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The hypothetical seeds in this regard are the students enrolled in URI

Archeological

Oceanography doctorate program, a veritable "Top

Gun" of bright minds. "These are unique individu- als with a duality of special- ties," Dr. Ballard noted. In selecting the individuals who will be ordained to carry the torch of the proposed legacy, Dr. Ballard seeks a unique group of elite students, each with a diverse educa- tional background. Two good examples are Katy Croff and Mike Brennan. (See related stories, page 26) "We're trying to mainstream, so that when my students get their doctorates they can write a proposal that will be recognized," Dr. Ballard said.

Inner Space System

While the romantic vision of a deep sea explorer is that of spending many weeks at sea, deploying state-of-the-art technology, embarking on potentially perilous missions while amassing data and returning to the shore to study data and publish results, Dr.

Ballard insists that the future of deep sea study depends on the ability to broaden the access of gath- ered information as wide and far as possible, inspiring a life-long passion in younger students to explore.

In reality, the oceano- graphic community is a rather exclusive group, as competition for technological resources and bunks aboard research ships is fierce. "Most people can't get to sea; we are constantly fighting over bunks," said Dr. Ballard. "The Inner Space System is the equalizer. I'm much more interested about what's down there than about the tools that get me down there," said Dr. Ballard. "Our job is to discover. Period. This is a more efficient way to spend the tax payer's dollars and dis- cover."

The Inner Space Center was funded by the citizens of

Rhode Island in a 2004 State $14 million Bond referen- dum, and the technology was funded in part through a grant from NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration through "My grandmother used to say 'Great is the person who plants the tree knowing they will never sit in its shade' … that's what I'm doing: planting trees"

Dr. Robert Ballard

URI research vessel Endeavor. (Photo: Greg Trauthwein) 24 MTR January 2006

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