Pursuit of Science Leads a Host of Talented Professionals to Far-flung Locations

This photo shows the windward side of Kanton Island, American Samoa. This site is part of the decade-long Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere (TOGA) program. Field projects take scientists and a cadre of support staff to locations all over the world -- from the most remote tropical island to a busy metropolitan area.

The test-tube wielding mastermind in a white lab coat is a common stereotype of a Ph.D. scientist, but such an image hardly encompasses the broad range of people who are involved in the enterprise called science. While the laboratory setting with its lab coats and test tubes is certainly an integral part of research, the stereotype belies the range of scientific pursuit. Science can be pursued anywhere, including such far-flung locations as the sea floor, a lush jungle, earth's orbit or a tropical paradise.

When scientists make the decision to take their research beyond laboratory walls, they often require the help of many people who have never donned a lab coat. Large research projects in which scientists plan to gather large quantities of data demand planning and lots of it. Some projects begin years before a scientist ever examines a single leaf, records a temperature or plots a data set. Arrangements must be made for visas, housing facilities and transportation. Agreements about who does what and when it gets done are worked out by contact specialists and government personnel. Designers and machinists build instruments and plan for repairs, pilots ready specially equipped research aircraft and computer programmers write software to assist with data analysis. Administrators and clerical staff track budgets, manage spending and maintain a mountain of correspondence and records. Photographers and writers document projects to share information with the public. Graduate students, engineers and scientists from such disciplines as physics, chemistry and biology may all complete the research staff roster.

Research aircraft like this C-130 carry an array of instruments providing measurements important to atmospheric science. A specialized staff must accompany researchers to operate and maintain the aircraft during field projects. This plane was used in the ACE-1 project in Hobart, Tasmania.

Imagine being told that 150 scientists and support staff want to conduct research in Antarctica in the winter, and that it is your job to arrange all transportation, food, housing and communications. You can't just call a travel agent. You need to think about airplanes, fuel and repair parts, not to mention a place for everyone to bathe, wash clothing and prepare meals. You've got to work out every last detail, down to the specific number of aspirin, bandages, computer diskettes, Kleenex boxes and toilet tissue rolls. On top of all of the living arrangements, the research itself creates another host of difficulties. Who will take care of delicate instruments, how will data be stored and shared and how will information be documented for later study? The success of the project comes down to one thing: planning.

And who can undertake such planning? One organization at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research tackles the monumental task of coordinating large-scale expeditions in the name of science. According to Jim Moore, deputy director of the Joint Office of Scientific Support (JOSS), the field research outside the lab is only a fraction of what happens in a large project. While planning can take years, the analysis of data after a field project can take decades. Scientists need help throughout the process, from initial planning meetings to the archiving and organization of project data.

The process begins when scientists, sometimes from many different countries, meet to decide what measurements or information they need to collect (and from which particular place) to answer some scientific question. They establish goals and objectives (what they want to find out and how they plan to do just that), but sometimes scientists are unclear about how to bring such a project to fruition. Enter the people from JOSS. Their job is to take the scientist's plan from the theoretical to the operational.

Field research projects require the skills of technicians to design, build and maintain delicate instruments. To collect data at different heights above ground for the Alabama air quality study, scientists built towers as tall as 70 feet (20 meters). Some of the project staff spent considerable time installing and maintaining equipment like this so that valuable data could be gathered. Scientists wanted to study the chemistry that determines ozone formation and therefore air quality, on a regional basis in the southern United States.

The seemingly simple details of where, with what equipment and when are the first details to determine. Once those details are established, field support staff send out a site inspection team to review the proposed study area. Meanwhile, researchers write grants to secure funding for the project and focus their scientific ideas. Financial specialists help determine budgets needed to carry out the project.

One recent project sent staff to Hobart, Tasmania to establish an operations area on this small island south of Australia. To get a sense of its isolation from urban centers of the world, locate Tasmania on a map. Nothing but water separates the southernmost coast of Tasmania from Antarctica. The reason for the remote location of the site was simple -- scientists needed a marine environment that was relatively clean or free of industrial pollution. Since the experiment would be measuring aerosols in a remote marine environment, (it was appropriately named ACE-1 for Aerosol Characterization Experiment, first phase) the scientists needed to place instruments on ships and airplanes. The operations base needed communications with the ship and aircraft, as well as extensive computer capabilities. The site inspection team found a suitable airport location, but establishing the computer base was no simple matter of plugging a PC into a wall.

