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Biography of David M. Karl
CS Dave Karl works with sediment trap. I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York on the shores of
polluted Lake Erie. My interest in science was sparked by my
desire to do something to protect the environment and I thought that I
would eventually enter the field of wildlife biology. I attended a public
high school and received a good education, but in retrospect had only
three meaningful courses during those 4 years: Latin, Chemistry and Algebra.
My performance in high school was less than my potential, especially by
comparison to my academically talented siblings. When I was 17 years old
I saw the ocean for the first time and knew at that moment that I would
make a career in oceanography. Everything from that time was focused on
achieving that goal. I enrolled at the State University College at Buffalo and majored in
biology, although the chemistry courses -- especially the labs -- were
the most enjoyable. I had an opportunity to meet and work with several
professors who provided the momentum and the focus to keep going. I graduated
in 3 1/2 years and decided to teach high school before going on to graduate
studies. I was placed into an inner city, vocational training school to
teach math. My class was not well liked, although the experience -- in
retrospect -- was quite valuable. The following fall, I left Buffalo for
sunny Florida and the official start of my new career in oceanography
as a graduate student at the Florida State University. In less than three months I was on my first research cruise aboard R/V
Eastward in the Cariaco Trench off Venezuela. This was a most remarkable
experience for me and since that time I have spent more than three years
at sea aboard numerous vessels in diverse habitats ranging from the Black
Sea to the Amazon River to Antarctica. During my tenure at Florida State,
I had an opportunity to spend a summer at the Marine Biological Laboratory
in Woods Hole studying marine microbiology. It was there that I made lasting
friendships and professional connections that would later be invaluable
to me in my own career. After graduating from Florida State University in 1973, I was accepted
into the Ph.D. program at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. I had the
good fortune to receive a graduate assistantship in the Food Chain Research
Group of the Institute of Marine Resources and to become involved in many
diverse research projects, including the Ross Ice Shelf Project (RISP)
in Antarctica. I travelled to the ice in 1976-7 and 1977-8 austral summers
to participate in this project. Since that time, I have been back to Antarctica
twenty times to conduct research on various aspects of marine ecology. Following my graduation from Scripps I accepted a faculty position at
the University of Hawaii where I have been since 1978. Shortly after my
arrival in Hawaii, I had the opportunity to become involved in the study
of deep sea hydrothermal vents that had just been discovered on the seafloor
off the Galapagos Islands. I wrote a grant proposal and was funded to
participate in the first biological expedition to the vents. Since that first submersible dive in 1978, I have logged more than 100
hours in the deep sea. In 1996, I edited a volume on the "Microbiology
of Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents" which summarizes the nearly two decades
of discovery of these unique marine ecosystems. I am currently a Professor of Oceanography at the University of Hawaii,
where I enjoy teaching graduate courses and conducting research. When
I am not working in the field or in the classroom, I relax by riding my
Harley-Davidson motorcycle or by kayaking in the blue waters of the Pacific
Ocean. My career in science has been both rewarding and exciting. I cannot
imagine doing anything else, and I cannot imagine having a "real"
job. Additional materials, including a full "professional" vita
(and list of 150 scientific publications) is available electronically
on the WWW: http://hahana.soest.hawaii.edu
 | From The Field | Video
Information | Researcher Q & A |
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