Abstract
The Undersea Vehicles Program (UVP) is a part of the oceanographic operations support division at UNCW's Center for Marine Science. UVP supports undersea research with a variety of robotic vehicles. These fly away, medium sized remotely operated vehicle (ROV) systems can be deployed rapidly and are operated by two experienced staff. The Mohawk ROV can provide georeferenced HD video and digital still photography documentation, in addition to multiple sample collections for a variety of scientific objectives including:
- Multibeam Ground Truth
- Habitat Characterization
- Marine Archeology
- Biological Behavior Monitoring
- Site Reconnaissance
Presenter Bio
Jason White and Samantha Flounders are ocean enthusiasts, stewards, recreators, boat captains and explorers, who are technically trained to pilot and maintain the remotely operated vehicles at the Undersea Vehicles Program.
Jason White, the UNCW's Undersea Vehicles Program's Research Operations Manager, is an ROV pilot/technician. Jason received his B.S. in Marine Science and Meteorology from N.C. State University in 2008. After graduation, he worked for C & C Technologies as a hydrographic surveyor in the Gulf of Mexico conducting NOAA marine debris surveys and Oil & Gas surveys. He then worked as a satellite oceanographer in the commercial fishing industry for DigitalGlobe in Herndon, Virginia. Jason has been with the Undersea Vehicles Program for 10 years and has completed 44 ROV missions, 535 ROV dives, and spent more than 973 hours on the bottom piloting the ROV.
Samantha Flounders is an ROV pilot/technician for the UNCW’s Undersea Vehicles Program. Samantha studied at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and received a B.S. in Marine Biology in 2015. After graduation, she operated boats on Kaneohe Bay and then in the San Francisco Bay. She then joined the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps where she was an Officer of the Deck and the Navigation Officer operating NOAA’s research vessels throughout the Gulf, Atlantic Coast, and Caribbean. She met the UVP team while working for NOAA and has worked underway with them in different capacities over the last few years. She joined the UVP team last field season.
Publication Date
4-7-2023
Document Type
Presentation
Recommended Citation
White, Jason and Flounders, Samantha, "Undersea Vehicles Program, University of North Carolina Wilmington" (2023). Seminars. 410.
https://scholars.unh.edu/ccom_seminars/410