Oscar Schofield, Ph.D.

Enduring Achievement Award

Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University

I have been blessed to work science communication professionals who have helped translate my research into curricula, external lectures, teacher training, and community outreach. This has allowed me to elevate efforts to increase wider understanding of why the ocean is critical to all of humanity and that doing/learning about science is fun, creative, and important. The efforts of the ARIS community provide skills and expertise, that I do not have (being a dysfunctional nerd), which is important as the ocean is exhibiting accelerating change which has broad implications for human societies and our ocean planet.

I am an oceanographer, and blessed to have spent years of my life at sea exploring the most amazing locations around our beautiful planet.  I developed a love of the ocean growing up surfing, fishing, and swimming in Southern California. After completing my degrees I was lucky to be hired by Rutgers, where for 30 years I have been working with my friends to develop new ways to study-explore the ocean, bring my undergraduate students with me physically and virtually into the ocean to excite them to pursue STEM careers, communicate new discoveries, and spend time having many adventures.  I feel I don’t have a job but get to live my life doing my hobby. Beyond my science day job, my wife and I also have a small organic farm which we run with our dogs, cats, and chickens.

Communities such as ARIS are so important, I thank the broad community of ocean communicators and science translators. The work you all do is SO important. THANK YOU!