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1. Chasing inter-species communication: what marine mammals are telling us about our oceans

   https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsad030  

   Moore, Sue E (March 2023, ICES Journal of Marine Science)

   Browman, Howard (Ed.)

   Abstract I describe my path through a series of opportunities that provided stepping stones from childhood years in the landlocked US Midwest to a 45-year-long career focused on cetacean behaviour and ecology. My early interest in the ocean and dolphins led me to switch from majoring in journalism to biology during my undergraduate years. While pursuing a master’s degree focused on bioacoustics, I was employed as a contract scientist with the US Navy’s marine mammal laboratory. During 20 years there, my work ranged from dolphin calling behaviour to marine mammal distribution in Alaskan waters, culminating in a Ph.D. dissertation on cetacean habitats in the Alaskan Arctic. Subsequently, I enjoyed a 20-year career with the US NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service. There, I developed and advanced the idea that marine mammals can act as sentinels of ocean variability. To interpret the messages that marine mammals convey about the ocean, we must broaden science discourse to include Indigenous Knowledge and lessons from the experiences of people whose livelihoods depend on the sea. My advice to students and young professionals is to follow your passion while seeking the perspectives of colleagues from a variety of disciplines and people from all cultures and backgrounds. Coupled with a healthy dose of luck, this approach worked for me. 

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2. HX and Me: Understanding Allostery, Folding, and Protein Machines

   https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-biophys-062122-093517  

   Englander, S. Walter (May 2023, Annual Review of Biophysics)

   My accidental encounter with protein hydrogen exchange (HX) at its very beginning and its continued development through my scientific career have led us to a series of advances in HX measurement, interpretation, and cutting edge biophysical applications. After some thoughts about how life brought me there, I take the opportunity to reflect on our early studies of allosteric structure and energy change in hemoglobin, the still-current protein folding problem, and our most recent forward-looking studies on protein machines. 

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3. Adrift in a Sea of Uncertainty: Navigating the Challenges of Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Motherhood for Field‐Going Oceanographers

   https://doi.org/10.1002/lob.10706  

   Hetherington, Elizabeth D; Iglesias, Ilysa S; Leitner, Astrid B (August 2025, Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin)

   Balancing parenthood with professional demands is a challenge for many sea-going oceanographers. For early-career women considering or navigating motherhood, this challenge can be particularly pronounced by the physical demands and separation required to conduct research at sea. As sea-going scientists in the United States who have recently navigated pregnancy, postpartum, and oceanographic fieldwork, we shed light on these challenges, especially the lack of clear medical and institutional guidance for making informed decisions. We also highlight recent improvements, including the development of vessel-specific guidelines for cruise participation, efforts by institutions to provide childcare funding to researchers while at sea, and recommendations for staying connected to young children while offshore. While this piece refers to "mothers" and "motherhood", the included recommendations and insights are for all individuals who experience pregnancy and postpartum. We hope this article both raises awareness and offers reassurance to other ocean-going mothers that they are not alone, and that a supportive, evolving community of parent researchers exists. Research expeditions are often a crucial component of oceanographic careers and are frequently the primary method of collecting vital data. While the decision to participate in research at sea, like the decision to start a family, is a deeply personal one, we hope to spark a conversation within the community about how to make this decision more informed and inclusive for current (and future) generations. 

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4. Giving Shape to a Meaningful and Fulfilling Career in Science: Some No‐Nonsense Advice

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2023CN000221  

   Singha, Kamini (December 2023, Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists)

   Abstract In this manuscript, I provide ideas that may help early‐career colleagues on their paths in science, especially in research and academia. I discuss the inevitability of failure at times, the importance of finding great collaborators and mentors and making time for the things that bring you joy in your life, and suggest a few practices that I hope make us more pleasant human beings. I share a few difficulties I've navigated and advice I've shared with my students, postdocs, and early‐career colleagues through the years. I hope such thoughts are useful, and help others find the joy in being a scientist. 

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5. AUTONOMOUS, FIXED-FOCUS, HIGH-RESOLUTION DEEP-SEA CAMERA SYSTEMS

   Steiner, J; Olsson, M; Church, S; Perrone, E; Clouter, J; Fornari, D; Preston, V; Lubetkin, M (September 2024, Journal of ocean technology)

   The development and design of versatile, autonomous, fixed-focused deep-sea cameras capable of operation to depths of 6,000 m and 11,000 m, that have been deployed on numerous research submersibles and deep-sea platforms since 2016, is presented. The optical assembly of the cameras consists of two lens elements and a high pressure-corrected dome port, optimized to correct for image distortion, produce minimal vignetting, and yield a depth of field which extends from ~0.5 m to infinity within the subsea environment. Three configurations of deep-sea housing are integrated with these optics, such that the internal chassis designs permit GoPro HERO4™ and HERO11™ camera modules to be axially aligned with the corrector and dome optics. The GoPro cameras are fitted with a 5.4 mm non-distortion lens and 1TB microSD memory cards; and are connected to a high-capacity USB-C battery or custom Li-battery pack to provide selfcontained power. The supplemental power and recording media storage permit operations for >24 hours for 27MP still imaging at a high (~5 second) repetition rate, or ~18 hours for 4K or 5.3K cinematic video acquisition at 30 fps. The self-contained power and autonomous design of these cameras allow a wide range of installation options for deep-sea vehicles, towed systems, and seafloor sampling devices to document oceanographic processes. In addition to their use for highresolution documentation of Earth-ocean phenomena and life, they have been used in numerous outreach efforts to educate and engage students and the public about the importance of continued exploration and study of “inner space” – the global ocean and seafloor. 

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