Meet the Team – Part II

Here is Part II! Please note, the two people most responsible for putting this whole project together are Anne Glasspool, Ph.D., and Gil Nolan – both of whom will be featured in our updates on site! Enjoy!!….

Tom Iliffe, Ph.D. was born in Erie, Pennsylvania. He earned degrees in Biochemistry and Oceanography at Penn State, Florida State and the University of Texas Medical Branch. Prior to coming to Texas A&M University at Galveston, Tom worked for 11 years as a Research Scientist at the Bermuda Biological Station. It was in Bermuda that he became interested in marine cave biology. On this relatively small, low lying island, all its numerous limestone caves are close to the sea. In their interior, these caves contain tidal, saltwater pools inhabited by a great variety of crustaceans and other marine animals that are found only in this environment. Diving explorations of Bermuda caves resulted in the discovery of more than 200 species, 70 of which were new to science. Tom has led many expeditions worldwide to study and collect animals from underwater caves. Tom is currently a Professor of Marine Biology at Texas A&M University at Galveston where he teaches courses in Biospeleology, Scientific Diving and Tropical Marine Ecology. His research focuses on the biodiversity, biogeography, evolution and ecology of animals inhabiting anchialine caves; cave conservation and environmental protection; and he is involved in ongoing projects in Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

Renee Power has been involved with the Foundation since 1994. She has worn many hats during this time and will serve as the Expedition Diving Safety Officer for the Bermuda 2006 project. For several years, Renee has been the project director for the Foundation’s ongoing research in Sistema Camilo/Akumal, Mexico. Renee is certified in full cave, sidemount, trimix, Dolphin semiclosed rebreather, Prism CCR, and is a nitrox blender. She teaches recreational open water scuba courses as well, and enjoys educating people that we can all make a difference on our planet. In real life, Renee is Lead CT Technologist, Florida Hospital Orlando Medical Plaza. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Technology and a minor in music. She worked at St. Vincent Infirmary from 1986-2002. Florida Hospital in Orlando, FL, is her current employer.

Karl Shreeves, MA, is Technical Development Executive for PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and DSAT (Diving Science and Technology). He designs and develops diving, marine science and CPR/first aid instructional materials as a writer, commercial/corporate photographer and subject matter expert, with numerous credits in PADI, DSAT and Emergency First Response publications and videos. He has also been a contributing editor, columnist and feature writer for magazines such as Skin Diver Magazine, Scuba Times, aquaCorps, Immersed, Discover Diving and Deep Tech. Currently, he is Senior Editor of The Undersea Journal and writes the Divers Ed column for Sport Diver. Shreeves is also active in diving for science and has taken part in several research expeditions as a cave and mixed gas technical diver, including the Farb Monitor Expeditions, Project Nohoch, and the Cambrian Foundation’s Central Florida Springs Project and Akumal Expeditions. Shreeves has been part of the NASA NEEMO support team since NEEMO I, having recently participated in mission support for NEEMO IX and XI. His contributions also include project editor, instructional designer and contributing writer to the Life on an Ocean Planet marine science high school curriculum from Current Publishing. He is presently a Research Diver and Diving Safety Control Board member for the Cambrian Foundation.

Bern Szukalski is a senior staff member of Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), and lives in Redlands, California. Since joining ESRI in 1986 he has been involved in many aspects of Geographic Information System (GIS) software development, implementation, and marketing, and has held a variety of positions that have covered a broad spectrum of GIS projects and activities. In addition to other responsibilities, he is the ESRI Cave and Karst Program Manager. He started caving in 1976, and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Speleological Society, Cave Research Foundation, American Cave Conservation Association, and the Hawai’i Speleological Survey.

Another key player who has made significant contributions to the planning, logistical support, technical problem-solving, and preparation necessary for this expedition to take place is the Cambrian Foundation’s Founder and Chairman of the Board, Terrence Tysall. Terrence was supposed to be in Bermuda with us serving as project co-director during this expedition, but he was recently deployed with the Army National Guard and will be serving in Iraq for the next 12 months. Terrence has led multiple scientific/research expeditions around the world as the Cambrian Foundation’s founder and president. For nine years, Terrence served as the diving supervisor for the joint NOAA/US Navy/Cambrian Foundation USS Monitor archaeological surveys at the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. He has also supervised the dive operations of the NOAA/National Marine Fisheries/US Navy/Cambrian Foundation Monk Seal Study near Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean. As a research diver, he has led numerous expeditions to the cenotes of the Yucatan peninsula, six expeditions to the Andrea Doria, and the SS City of Ainsworth in British Columbia. Terrence’s accomplishments also include leading the first SCUBA exploratory dives on the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior, the USS Atlanta off of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, and the first cave exploration and geologic sampling conducted at the bottom of the Great Blue Hole of Belize. Terrence has earned instructor trainer ratings from ANDI, IANTD, NAUI, NSSCDS, NACD, SSI, and TDI. In addition to these certifications, Terrence serves on a variety of boards including the Technical Advisory Board for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). A graduate of Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont, Terrence is currently enrolled in graduate school at Texas A&M University. Prior to creating the Cambrian Foundation, he served in the United States Navy and worked at the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, FL. He is the founder and president of Benthic Technologies, Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in underwater applications and technology.

Team Members

• Jen Cate
  
• Rima Franklin, Ph.D.
  
• Amy Giannotti
  
• Bob Giguere
  
• Anne Glasspool, Ph.D.
  
• Betsy Hackley
  
• Tom Iliffe, Ph.D.
  
• Gil Nolan
  
• Renee Power
  
• Karl Shreeves
  
• Bernie Szukalski
  
• Terrence Tysall
  
• Jack Ward