Complications such as dealing with a different power supply necessitates early planning. In the case of ACE-1, planning began 18 months before the 30-40 lead scientists began their field work. Technicians designed a power converter and data links were established. Other staff had to establish adequate phone lines, connect networks, make sure computers and people had adequate air-conditioned space, schedule equipment shipments, schedule personnel, make travel arrangements, find suitable housing and take care of a myriad of other details before the research phase began. People with strong organizational skills, knowledge of international diplomacy and a drive to get things done are crucial in such a project so that the research can begin on time.

By the time project staff arrived in Tasmania, thousands of hours had already gone into preparations for the experiment. A data management plan was designed to handle the field data so that the scientists could quickly make sense of their work and share it with colleagues around the world. Once the project was underway, a field operations manager outlined daily procedures, checked on the status of all equipment and conducted daily briefings to keep everyone updated. As scientists gathered their information, the staff devised ways to evaluate the data and keep the operation true to its objectives.

Inevitably, even the best plans run into snafus. Such mundane problems as bad drinking water, power outages and unfamiliar national holidays can disrupt the best planned operation. More critical issues including poor weather (or good weather in the case of one field project designed to study tornadoes), equipment failures and illness can ruin any plan. Catastrophes such as sinking ships, aircraft crashes or freak accidents certainly impact the emotional well-being of participants in a program. In one of the largest field projects ever conducted, the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE), operations could not be set up at the ideal geographic location because the local government maintained a dusk to dawn curfew complete with soldiers toting M-16s. The alternative location, while possessing a more benign political situation, had such poor medical facilities that the project shipped a complete medical facility including a doctor, equipment and medicines to ensure that field staff could get some preliminary treatment before leaving the island for another hospital. The water was also unsuitable, so 1,000 liters were shipped from the U.S.

Transportation and communication problems range from the frustration of a washed out bridge or road, to scheduling problems and incorrect information. The fact that technology has not reached into every corner of the globe yet makes communication tricky. In the case of TOGA COARE, part of which took place in the Solomon Islands, scientists brought the first ever real-time satellite images to the islands. Local officials were thrilled when the project left a computer and a copier behind.

When researchers and operations managers pack up their program, the work has truly just begun. Data is useless until it is analyzed, evaluated, interpreted and stored or archived in an accessible way. Support staff work with scientists to design computer software to manage the information and make it useful. Because people will access the data for many years, good data management is critical for all research projects. Without an archiving system, reviewing data would be like going to a library where books were just put on any shelf, in any order, without any concern about title, author or subject.

Pulling off a successful field project is no easy task, but the business of science is complicated. The combined talents of researchers and a host of other skilled professionals must work together to find answers to fundamental questions in science. Pursuing a career path in science means much more than working in a laboratory, and choosing not to be a scientist does not necessarily exclude you from participating in research. Many jobs may lead you into science and on a field project. If you're lucky, you'll get to go to Tahiti, or maybe even Antarctica.

YOUR MISSION

[Story] [Your Mission] [Resources] [Credit and Copyright Information]

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to assume the identity of a field research team member. You have been told by your supervisor that a study will take place regarding the climate of the islands off the coast of Australia. The study will involve changes in the seasons, variations in rainfall, changes in temperature and storm tracking. You will be in charge of planning the transportation, lodging, food, medical supplies and equipment for approximately 100 scientists and researchers. Your supervisor is expecting a full proposal on his desk, outlining how you attempt to plan this project, in three days. Where will you begin to find the information needed for this cumbersome task?

First, why don't you try to so some research of your own using SIRS Researcher CD-ROM or SIRS Researcher on the Web? Here is a hint to help you start your mission.

Access the main menu; then select the Full-Text Article database. Here you will have the option to choose from three different search methods; select Keyword Search. Enter the following words: Climate AND Australia AND Tasmania. Your search should retrieve four articles that contain all three words. The articles come from such diverse sources as Ecos, Physics World and Discover.

You can use this information as a starting point for your research expedition. Try the other search methods to retrieve additional articles or use different key words to broaden your search. When fully utilized, SIRS Researcher is a powerful reference tool at your fingertips.

SIRS Researcher offers thousands of full-text articles, exploring social, scientific, historic, economic, political and global issues. These articles are carefully selected from more than 1,200 domestic and international newspapers, journals, magazines, and U.S. governmental documents.

For more information or to arrange a no-obligation preview for your library, contact SIRS Customer Service toll-free at 1-800-232-SIRS or via e-mail at custserve@sirs.com. Visit the our home page at http://www.sirs.com.

RESOURCES

Use the World Wide Web to Find Out More
Learn more about field research and the enterprise of science at http://ofps.ucar.edu