Marine ecologist Donna Schroeder’s passion for science started in kindergarten
For BOEM marine ecologist Donna Schroeder, diving for science can be both exhilarating and exhausting.
“The biggest difference from the terrestrial world is the three-dimensional nature of the underwater environment compared to the ability to move in only two directions onshore,” she said. “For a diver, this freedom of movement is often described as a sensation of flying.”
The St. Louis, Missouri native says growing up on the water and having a fish aquarium at home inspired her to pursue a career in ocean science, as early as kindergarten. She still remembers learning how to say, “marine biologist” then.
“My father is a sailor and a recreational fisherman, and I never remember a time in my childhood when I wasn’t around boats,” Schroeder said. “Our family spent nearly every weekend on the water during the summer. I am sure these experiences were quite influential to me, and I was also a total science nerd. I remember declaring in kindergarten that I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up, specifically a marine biologist.”
She attended undergraduate school at the University of Tampa and graduate school at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She studied marine science and biology. Before joining the federal service, Schroeder worked a staff research scientist at UCSB for 12 years.
Before heading to graduate school, she worked as a field researcher scuba diving in the Florida Keys. Schroeder was helping the U.S. Geological Service (USGS) on a project funded by the former Minerals Management Service. She had never heard of MMS and found herself working alongside USGS and MMS scientists to survey corals and coral reef fish populations.
“At UCSB, I worked on a wide variety of marine projects as a ‘soft money’ researcher, which means if I was not successful in bringing in research money, I didn’t get paid,” she recalls. “During that time, I worked with a number of different state and federal agencies and I always appreciated working with scientists from the MMS. They always seemed to be doing interesting projects and were pretty sharp people”. So when the opportunity came along to apply for a position as an MMS marine biologist in 2007, she said she did not hesitate to apply.
“I’ve never regretted that decision,” she said. “My passion is for the science that our bureau funds and manages – and how that feeds directly into decision making. I love that because I feel that it gives my work a great deal of meaning when it fits into a larger program.”
She is proud of many accomplishments during her past 10 years with the bureau, particularly the large body of research surrounding artificial reef science and how it directly influenced legislation in the State of California. Schroeder said that designing a number of long-term marine monitoring programs is another source of pride for her.
Her advice for aspiring scientists is succinct: “I will repeat the advice my father gave to me, ‘Make a plan and go for it!’ As for the exhaustion part of diving, I often tell students curious about marine biology that 90% of the effort in the field is moving large amounts of heavy equipment to obscure places where you can be very cold and must work in a low visibility environment. It’s not for low-stamina folks.” She smiles. “But if you like to see another world full of amazing sea creatures, it’s definitely for you.”