8th Floor Scientist

Glomar Challenger

The scientific drilling program I work for started out in San Diego back in the 1968 as the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP). The drill ship was the Glomar Challenger.  In 1985 the program was renamed the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and was moved to Texas A and M University (TAMU) at College Station, with a new drill ship named the "JOIDES Resolution" or the "JR" for short.. In 2003 the program was renewed at Texas A and M and renamed the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) partly due to the inclusion of a riser drill ship, "Chikyu", operated by the Japanese government. At that time a complete re-fit of the JR was completed that rebuilt the laboratory and living spaces.

JOIDES Resolution (JR)

During ODP days the JR had a floor that was called the 8th level, even though there were only seven. You might think this is some kind of superstition, kind of like not having a 13th floor in buildings, or maybe an ode to the psychedelic pioneer Roky Erickson and his "13th Floor Elevators" only it's the "8th Floor Scientists." But no. in way back times, there was a temporary van welded to the roof of the sixth level. This would be expanded into a complete floor. The designers thinking they were creating a whole new level numbered it 8th even thought the temp building and thus the expansion, was the 7th. Engineering drawing actually labeled it the Lab Stack 8th level. To make things even more confusing the 8th level housed the downhole measurements lab (DHML). On the JR we have downhole tools that measure insitu temperature, pressure and take water samples. Downhole being the top level meant everyone had to go up to downhole. As I said before, st the beginning of IODP the ship labs went through a complete change. At that point downhole moved down a level and the operations office moved up to the top level. Now I don't even know if that makes it 6, 7 or 8 levels and it really doesn't matter. What matters is, I'm used to going up to downhole. Many times I run out the door of the ops office, up the stairs to downhole and then find myself on the roof. I usually stay up there a while and look at the stars, just so no one knows how screwed up I am.

IODP is strictly scientific in nature and we actually go to great lengths to make certain we do not drill where there may be hydrocarbons (oil and gas). Past achievements include finding evidence in deep earth core samples of changes to the Earth's magnetic poles, evidence supporting the theory of plate tectonics and evidence supporting the theory of an asteroid collision with Earth which would eventually destroy the dinosaurs.  That's only a part of "ODP's Greatest Hits."

Now the program is up for renewal in 2013 and they are looking for a new name. Some want to drop drilling from any new name to distance the program from oil drilling. I'm sure the BP fiasco has something to do with it. We need oil, and we need domestic drilling, even offshore, at least until alternative energy sources before practical. The industry needs to learn from BP's mistakes, but move forward. While my program has nothing to do with that industry, other than sharing some of the same tools, I do support the drilling industry. I have a lot of friends in the oil field and lets not forget there was a great loss of life and livelihood from the BP accident. Having said that, this offshore drilling moratorium is like throwing the baby out with the bath water. It is putting even more people out of work, hurting the economy even more and putting even more dependence on foreign oil which damages our national security. But I'm getting way off subject, so let me put my soap box back under the work bench and get back to my point, if there is one.

Even though there has been a lot learned about the environment and natural history, there are those uninformed that think we are going to drill a hole in the bottom of the ocean, letting all the water out, draining the seas or some other craziness. Some think we're disturbing the marine life, hurting "mother ocean" as one bar room crazy called it. For one thing, we monitor the area for marine mammals and stop operations that may be harmful to them, if  they enter that area. Come on now. The program is run and operated by a bunch of scientists that tend to be liberal and pretty damned tree-huggerish. They want to learn more about the earth and environment, not hurt it.  So I guess that's one reason they want the name changed to emphasize the program's scientific accomplishments.

Many suggestions have been offered for the new name. I like " Center for Ocean Research, Deep Earth Science (CORES)" or "Deep Earth Exploration Program (DEEP)", but I like having a pronounceable acronym for when I have to answer the telephone. One suggestion for a new name that I heard  was, "Sub-sea Exploration Project (SEx Project)". While it's catchy, I'm not sure how the connotations would effect the program, particularly when dealing with drilling equipment suppliers. The best idea may be just to add Scientific to ODP and be done with it. DSDP, ODP, IODP, SODP ? Call me when the scientists get it figured out. I'll be on the roof looking at stars.