LTJG Shannon Ristau at work at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Lab.
NOAA Corps Officer/Research Assistant
Shannon Ristau, LTJG
Hydrothermal Vents Program
NOAA Pacific Marine Envrironmental Lab
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Video Profiles 
Watch and listen to the video an/or read the transcript.
Meet Shannon (Quicktime, 540 Kb)
Shannon says hello and introduces her video profile.
Job Description (Quicktime, 5.4 Mb)
...primarily assists the geologic group of the NOAA Vents Program...assists with making maps from collected data and with information for the Ocean Explorer Web site.
Creating Maps (Quicktime, 6.8 Mb)
Shannon discusses how maps are made from collected sonar data. One of the many jobs she performs for the NOAA Vents Program from start to finish.
The ROPOS ROV (Quicktime, 5.6 Mb)
Shannon describes the ROPOS ROV and how it is used to explore the depths of the ocean. It might even capture a shrimp...
Why the NOAA Corps? (Quicktime, 6.6 Mb)
Shannon discusses what drew her to the Corps and how the NOAA Corps was created.
Advice to Others (Quicktime, 2.6 Mb)
Take advantage of all opportunities....when life deals you a blow, always look for something positive and work through the hardship.
What is your actual title?
NOAA’s Commissioned Officer Corps. My current assignment is as a research assistant/operational support officer for NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab’s Hydrothermal Vent Program.
Where do you work?
I work at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon.
What sparked your initial interest in the marine world?
Growing up in Oregon, the ocean has played a big role in my life. I’ve always loved going to the beach, playing in the waves, and hunting around in the tide pools. That love stuck with me and in high school I looked for colleges where I could pursue my desire to be in marine science.
Who influenced you or encouraged you the most?
I’ve been very fortunate to have great mentors and role models in my life, starting with my parents. I have the girls from the old TV show “Facts of Life” to thank for leading me to a women’s college! In terms of marine science, my advisor, Dr. Al Curran, really encouraged me. He took me to the Bahamas to study coral reefs and helped me get a job with NOAA, plus, Al and his wife are just great role models for life in general.
Do you travel often?
I do travel often enough in my current land assignment. We usually go on one to two research cruises a year. Last year was the best because one of my cruises ended in Japan, which is somewhere I had always wanted to visit. When I am in a sea assignment, I’m stationed on a ship that is usually away from homeport about 9 months of year and is at sea for two weeks at a time. I’ve seen some amazing parts of the U.S. on the ship.
Tell us more about your research and the types of things you do.
I study the geology of hydrothermal vents and submarine volcanoes with the VENTS program. This involves a lot of seafloor mapping, analysis of data with GIS (geographic information systems), and data management. When I’m at sea, I serve as a scientist, who helps collect data, process it, and make maps. I also help out with the ROVs (remote operated vehicles) when we use them on our cruises.
What is the most fascinating thing you have ever seen or done?
Most fascinating thing ever?? Wow, tough question! Going to sea I’ve seen some amazing things: all sorts of wildlife, fogbows (which is like a rainbow but without color, put seeing the infamous Green Flash at the top. Yes, it really does exist! After eight or so years of looking I finally saw it.
What are the personal rewards of your work?
One of my favorite aspects of my job is the opportunity I get to go into classrooms or converse with students who are learning about marine science. I love to see the excitement and wonder on their faces when I show them movies of an underwater eruption or hydrothermal vent creatures swimming around. Sharing my enthusiasm for the ocean and introducing children to marine science is the best reward.
How does your work benefit the public?
Scientific discoveries and research, as a whole, increase our understanding of the world we live in and add to the knowledge base. Another benefit is that we may discover something that might be lead to a major advancement in medical treatment or some other practical application for the public. I think one of the most important things that studying the oceans does is to provide an unknown “wilderness” for us to explore. We know less about the bottom of the ocean then we do about the surface of Mars. For kids that might be growing up now, thinking ‘I want to be an explorer,’ here is your chance. The ocean is one great, fairly accessible place to explore where there is a lot still to discover.
What else could someone with your background do?
Good question! Seriously, with the training I’ve received in the Corps and my educational background, I feel like there a many things I could do. Someone with my background could go to sea and be a mate on a ship. One could get a job working with geographic information systems and mapping. Or perhaps get a job doing pure geology research.
What are the educational requirements for your job?
