Hi! My name is Vicki Ferrini and I'm a Marine Geophysicist. When I was a kid, growing up on the beaches of Cape Cod, I was fascinated by the ocean. Seeing the tides rolling in and out every day was like an invitation to explore and observe the beach each day. It was also an invitation to explore the ocean’s hidden secrets beyond the horizon. I used to imagine what it would be like to be at sea, with no land in sight, surrounded only by water. I always knew I wanted a job that involved the ocean--I was drawn to its vastness and humbled by its power. As I learned more about different career paths, I navigated my way to becoming a scientist who specializes in ocean mapping and seafloor characterization.
My career started when I got to graduate school and discovered that, with the right tools, I could explore any part of the ocean no matter how deep or remote. I learned about how sonar can be used to “see” through water with sound. By measuring the time it takes for sound to travel to the seafloor and back, we can compute distance. Many measurements of distance can be brought together to reveal the 3D shape of the seafloor. I started using robots to see the seafloor with my own eyes through the lens of a camera.
