Marine Biologist: Cindy Lee Van Dover

Cindy Lee Van Dover is a marine biologist, who is also one of the few pilots for the submersible Alvin. (Use of the submersible is carefully regulated among scientists, who have to be trained in how to pilot it safely.)

Cindy Lee's work is mentioned in the book The Incredible Submersible Alvin Discovers a Strange Deep-Sea World, by Brad Matsen. It's the story of how the Alvin discovered the "black smokers" way back in 1979.



The Alvin is a small submersible ( a military submersible is called a submarine, a submersible used for research is always a submersible) that fits only 3 people in its circular pressure compartment. It is 23 feet long and 8 feet wide. It can travel at a maximum speed of only 2 knots, or 3 miles per hour. Alvin has been in steady use since 1964.

Before she trained to become a pilot of the Alvin, Cindy Lee was a research assistant to a marine biologist. Her first trips out into the deep ocean were in companion ships, that were used as "tenders" to the Alvin. When she saw the Alvin in use, she decided she wanted to be able to take a trip inside it -- an honor that it only granted to the world's top marine scientists.

She earned herdoctorate in deep-ocean ecology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and did research work at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, which is Alvin's home base.

In 1989, Cindy Lee began learning how to pilot the Alvinn

"When I wasn't working on Alvin [as an assistant to the electrician in charge of the ship)] I studied her so hard I thought my brain was going to burst. I would fall asleep with my pencil in hand, sketching out one more time from memory the power distribution system of the sub."

In 1991, Cindy Lee was certified as an Alvin pilot - the first woman pilot the Alvin ever had.

Here are three books written by Cindy Lee Van Dover. Two are "popular" books, meaning that the general public, if well read, can read and enjoy them, and one is written targeted directly at marine scientists. Generally, you can tell what type of book it is from the price. Any book over $50 is targeted for scientists, or college students!