Marine Science Career Profiles

Dr. William C. Austin

Dr. Austin is Director of The Marine Ecology Station, located in Cowichan Bay, BC. The Station features aquaria and touch-tanks showcasing local marine life, and operates a variety of school programs and science camps. Dr. Austin is an invertebrate researcher and marine educator, and was awarded Outstanding Marine Educator and Aquatic Educator for 1997 by the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators (NAME). OceanLink spoke with Dr. Austin in his office on the top floor of the floating Marine Ecology Station

What is your current field of study in marine biology?

I am primarily working on the identification and taxonomy of sponges in the Northeast Pacific. I also do more applied research with intertidal baseline surveys around the coast of BC, and assessment of rare and endangered marine species.

You're a researcher but also a marine educator as well. Have you been involved in education throughout your career?

Well, I taught university for seven years. I guess I got started in education at the university, since I sought out a university where I believed that education would be the primary focus.

What primarily takes up most of your time these days with your job?

A combination of running programs for schools and marine science camps. Through my program I contact primarily elementary level students, although it includes college/university and on up to Elder Hostel. And then paperwork! That takes up a lot of time.

Are you involved in any "extracurricular" organizations or activities?

I'm currently president of NAMIT, which stands for the Northern Association of Marine Invertebrate Taxonomists. These taxonomists are primarily a consulting group, with some university professors. I'm also on the board of the Cowichan Valley Naturalists, and I was on the board with the Georgia Strait Alliance. They are more action-oriented, as opposed to the Marine Ecology Station which primarily focuses on fostering awareness.

Did you always want to be a marine biologist?

Pretty much. I grew up in New Jersey, but we had a place at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. I went there as a kid, and that's what got me going. I used to do a lot of observing and collecting at various places, but particularly under some bridges which were very cave-like. I went back in 1985 because I was going to some meetings at Woods Hole, and I decided I would re-visit my collecting sites which I hadn't been to since I was 14 or 15 years old. And there were all the sponges! And I knew who they were now, and it hadn't changed, so that was fun.

How did you pursue your career in marine biology? Did you start by going to university?

Actually at the point when I was ready for university we were living in the mid-west, so I was pretty far from the coast. I went to Wabash College where my biology professor got me involved in doing terrestrial survey work, for example looking at populations of box turtles. So that kept up my interest, but also that prof. happened to spend his summers in Monterey, California. He collected organisms to set up a display collection, and he hired me to do some identification, mounting and curating of the collection. So that got me thinking about the west coast. When it was time to decide whether to go on or not to a higher degree, he suggested Stanford. I applied to about three different schools and Stanford was the best in terms of, as far as I could tell, the program and the professor I wanted.

What did you do your graduate work on?

I worked on the behaviour of brittle stars - biology, functional anatomy, the digestive system, that sort of stuff. Actually, when I was attending Stanford I was interested in setting up an Aquarium. So its kind of funny because I've come around full circle, and here I am with the Marine Ecology Station.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I guess my favourite part is still losing myself in research. Maybe if I did it all the time, I'd miss the interactions here at the Station. I like working with kids, especially the grade 3's and 4's because they're still open to exploring. But I guess I miss a little bit the intellectual stimulation at the university level. I'm perfectly content just to disappear out in the boonies someplace and explore on my own a bit. That's just fun.

What do you dislike most about your job?

I think the fundraising is the hardest, because I'm not good at it. I don't mind going out and beating the bushes for the courses directly because I don't feel like I'm pleading or saying this is what I will do. I can say this is what we're doing now, and have them buy into it. That's much easier. I also think its maybe easier to fundraise for other people.

What advice would you give to young people interested in becoming marine biologists?

I guess that there aren't a lot of jobs out there, but there are some and some people will get those. Keep your options open. I think it depends on where you're heading, but volunteering certainly makes a difference in relation to future jobs. It is perceived well on a resume, if you have indicated a lot of volunteer work it shows a genuine desire to do whatever work that is. And the other thing is when you volunteer for a place like this, most of the people I hire have been volunteers before, so I knew who they were, and I was more informed than interviewing someone off the street.

Marine biology is really broad, its just as broad as biology except it happens to be in the water. You could well end up with a lot of younger kids who want to play with the whales or talk to the whales, which is fine, but they may find something that grabs them just as hard later on that has to do with bacterial genetics or something they didn't even think about. And that's part of my justification for The Marine Ecology Station. Some people express concern about pushing marine science when there's not enough jobs, and my sense is that they may end up doing something else. Its a good entry, because its hands on and its the kind of stuff that people can relate to easily. Its not necessarily difficult in the sense that its drudgery or something. Its fun! That's what science is about, it should be fun.

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