Summer@LSTS 2020 continued on August 27th, 2020, 2:30-3:30 PM UTC, with Katy Croff Bell, who presented Deep Sea Exploration: Past + Present + Future.

Deep sea exploration today is inefficient, elite, and expensive. As a result, we don’t fully understand how to wisely use and protect the ocean, so that we may thrive today and into the future. Dr. Katy Croff Bell is on a mission to break down the barriers to the deep sea by combining low-cost technologies, AI-driven data analysis, and capacity building to make access to the deep sea more efficient and accessible to all, especially those traditionally underrepresented in the field. Her background in ocean engineering, maritime archaeology, and geological oceanography, and leadership of dozens of expeditions around that world uniquely position her to create efficient, equitable systems that can and should be developed in order to broaden access to the deep sea around the world.

Dr. Katy Croff Bell is a deep sea explorer with a background in ocean engineering, maritime archaeology, and geological oceanography, and has led dozens of expeditions around the world. Bell is passionate about developing new ways to better understand the ocean and and make it more accessible to everyone around the world. Currently, she is the Founding Director of the Open Ocean Initiative at the MIT Media Lab and a Fellow at the National Geographic Society, developing programs for low-cost, distributed deployment of new and emerging technologies for ocean exploration and community building. Previously, as Executive Vice President of the Ocean Exploration Trust, Bell led the development of exploration, research, and educational outreach activities for E/V Nautilus, including management of scientists, engineers, educators, and students from 30+ countries working together to conduct telepresence-enabled expeditions around the world. 

Bell was Vice Chair of the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee in 2017-2019. She was a 2001 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration, 2006 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, and 2014 MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellow. Bell holds an S.B. in ocean engineering from MIT, an M.Sc. in maritime archaeology from the University of Southampton, and a Ph.D. in geological oceanography from the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island.

If you need any additional information please send an email to Jose Luiz Moutinho.