By: Kerin E. Lazzaro
Posted In: Entertainment
Photo credit: Salve Regina University Website
Dr. Gallo and Alvin the submarine.
Dr. David Gallo, oceanographer and director of special programs at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution came to speak at the Pell Center on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 to speak about his various expeditions to the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans as well as the Mediterranean Sea. Gallo is currently studying the impact of the oceans on humanity and the effects of humanity on the Earth’s oceans.
Gallo’s presentation had a great turnout, filling the Young building’s ballroom. He reminisced about his college years, receiving his PhD from the University of Rhode Island. After high school, Gallo sold shoes for 7 years, but always had a buried passion for being a scientist. He wanted to explore the underwater world. He was driven by curiosity and in 1987 he ventured into the Mediterranean Sea with Bob Ballard. “After the first thousand feet or so, the jobs get a lot tougher,” joked Gallo about both professions. One of the first oceanographers to use a combination of manned submersibles and robots to map the ocean floor, Gallo was most recently the co-expedition leader during an exploratory search of the Titanic using a type of Russian submarine. His experience made him crave to learn more about life on the ocean floor. Today, Gallo explores the ocean in all areas of the world aboard the ship Atlantis and its submarine Alvin. It takes 10 hours to complete an underwater trip; 2
