatronics Engineering as well as Physics & Environmental Surveillance

What’s the funniest part about your job / what’s the thing you look forward to most about your job? (Also include: what’s the toughest part of your job?)

I love to learn about new things every day, challenge myself as well as helping the community to protect the planet.
I also animate a podcast as part of my weekly routine called Ocean Innovators to feature innovators around the world who Engineer the solution of the future and protect our oceans.

I’m guessing you use a lot of tools and special equipment in your job. Have you got anything there you can show me?

No, mostly digital due to Covid-19 lockdown

To anyone out there who thinks “this job sounds AWESOME” what would be your 3 Top Tips for getting into it?

Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself: it is ok to fail, but you have to learn from your mistakes
Be patient, your career is like running a marathon: most of the time you cannot see the finishing line
Help one another and empower the community: there is a lot of competition out there, even to do good.

What’s been the best day / the best memory you’ve got from your job?

I got to test sensors in situ one day and a seal came to say hello

What sort of person do you need to be to do your job? Ie character traits / work ethic etc

I teach Engineer Ethics, so obviously Work ethics is critical and understand Corporate Social Responsibility

Lindsey-Russell-Oceanographer-Pathway

Who inspires you?

All the Ocean innovators around the planet, which I feel very lucky to interview every week

Why do you think it’s SO important we all do our bit to fight climate change and care for the environment ?

There is no Planet B, so we do not have the choice

What changes have you noticed in the environment since you started your job? Ie how climate change has affected the job

I integrate solutions to monitor the environment, including the weather. There is an increasing need for monitoring the environment to understand the impact of global warming. For instance, coral bleaching events occur more and more regularly.

And just finally, I’ve got a bit of a challenge for you. If you were to use 5 words to explain your job, what would they be? GO!