Photograph by Priit J. Vesilind

Robert D. Ballard
Born in Wichita, Kansas, Ballard graduated from the University of California with a degree in geology and chemistry and an Army Intelligence commission. He later transferred to the Navy, where he is now a commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He attended graduate school at the University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii and received his Ph.D. in marine geology and geophysics from the University of Rhode Island.

During his long career, Ballard has led or participated in more than 100 deep-sea expeditions. His scientific contributions include his discovery of the R.M.S. Titanic and the German battleship Bismarck and, most recently, the largest concentration of ancient Roman ships ever found in the deep sea. He has also explored many other shipwrecks such as the Lusitania, Britannic, and Andrea Doria. Some of his other expeditions include the first manned exploration of the Mid-Ocean Ridge, the discovery of warm-water springs and their exotic animal communities in the Galápagos Rift, and the discovery of high-temperature “black smokers” in abyssal depths.

Ballard is the author of 15 books and more than 50 scientific articles, including several for NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine. He founded the JASON Foundation for Education and is currently President of the Institute for Exploration in Mystic, Connecticut, and a senior scientist emeritus in the Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
 
 

Due to the immediate nature of this medium, National Geographic Online does not review, censor, approve, edit, or endorse information placed on this forum. Discussion boards on National Geographic Online are intended to be appropriate for family members of all ages. Posting of indecent material is strictly prohibited. The placement of advertisements or solicitations is also prohibited. National Geographic Online shall review information placed on this forum from time to time and delete inappropriate material that comes to its attention as soon as it is practicable, but cannot guarantee that such material will not be found on the forum. By posting material on this discussion board you agree to adhere to this policy prohibiting indecent, offensive, or advertising material, and to legally assume full and sole responsibility for your posting.