To be a NOAA Corps Officer you have to have a four year degree in science, math, or engineering. A full year of physics and integral and differential calculus are also required to be considered for a commission in the NOAA Corps.
What is the salary range?
As an officer, my salary is based on rank and time of service; it follows the military pay scale. I entered, as an ensign, making around $22,000 a year, and if I were at the rank of captain with 20+ years of service I would be making around $90,000.
How many hours do you work per week?
As a commissioned officer I am technically on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, in my current assignment I have slightly different hours. If I’m in the office, I work a pretty normal workweek - about 40 hours. If I am out at sea I work anywhere from 12 to 16 hours a day.
Looking back, was there anything you would have done differently in your education or career journey?
I don’t think I would change a thing. I changed the slightest thing I wouldn’t end up where I am today. In high school I knew I wanted to be a marine scientist – which is pretty vague in the realm of marine science careers. I had no idea that interest would take me into a geology degree and that would get me a job with NOAA in Silver Spring, MD, which would introduce me to the NOAA Corps. I never took a straight path, and I’m not sure I could have taken one to get here.
What obstacles did you encounter along the way?
I can’t really say I’ve faced major obstacles, but I must admit that sometimes I am my own worst obstacle. It is easy to stay in a place of comfort and not push your self, and I have to struggle sometimes to get myself moving on grasping for that next adventure. Frustration also comes in to play, sometimes I have to steel my determination to not give up when things are seemingly impossible. I’m pretty proud that I usually take the plunge and keep at things, but it isn’t easy.
What are your hobbies?
I enjoy reading, playing ultimate frisbee, and soccer. Recently, I learned to play bridge, which is so much fun AND a mental workout. I like to travel, but I also enjoy staying home and hanging out with my friends or watching CSI. (I love that show!) It’s also important for me to volunteer within my community.
Interests in Elementary School:
In elementary school, I enjoyed playing with dress-up with friends, reading, and being repeatedly crushed by my older brother in every game imaginable. I think I still owe him millions of dollars in monopoly money.
Beginning of Interest in Marine Sciences:
Every summer my brother, my mom, and I would go to the beach with the neighbor and her two sons. We built sandcastles, played in the waves (only up to our ankles, mind you), explored the tidepools, and spent lots of rainy days at the visitor’s center at the Hatfield Marine Science Center watching the octopus being feed.
First Marine Science Class:
My first marine science class was Tropical Ecology of Belize. What a great introduction to marine science! Especially when the class was held in warm, sunny Belize during the snowy winter of New England.
Degrees:
1999– B.A.–geology – Smith College
First Career-related Job:
I was an education intern aboard the wooden boat the Adventuress in the summer after my sophomore year of college. It was great. I lived about this beautiful schooner and sailed in the Puget Sound teaching grade school kids about marine science and ship board life. Sailing spurred my interest in going to sea as a NOAA Corps Officer.
Employment Journey/Career Transitions:
I worked lots of fun, odd jobs after high school and through college – washing dishes, working at a gym, being a secretary, working in a department store. I was lucky to have a great advisor in college who hired me to help out with his research studying coral reefs in the Bahamas and in Belize. Also during this time I was a Head Resident or resident assistant for two dorms at my college. That was a great experience that taught me a lot about living with people, dealing with conflicts, and leading. That job certainly helped when I spent two years at sea on a 164 foot boat.
After college I started working for NOAA with an office that provides technical support for oil spill and hazardous waste sites clean-up. That was interesting work, but I was longing to be outside and a little more active in my job. So I applied for the NOAA Corps, served on a ship for two years and here I am, studying hydrothermal vents. Pretty fantastic.
Related Ocean Explorer Content
This section points to other areas on this Web offering that relate to this career.
Submarine Ring of Fire 2004 - Explorers
Submarine Ring of Fire 2003 - Explorers
Print and Web Resources
Online and offline books, magazines and articles related to this career.
Pacific Marine Environmental Lab - Vents Program
The Vents Program conducts research on the impacts and consequences of submarine volcanoes and hydrothermal venting on the global ocean.
NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps
MarineCareers.net 
This site, sponsored by NOAA's National Sea Grant College Program, introduces a wide range of marine career fields and people working in those fields. Professionals describe what they like and dislike about their careers, what they see for the future in their fields, and much more. The site also provides salary and other pertinent career information.
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