(Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Bob Pickart was introduced to oceanography as an undergraduate in the WHOI Summer Student Fellowship Program in 1980. After spending a month at sea near Brazil, he was convinced that observational oceanography was his calling. Since that first cruise, he has been steadily moving north, finally reaching the Arctic Ocean in 2002. (He has yet to make it to the North Pole, but there is still time.) Pickart said he likes to push the boundaries and take risks in his field research. This has inevitably resulted in setbacks (such as being stuck in the ice in a non-ice-strengthened vessel), but also to unique successes (such as surveying the harsh Labrador Sea in winter). Besides spending time with his wife and five kids, Pickart loves to Nordic ski—a challenging pursuit on Cape Cod.
