Meet Ocean Explorers - Dr. Robert Ballard and Dr. Katy Croff Bell

Watch an archived replay:

10:30am ET webcast
1:30pm ET webcast
4:30pm ET webcast
6:30pm ET webcast

A Challenge for You!

Dr. Ballard and Dr. Croff Bell have explored some of the most remote and fascinating places on the planet. But they're always up for new challenges! They'd like to know where you would like to explore....

Here's your challenge: use online tools, like the Oceans layer of Google Earth, to investigate places that you would explore if you were on a ship of exploration. Then, create a video showing where you would explore, why, and how! The more creative you are, the better!

Send your videos to JASON by April 26. Videos should be 45 seconds or less and can be submitted using the online question submission tool. We can't wait to see what you come up with!

The groups who submit videos used in the broadcasts will receive a special gift from Bob and Katy!

About Dr. Robert Ballard and Dr. Katy Croff Bell

Dr. Robert D. Ballard is founder and chief scientist of The JASON Project and Immersion Learning, and is Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. He is widely acclaimed for revolutionizing undersea exploration through the development of remotely operated submersibles capable of working at expedition sites miles below the surface. Dr. Ballard and his team discovered the remains of the RMS Titanic and also discovered hydrothermal vents on the seafloor supporting communities of chemosythetic life.

Dr. Katy Croff Bell is a recent Ph.D. recipient from the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography, Chief Scientist of the E/V Nautilus, and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. As an underwater oceanographer, Katy has used remote sensing tools to study archaeological material in the Black Sea, Thunder Bay, the Baltic Sea, and more!

Watch a video about Dr. Ballard | Watch a video about Dr. Croff Bell

Activities for Kids

  • Landform Detectives
    This JASON Digital Lab lets you explore various geological features, and help Dr. Ballard determine what processes created them!
  • Commander of the Nautilus
    Join Dr. Katy Croff Bell in this Digital Lab as you set out to sea to explore underwater enviromnents with research vessels and ROVs.
  • Immersion Nautilus Live website
    Play interactive games about remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and shipwrecks, watch videos, and browse photos related to ocean exploration and the E/V Nautilus.
  • Ocean Exploration History Crossword
    Test your historical knowledge! This crossword puzzle features clues from the history of ocean exploration.

Activities for Educators

  • The Operation: Resilient Planet Game
    Explore 3-D underwater environments with Dr. Ballard as you and your students work to save turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. Requires a free JASON Mission Center account.
  • Immersion Ocean Exploration Test Drive
    Follow the links on this page to sample some of Immersion's ocean exploration games, hands-on activities, and videos.
  • Black Sea Poster
    View or download this full-color PDF poster that chronicles the history of the Black Sea and Dr. Ballard's explorations in the region between 2000 and 2007.

About the Live Event

On Wednesday, May 4, JASON will broadcast four live shows, lasting approximately 40 minutes each. During the shows you'll learn about Dr. Ballard and Dr. Croff Bell and their underwater explorations, and have the chance to submit text questions and answer interactive polls. In addition, you can submit video questions before the event. Schools submitting video questions increase the odds of their questions being used during the event.

Video Question Submission Guidelines

  • Video question submission is open until 7pm ET on April 27
  • Make sure your video question relates to Bob and Katy and their work
  • Ensure that your video is well-lit and the audio is free of background noise. Consider using a microphone if the student is far from the camera.
  • Please record only one question per video clip. You can submit as many as you like!
  • Students should state their first name only, the state or country they are from, and their question
  • Unfortunately we cannot use all the video questions we receive. The more creative and interesting you are, the better your chances of being selected!

Each student submitting a video question must also fax in a permission form with a parent or guardian's signature. Download student permission form.

National Middle School Science Standards

  • G.1.b Science requires different abilities, depending on such factors as the field of study and type of inquiry. Science is very much a human endeavor, and the work of science relies on basic human qualities, such as reasoning, insight, energy, skill, and creativity--as well as on scientific habits of mind, such as intellectual honesty, tolerance of ambiguity, skepticism, and openness to new ideas.
  • F.5.d Science and technology have advanced through contributions of many different people, in different cultures, at different times in history. Science and technology have contributed enormously to economic growth and productivity among societies and groups within societies.
  • D.2.1. The earth processes we see today, including erosion, movement of lithospheric plates, and changes in atmospheric composition, are similar to those that occurred in the past. earth history is also influenced by occasional catastrophes, such as the impact of an asteroid or comet.
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