Peter J. Auster
Research Associate
Professor of Marine Sciences
University of Connecticut
Groton, CT
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 BSc/MSc,
University of Connecticut
PhD
University of Ireland Galway |
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Peter Auster
conducts research and teaches classes in areas related to
conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity
in general and fishes in particular. |
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"Learn fast … we are
all getting old and need bright young minds with fresh perspectives to
take our place." |
What
fields of biology do you work in?
Auster:
Marine ecology and conservation biology.
Q:
When did you know you wanted to become a Biologist?
Auster:
When I was in grade school but wanted to study
life in outer space. It turned out not to be like "Star Trek" but life
is all around in the ocean and going deep is almost like going into
outer space.
Q:
What was your college experience like?
Auster:
Too many interesting classes and too little time.
Q:
Did you incorporate work experiences while you were an undergrad?
Auster:
Yes. Welding and loading trucks to make money to
pay for books, car insurance, etc.
Q:
How did you get your first job?
Auster:
I was looking for adventure after receiving my
newly minted BSc and found a job as a fishery observer on foreign
fishing vessels in our 200 mile EEZ (read = field biologist to sample
fishes). I spent two months on large trawlers from the former Soviet
Union in the Bering Sea.
Q:
What's the most rewarding thing about being a Biologist?
Auster:
There are two things that I find incredibly
rewarding and difficult to separate. The first is diving, whether with
snorkel, scuba, submersibles, or remote controlled robots, in many
places around the world to study fishes and associated biodiversity. The
second is using the knowledge acquired doing such work to aid in
conservation and sustainable use.
Q:
Is there an example you can provide that shows how something you've
worked on has positively impacted the world?
Auster:
My work with colleagues on the ecological effects
of fishing has contributed to positive changes in fisheries regulations and
guidelines at both national and international levels.
Q:
Do you spend a fair amount of time traveling?
Auster:
Yes … for research cruises, scientific meetings,
and management related activities (like a recent presentation about deep
sea diversity and fisheries at the United Nations).
Q:
Do you have a mentor? Or did you in your college years?
Auster:
There were many people all along the way that gave
me the opportunities that led me to where I am today. My parents always
encouraged me to follow my heart and head in all things.
Q:
Do you find yourself working more in a team situation, or more alone?
Auster:
Both. I have many diverse interests with some
amenable to, or that require, working in groups, like work on ecology of
seamount communities in the deep sea. Others projects are just me and a
diving partner on a coral reef somewhere collecting data on behavioral
interactions.
Q:
Do you find you are able to balance work with social/family life while
working in your current job?
Auster:
I'm not sure balance is the right word but I love
most of what I do so it is not "work" and I do try to insure I get
family time too. My lovely wife is also a professional biologist and has
her own demands. Our four cats and a dog keep us centered.
Q:
If you had to do it all over again, would you still become a Biologist?
Auster:
Oh yeah. It's been a wild ride and I wouldn't
change a thing.
Q:
Did you think that school prepared you for the way the work gets done in
the real world?
Auster:
No. But it did provide me with the foundation, the
building blocks, to apply knowledge and skills. Nothing is static in
research and science and is a continuous learning process, developing
new questions that require new skills and new ways of thinking.
Q:
Where do you see jobs for Biologists in the future? What should students
be doing to prepare themselves to take on those roles?
Auster:
The environmental challenges for our society are
daunting and link science with human needs, ethics and values.
Biologists with an interest in conservation, whether on land or in the
ocean, will need to bridge the natural and social sciences.
Q:
What other advice do you have for precollege students?
Auster:
Learn fast … we are all getting old and need
bright young minds with fresh perspectives to take our place.
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