In the Classroom and Out at Sea

Susan Rickards ’90 is a science teacher by day and a marine mammal researcher in any spare moment.

Most days, you can find Susan Rickards ’90 engaging a classroom of students at Parker School in Waimea on Hawai‘i Island, inspiring the next generation in the subjects of earth science, biology, and Hawaiian studies. But in her free time, Susan is out on the ocean, conducting research on cetacean species with the nonprofit she cofounded with her friends, the Hawai‘i Marine Mammal Consortium (HMMC).

Susan has studied everything from animal cognition and the endangered gray whales of far east Russia to the humpback whales and spinner dolphin populations of Hawai‘i. Now, through the HMMC, Susan and her colleagues research blacktip reef sharks, assist with whale disentanglement and vessel strikes, conduct whale song research, and more. This fieldwork and her role as a teacher lead to a busy, but fulfilling, double life—one we wanted to know more about.

How do you balance your roles as a researcher and teacher?

I’ve been doing cetacean field research for 30 years. I’d never dreamed of being a teacher. I  entered the realm of teaching in 2011 because my children were school-age and I needed a “real job.” I thought I’d give it a try at what I saw as an awesome K-12 private school, where I wanted to enroll my two kids. And, boy, did I fall in love with teaching. It does get a bit difficult at certain times of the year to juggle both the fieldwork and teaching. But a life overflowing with what you love is hardly something to complain about.

How did growing up in Hawai‘i contribute to your interest in marine mammals?

I was always interested in animals (including humans—well, from a distance) and their behavior. Growing up in Hawai‘i, free-ranging native mammals were few and far between. I loved bird-watching, but I spent so much time in the water, swimming, surfing, and snorkeling, that it was the fish and marine mammals that really mesmerized me. My mother owned a used bookshop and she fed the passions of all six of her children, bringing me home any books related to the ocean. Her customers would occasionally wonder why there were so few books on sea life on her shelves. In high school I got an internship, and then a paid position, at Sea Life Park in Hawai‘i, and I was hooked.

What are your favorite parts of your jobs?

As cliché as it sounds, one of my favorite things about field research is being “out in nature,” along with “seeing the unexpected.” Studying free-ranging animals certainly helps teach you patience. It also, invariably, sends you home with more wonderful questions than when you started. As a teacher, I thrive on “wow-ing” students with the awesomeness of the natural world, history, art, language, culture, technology, and themselves. On top of that, a teacher, inherently, must always be learning more. What a gift.

Do you think a liberal arts education at Reed impacted your career in science?

I think my liberal arts education at Reed helps me see the big picture. Not only does it make me a better scientist and teacher, it enhances my personal life. Now that I’m a teacher, I’m often recommending a liberal arts education to my students looking toward college. A liberal arts education enhances your creativity, your ethics, your communication, and critical thinking skills. Basically, it prepares you for every job you’ll ever have (and some you won’t). I see the school where I now teach as a sort of mini–Reed College. Students blossom here, just like at Reed.

What excites you about the future in your branch of science?

The HMMC is doing long-term research, arguably the most valuable kind of data collection in our constantly and rapidly changing world. Our most impactful recent scientific publication highlights the effects of changing ocean climate on humpback whale numbers and calving in Hawai‘i, and was just celebrated as one of the 10 most cited papers in the journal Marine Mammal Science. My research continues to focus on marine mammal population and behavioral ecology, with an emphasis on providing information needed to direct policies for long-term protection and conservation of marine species. Working toward a healthier environment, while both teaching and learning, doesn’t get much more fulfilling.

Tags: Alumni, Climate, Sustainability, Environmental, Research