May 2009 – Dr. Nancy Knowlton

May 2009 – Dr. Nancy Knowlton, Sant Chair in Marine Science at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and leader of CoML’s Census of Coral Reef Ecosystems (CReefs) project.

Melissa Brodeur: You recently made a presentation during the opening night of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) 2009 Finals Competition. What did you enjoy most about talking to the NOSB students? What do you hope they took away from your presentation?

Nancy Knowlton: It was great to talk to students who are so excited about the ocean and so well informed.  I hope they learned that we need their help to keep the oceans healthy, and that there are many routes to this end.

MB: It was a huge treat for the NOSB students (and ourselves) to see the Smithsonian’s new Ocean Hall. It really is an amazing addition to the museum. What is your favorite part of the exhibit?  

NK: I have a hard time choosing a single favorite.  I of course love the live coral reef, but Science on a Sphere, the coelacanth, the beautiful trilobites, and many other things are also favorites. The whole is much greater than the sum of the parts.

MB: CReefs seems to be making new discoveries with every expedition. What do you think is CReef’s greatest accomplishment to date? Have there been any truly surprising findings?  

NK: I think documenting the sheer scale of what we don’t know is the most important accomplishment to date – in just 22 small heads of corals we found 65 crab species, a number that equals 1/3 of all the crabs every described from all European seas.   And not one genetic sequence matched anything in the databases.

MB: If you were to lead a “Second CoML” what would you want the overall program to look like? What topics or themes should the program focus on?  

NK: In part I would scale up the program and continue to take advantage of rapidly evolving DNA techniques – for some groups like coral reefs and microbes, we were only able to scratch the surface during the first phase.  Using the Census to find solutions for the problems facing the ocean would also be a priority.

MB: You’ve mentioned how you and your husband were once known as “Drs. Gloom and Doom” on the presentation circuit and you are now trying your best to shake that description by being more optimistic. Given the precarious state of the ocean, are there any messages of hope and success that you think the public should be made aware of?  

NK: We just organized an all-day symposium entitled “Beyond the Obituaries: Success Stories in Ocean Conservation” – there were over 50 talks and posters.  Hundreds of people attended and we received much positive feedback about how important it is to recognize the successes we do have, so that we can learn from and be inspired by them.

MB: What do you think has to change (in education, research or outreach) so that the next generation of scientists can effectively solve the many issues threatening the health of the ocean?  

NK: I think things are already changing – the key is an interdisciplinary approach oriented around solving problems and giving students the skills they need to communicate with the public and policy makers.  We pioneered this approach at the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography with the help of support from the National Science Foundation.  Programs like ours are sprouting up now all over the place.  

MB: We know you travel a lot. Where is your next adventure taking you? Can we go with you? (We promise to pack lightly.)

NK: Actually my next trip is to London to attend a meeting on bioinformatics, but where I just came from was particularly exotic – Indonesia and East Timor – where I lectured at the invitation of the State Department at the World Ocean Conference and at a number of universities.