Society for Women in Marine Science
Tricia Thibodeau of URI-GSO is our current vice president. She has shared with us why she enjoys being on the steering committee in this first elections spotlight. She also shares why you should join us!
You can find out more about our elections here: Steering Committee Elections
Six Questions with SWMS is a series of interviews with women across marine science with a wide range of career paths, degrees, and experiences.
What is your current job, and how did you end up there?
I am a Senior Engineering Assistant at WHOI for the Mooring Operations and Engineering Group. After I graduated with a degree in Marine Science Physics and a USCG Mate’s license so I could work as crew on research vessels, I ended up working for Scripps Institution of Oceanography as a Restech. A restech is basically a shipboard technician who manages the deck, the equipment, the shipboard labs, the shipboard computer programs, and is the logistics coordinator. While I was doing that, I was feeling out what I wanted to specialize in. I really liked doing mooring work, so I made connections with the head of the Mooring Group at WHOI and I became lucky when a job opening came up in this group.
What is your favorite thing about marine science, or your research field more specifically?
My favorite thing is going out to sea and doing field research. There is nothing greater than being on the back deck of a ship working with a team of people all focused on achieving the same thing… using the tools of the trade to acquire data for the scientists to better understand and increase the knowledge of the world regarding our oceans and planet.
What is your greatest professional/educational accomplishment?
My greatest educational accomplishment is realizing you don’t need a master’s degree or a PhD to do what you love. It took me many many years to figure that out since I was trained as an undergrad to continue my oceanographic education and expected to pursue a PhD. The knowledge that I have now is not taught in any master’s or PhD program, which is a shame because there needs to be a greater focus on the technology of oceanography.
My greatest professional accomplishment has been working with undergrads, grad students, and post-docs from around the world, teaching them how to acquire data and the realities of working in oceanography and providing them with whatever resources they may need. Seeing them get inspired and watching them grow after I have worked with them is amazing.
What are your goals for the next six years?
My goals are always evolving and currently I haven’t figured out what my new work goals are. Everything for me right now is focused on figuring out how to manage being a seagoing mother with very young children. A feat on its own when you are shoreside and an incredible logistics and emotional challenge for the parents and children when you are seagoing.
What advice would you give the six-years-ago version of yourself?
I guess I’m still following the same advice: tough it out and focus on what you enjoy the most… There are always s**t parts to every job and to every company.
Our theme for our 4th annual fall symposium was “Swimming in Confidence: Declaring your Scientific Authority.” How do you increase your self-confidence?
Self Confidence is tricky. After being in the business for 20 years (eek, I’m old), you learn that self-confidence will ebb and flow. It is okay for it to fluctuate. Sometimes little things will give you a huge boost and sometimes something minor will knock you down for a while. Try to stay focused on your goals and when you’re feeling low take a step back and try looking at your career/life from a different perspective. Think about how far you have come from when you first started in the field.
Remember: you don’t have to be perfect at what you do. It is okay to have a shaky/quivering voice when you are speaking in front of a group, it is okay to be embarrassed in front of co-workers… Don’t compare yourself to others, you don’t know their whole story even if they are your work BFF. Everyone has a unique skill set with some overlapping qualities, just always be you and you will thrive!
“Six Questions with SWMS” is a series of interviews with women across marine science with a wide range of career paths, degrees, and experiences.
What is your current job, and how did you end up there?
I work as a School and Youth Programs Educator at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans, Louisiana. With School Programs I lead and help develop lessons for visiting school groups coming on field trips to the aquarium. These lessons cover a range of topics from frogs, to rainforests, to shark dissections. With different schools visiting each day, I have a new experience each time. I also train and supervise the youth volunteers that come to the aquarium on the weekends. Over the summer, I led a month-long training for a group of 20 middle schoolers to teach them about the aquarium as well as how to talk about climate change and its impact on ocean habitats. During the school year these volunteers interact with visiting guests, passing on their knowledge and climate change solutions.
I went to Northeastern University for my undergraduate degree and participated in their cooperative education program. I knew I wanted to work in informal education when I got my first internship at the Northeastern University Marine Science Center in Nahant, Massachusetts. While there I worked with classes teaching kids to do biological surveys in the intertidal zone. I loved connecting kids to real science methods. Since then I have worked as an educator in the Everglades and at fishing camps, and when I moved to New Orleans I was lucky to continue working as an informal science educator.
What is your favorite thing about marine science, or your research field more specifically?
My graduate research focused on two small tuna species commonly caught by recreational anglers in southeastern Florida. Working with non-scientists, especially children, and helping them understand their connection to the ocean and their impact on it is my favorite thing. Even though I am not currently doing research, I love to translate active science to the general public to foster a better connection between scientists and the community.
What is your greatest professional/educational accomplishment?
All of my accomplishments, including graduating with a bachelor’s in biology and a master’s in marine biology, have gotten me to this point in my life, so collectively those are all my greatest accomplishments. Through all of this I have grown and I am glad for all of my experiences.
What are your goals for the next six years?
I want to continue to grow in my ability as an informal science educator and develop programs that engage audiences about the ocean. It is becoming more important that people not only talk about climate change and its impact on the world, but also about how collectively we can make changes to our lifestyles that will help reduce this impact.
What advice would you give the six-years-ago version of yourself?
Six years ago at this time I was in the fall semester of my senior year of undergrad and working at my Marine Science Center internship. I had just come back from a year-long marine biology program called the Three Seas Program run by Northeastern University. During this year my class traveled and researched marine biology in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Pacific Ocean. I was trying to decide what I should do after graduation and if I should pursue a graduate degree or start applying for jobs. My advice to myself would be to work towards your goals but be flexible in the path you take to get there. Find out what makes the most sense for you, what makes you the happiest, or what gives you the skills you want to develop.
Our theme for our 4th annual fall symposium is “Swimming in Confidence: Declaring your Scientific Authority.” How do you increase your self-confidence?
I am lucky that I have a strong group of women to whom I can look for guidance and assistance, both professionally and personally. By talking and brainstorming with these women I am able to increase my self-confidence and see my accomplishments through others’ eyes. Sometimes I need to take a step back to appreciate how far I have come.