Oceanographer set to share stories from the deep as part of Profiles and Perspectives season finale

NEWS RELEASE
Issued - March 12, 2010

ARDMORE, Okla. — Dave Gallo has ventured into the depths of Earth's oceans, discovering creatures from another time and vessels lost in other eras. His awe-inspiring explorations are a rare glimpse into a mysterious world that few people ever experience. Fortunately, he brought along a few high resolution cameras.

Gallo, the director of special projects for the acclaimed Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, will bring the marvels of oceanic exploration and research to the southern Oklahoma community at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 30, at the Ardmore Convention Center as the season finale to The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation's popular speaker series, Profiles and Perspectives.

Entitled Neptune's Garden: Exploring the Secrets of the Deep Undersea, Gallo's presentation will highlight the creatures and ecosystems that comprise the Earth's vast water worlds, using video to detail the most recent discoveries and introduce the audience to a new era of undersea exploration.

"We've only explored a few percent of the world beneath the waves, and yet we have found the most incredible things," Gallo said. "The world's highest mountains and deepest valleys; underwater rivers, waterfalls and lakes; and thriving communities all exist in a world without sun. We return to shore from almost every expedition with new information about our origins and our destiny."

After receiving his doctoral degree in oceanography from the University of Rhode Island in 1987, Gallo was invited by Robert Ballard, Ph.D., who discovered the wreck of RMS Titanic, to join his team at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. In the following 23 years, Gallo has participated in numerous expeditions to the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea.

He participated in the exploration of RMS Titanic and the German battleship Bismarck in addition to a recent expedition to find the lost WWII submarine USS Grunion. He was one of the first oceanographers to combine submarines and robots to map the undersea landscapes.

In addition to exploration, he is currently interested in understanding the relationship between humanity and the sea. He was closely involved in the formulation and development of the Liquid Jungle Laboratory of Panama, a venture designed to better understand the interaction between people, tropical forests and coastal marine habitats.

Gallo's presentation caps the 2009-2010 Profiles and Perspectives season which featured three other nationally acclaimed speakers. Storm chaser and meteorologist Reed Timmer of Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers opened the season by highlighting the process of researching tornados from the inside. In October, social media expert Bill Handy provided insight into the impact of today's technology on business, and then fighter pilot Capt. Scott O'Grady detailed surviving six days behind enemy lines after being shot down in Bosnia.

"Our audiences have been on many adventures this season," said Mary Kate Wilson, director of granting for the Noble Foundation and chair of the Profiles and Perspectives Committee. "From the heart of tornadoes to war-torn Bosnia and beyond, this has been an entertaining and powerful season. Dave Gallo's presentation, however, promises to capture the imagination as he plunges us into this remarkable underwater world which so few people have experienced. It is going to be an exciting night."

For additional information about Profiles and Perspectives, call the Noble Foundation at 580.224.6246 or visit www.noble.org/profiles. The Ardmore Convention Center is located at 2401 N. Rockford Road, Ardmore, Okla.

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Photos:: Dave Gallo; Dave Gallo

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For media inquiries concerning the Noble Foundation, please contact:

J. Adam Calaway

jacalaway@noble.org

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. (www.noble.org), headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a nonprofit organization conducting agricultural, forage improvement and plant biology research; assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs; and providing grants to nonprofit charitable, educational and health organizations.