My name is John, and I am a geophysicist.
That may not carry too much weight; after all, there is no Geophysicists Anonymous or anything. It's just as well that there isn't, because there is no shame in my chosen profession anyways. However, sometimes I can't help but wonder how much a statement like the one above might mean to the general public. Perhaps I've just been watching too many disaster movies lately; those are really good for identifying the fact that geophysics exists, but generally take what I'd like to call a "liberal artistic license" with respect to the actual science involved. I think we can do better than Hollywood. Consider this journal my honest attempt to spread the word about what folks study in the field of geophysics, how they go about doing so, and the experiences they may gather along the way.
As for the "glamorous life" bit, well, I'm a grad student at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, affiliated with the University of California San Diego. Quite a few folks in the department end up going to sea, and I am no different. That's why over the next few weeks I will be writing about life on a research vessel, and the science that goes on thereabouts.
And since it is probably poor form to end one of these without a picture, here's a sunset over the Scripps pier:
-John DeSanto
