Science Assistants
The Science Assistants of OCE:
Who They Are and What They Do

The Science Assistants of OCE (from L-R): Lisa Crowder; Katie Bowler, Natasha Gray, Kandy Binkley, and Holly Smith.

The workload in the Division of Ocean Sciences has increased significantly over the past several years, and this has necessitated readjustments in our staffing structure in order to more efficiently handle the growing number of proposals. A new position has been created - the Science Assistant - that represents a level of expertise which is intermediate between the experienced Program Managers, who are central to the proposal decision making process, and the Program Assistants, who provide secretarial and technical expertise in handling the flow of paperwork and proposals.

An important goal of this organizational change is to improve the quality of our service to the scientific community by improving the efficiency of our internal operations. By utilizing the new Science Assistants skills to assist the Program Managers, we hope to increase opportunities for interaction and communication with the research community.

Most of these positions are not permanent, and will be filled on a temporary basis every 2-3 years. Therefore, there will be a frequent source of opportunity for recent bachelors or masters level graduates in the ocean or ocean-related sciences to come to NSF for a short period and gain a remarkable overview of the state-of-science today. Please alert your students to these opportunities as they arise.

The following briefly introduces each of the Science Assistants in the Division.

Lisa Crowder, Marine Geology and Geophysics Program

Lisa recently graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara with a Masters in Marine Geology and Geophysics. Her project involved examining the growth of abyssal hills to determine the width of the plate boundary zone for the 9 degrees N segment of the East Pacific Rise.

Katie Bowler, Division of Ocean Sciences

Katie works with Mike Purdy in the Division's front office. She is editor of the newsletter and maintains the web page. She also edits reports, collects data and prepares graphics for presentations and posters. Katie recently received her Masters from the University of Maryland in Zoology.

Natasha Gray, Biological Oceanography and Ocean Technology and Interdisciplinary Coordination Programs

Natasha came to NSF last February from the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History. She received her Masters from American University in Washington, D.C in marine invertebrate ecology. Her thesis project involved testing silicone antifouling coatings in the Chesapeake Bay to see if they deterred the settlement of invertebrate larvae.

Kandy Binkley, Ocean Sciences Research Section (OSRS)

Kandy works with Mike Reeve, the Section Head for the OSRS. She is the "official" OCE contact person for FastLane activities. She also gathers data for various committees such as the Advisory Committee and the Committee of Visitors. She is assisting Dr. Reeve with the requirements of the Government Performance Results Act (GPRA) which are being implemented this year. Kandy has her Masters in Technical Management from Johns Hopkins University and has previously worked at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research.

Holly Smith, Oceanographic Centers and Facilities Section

Holly received her Masters from Clark University in Worcester, MA in Environmental Science & Policy studying environmental quality indicators in an urban environment. She was previously working at the Consortium of Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE) in Washington, D.C.