Meet Ocean Explorer Vincent Johnson

OET is proud to welcome Vincent Johnson to the Corps of Exploration as part of the Science & Engineering Internship Program. This internship program supports community college, undergraduate, and graduate students in building professional workforce experience and exploring STEM-related careers that connect to research themes like robotics, ocean science, education, and exploration. Vincent is spending 12 days aboard E/V Nautilus as a seafloor mapping intern characterizing deep-sea features in international waters between Canada and Hawaiʻi, filling gaps in seafloor mapping coverage, and supporting priorities of the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, the US National Strategy for Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization, and the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

We sat with Vincent to learn more about his experience at sea and the path that led him to Nautilus.

Where did you grow up and what influenced you?

I grew up in a small town called Payette, Idaho – it’s a quiet place with not much going on for the most part. I never moved and didn’t travel much until college. I was big into reading as a kid, and one of my favorite books growing up was Treasure Island. It might have influenced my desire to work on a ship, even though it didn’t go so well in the book. I also had this massive anthology book by Jacque Cousteau with tons of pictures and descriptions that were just mesmerizing. I would look through it all the time.  

What is your educational background?

When I first went to college, I enrolled at University of Oregon in their Marine Biology program for a year. But I decided to switch things up and transferred to Oregon State University in 2019. When I got there, I changed my major to Earth Science with a focus in Oceanography and Atmospheric Science. I graduated in the summer of 2022 with my Bachelor of Science in Earth Science. 

When did you first realize you had an interest in the ocean?

I think it really started when I was a kid. Some summers I would travel to Chico, California to visit my grandparents, and I remember going to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. My cousin decided to take my sister and I to the aquarium even though it was over four hours away. That one experience of going through the tide pools and seeing their exhibits sparked a lifelong passion to research, explore, and protect this big, beautiful thing. I think it was a critical moment in my life.

How did you learn about OET and Nautilus?

Initially, I enjoyed watching lectures online from other outreach programs trying to get kids interested in STEM fields. I began to wonder if there was something focused on Oceanography for kids, especially those who grow up in landlocked states like Idaho. When I came across OET, their mission and all that they do really resonated with me. 

What drew you to apply for the mapping internship? How did you get here?

I took an ArcGIS mapping class in college and was very interested in the process of mapping. I think that sparked an interest of combining the mapping side of things with my love for the ocean, which led me to apply to be a mapping intern on Nautilus. 

What are you most excited about learning on this voyage?

I’m very excited to see what happens with the data that we are collecting. A lot of the data that we’re gathering is brand new. Seeing how this data is used for a better understanding of the ocean is very exciting and will hopefully lead to more research, which in turn will continue the never-ending cycle of scientific discovery. 

What advice would you give to people like yourself? 

Don’t be afraid that your dreams are too outlandish. Everyone has the potential to achieve what they want with hard work and a little bit of luck.