Many careers in one aquarium: what kinds of workers keep an aquarium afloat? Dive in and find out!

Career World, Sept, 2004 by Kitty Higgins

Amaze. Inspire. Educate. Rub elbows with an octopus. You can accomplish all of those feats by working in one place: a public aquarium. Inside an aquarium, a dedicated staff teaches the public about our planet's incredible underwater ecosystem. If you are fascinated by the environment, interested in education, and enthusiastic about studying the wild world under the waves, you may want to dive into an aquarium career!

Conserving Its Home Waters: THE SEATTLE AQUARIUM

The Seattle Aquarium overlooks Puget Sound, a system of channels, inlets, and islands that lies along the shore of Washington state. "The Puget Sound is the focal point of our aquarium," explains Leo Shaw, a public education specialist. "It's all about what lives in these waters. We collect species of fish and mammals and exhibit them in a habitat that reflects life in the Sound."

Orca whales, giant Pacific octopuses, harbor seals, otters, and many more species of marine life live in Puget Sound, making it a true gem of the Northwest. The aquarium staff teaches people how their actions help--or harm--the health of local marine life. "We are about conservation through education," Shaw says. At the Seattle Aquarium, 70 staff members and more than 400 volunteers work together to both teach and amaze the aquarium's visitors.

Sharing the Mission: PUBLIC EDUCATION SPECIALIST

Teaching is what Shaw's job is all about. As a public education specialist, he creates and carries out educational programs and events at the aquarium. Each year, more than 40,000 local schoolchildren participate in lively and informative programs, such as "Migratory Bird Day" and "Coral Reef Adventure," that Shaw and other aquarium educators develop together.

One of Shaw's duties is to introduce schoolchildren to the aquarium. "As an education specialist, it is not difficult to stay interested and motivated at the aquarium," he notes. "There are new faces and new questions every day." He offers as an example an e-mail he received from a third grader who had visited the aquarium. "This is what keeps me coming back. A third grader with a need to know!" he says. The e-mail reads, "Dear Mr. Leo: Do fish cough when they get sick?" (For the record, fish really do cough!)

Casting light on aquarium careers is all in a day's work for Shaw. As he walks through the Seattle Aquarium, he points out the human efforts behind each exhibit and event. "A great variety of positions and talent keep a successful aquarium afloat," Shaw explains. "Biologists, educators, systems engineers, graphic designers, researchers, administrative staff, and volunteers, just to name a few. No one job is more important than another at the aquarium. Teamwork is the cornerstone of a smooth-running facility."

Step Into Aquarium Work: VOLUNTEERS AND INTERNS

Usually, the first person visitors see at the Seattle Aquarium is an interpretive naturalist. The naturalist is likely a volunteer who is gaining hands-on experience with marine life. "The first thing that a volunteer learns is that an aquarium is a 24/7 kind of place," Shaw says. "Many of us work in shifts to ensure that the exhibits and special events are monitored at all times."

Work at the aquarium extends beyond the aquarium walls. Volunteers work with the beach naturalist staff at sites along the shore. The beach naturalists answer visitors' questions and point out marine life in its natural environment. "We are very active on our beaches and shorelines along Puget Sound," Shaw explains.

Interns may go on to paid jobs in the aquarium. Janice Mathisen, a naturalist at the aquarium, was an intern while in high school. Back then she was already planning for a career in science. "I spent a lot of time looking at pond water under a microscope, trying to identify what I was looking at," she remembers.

Mathisen received degrees in biology and education, which naturally drew her back to the place she began. Now she presents science and conservation programs in the Seattle Aquarium's exhibit area, in classrooms, or on the beach.

Building a Home for the Animals: AQUARIUM SYSTEMS OPERATORS

Visitors weave through dimly lit halls with walls of glass that hold back tons of water where serene fish and playful otters go about their lives, unaware--or perhaps just unconcerned--that people are awed by their every move. At the tide pool exhibit, people stop to touch sea anemones, urchins, and snails and to marvel at the vibrant colors of the starfish.

Each of these environments is kept in good working order by aquarium systems operators. "You won't see them very often out on the floor," Shaw explains. "But they are always working behind the scenes, and they are critical to our efficient operation."

Systems operators are involved in the design and installation of the exhibits, and they maintain all of the animals' support systems in exhibit areas. These staff members keep the filters, pumps, and valves functioning at optimal capacity and work with biologists to keep the tank conditions correct for the species that live there. The systems operators also oversee exhibit lighting. Without these workers, the animals would be in jeopardy and the visitors could not enjoy the ambience of the light show as it plays across the water.