Spring Break
Oceanography professor changes perceptions on marine environments
Betsy Cohen
Issue date: 10/24/08 Section: News
10/24/08 - Kenneth Sherman's office is bustling with activity on a rare warm October afternoon. He keeps busy teaching, conducting research and serving as the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration New England region.
A law school student turned biology major, Sherman has been involved in oceanography research for more than half a century.
"I've been with it since the early days, through the creation of NOAA to today," Sherman said. "I've had a continuous career with the federal government; this is my 50th year. I'm a relic."
Beside his NOAA position, Sherman is a professor at the Graduate School of Oceanography, a director at the Narragansett Laboratory, and the head of the Office of Marine Ecosystems Studies in NOAA's New England Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC).
That might sound like a lot but for Sherman it's just a regular day at the office.
"I'd say a typical day is the opportunity to actually deal with the challenges of finding how things are working in the ocean and how we can improve the management and sustainability of resources," he said. "That's quite an opportunity and a privilege [that] doesn't often make itself available to people. [My] job is to deal with the issues of sustaining the fisheries here off the Northeast Shelf and then taking those lessons and applying them to other parts of the world. I don't think it gets any better than that."
Though a typical day might seem stressful, no planners were present on his desk the day of the interview. One giant calendar posted outside of his office is sufficient enough to take care of the housekeeping, he said.
Although managing money is an essential part of leading such an extensive government operation, Sherman said that it is not so bad, "as long as you can demonstrate that the things you're doing have socio-economic benefits."
In regards to the scientific community at large, Sherman said he believes "we're now in a position where we can share our experiences and lessons learned with other parts of the world. In fact, we encourage our scientists to publish their results, not only in scientific periodicals but also in popular kinds of things."
A law school student turned biology major, Sherman has been involved in oceanography research for more than half a century.
"I've been with it since the early days, through the creation of NOAA to today," Sherman said. "I've had a continuous career with the federal government; this is my 50th year. I'm a relic."
Beside his NOAA position, Sherman is a professor at the Graduate School of Oceanography, a director at the Narragansett Laboratory, and the head of the Office of Marine Ecosystems Studies in NOAA's New England Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC).
That might sound like a lot but for Sherman it's just a regular day at the office.
"I'd say a typical day is the opportunity to actually deal with the challenges of finding how things are working in the ocean and how we can improve the management and sustainability of resources," he said. "That's quite an opportunity and a privilege [that] doesn't often make itself available to people. [My] job is to deal with the issues of sustaining the fisheries here off the Northeast Shelf and then taking those lessons and applying them to other parts of the world. I don't think it gets any better than that."
Though a typical day might seem stressful, no planners were present on his desk the day of the interview. One giant calendar posted outside of his office is sufficient enough to take care of the housekeeping, he said.
Although managing money is an essential part of leading such an extensive government operation, Sherman said that it is not so bad, "as long as you can demonstrate that the things you're doing have socio-economic benefits."
In regards to the scientific community at large, Sherman said he believes "we're now in a position where we can share our experiences and lessons learned with other parts of the world. In fact, we encourage our scientists to publish their results, not only in scientific periodicals but also in popular kinds of things."
