Skip to main content

Problems Without Passports: Scientific Research Diving at USC Dornsife--Last Child in the Reef

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


When I first got wind of the details of the Guam and Palau research diving program, I thought there had to be a catch. A program that so perfectly combined academics and passion for traveling seemed too good to be true. However, less than 6 months later that skepticism has been washed away and the trip is a reality…and an irreplaceably rewarding one at that.  

Right: USC Dornsife student spots the first of many sharks to appear on the Ulong Channel dive. Photo by Jim Haw


On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


As we end the last leg of the trip on Palau, I find myself thinking more and more about the impact this trip will have on my environmental curiosity and overall lifestyle. Before this course, I had absolutely no SCUBA experience and never thought I would see scenes like those in Guam and Palau. Now, after exploring some of the most striking and fragile ecosystems, I truly feel I understand the importance of responsible human interaction with the environment.

Today, on a once-in-a-lifetime drift dive on Palau’s Ulong Channel, I was hit by the harsh realization that many people don’t even know this picturesque place exists and even fewer understand the unique environmental battles it is facing.

Left: some of the Guam and Palau 2011 scientific divers at a waterfall in Palau after an intensive jungle hike.

Photo by Emilie Moore

This sobering thought was due in part to a book I just finished reading entitled Last Child in the Woods. In it, author Richard Louv describes an alarming worldwide problem that is on the rise: nature-deficit disorder. He defines it as the phenomena of today’s children spending little or no time outdoors — never exploring the very world they call home.

Right: The author on a hike to Lost Pond on Guam

The physiological effects of this inactivity are already being seen in the form of increased rates of obesity and blood pressure among children and adolescents. There has not been enough research on the mental and cultural effects of this phenomenon to draw specific conclusions, but they are not likely to be good.

While I am not advocating that every child needs to engage in the level of activity demanded on this three-week diving expedition, I do think the program has the right idea. If every child was given the opportunity to explore a place they will remember for the rest of their life, perhaps it would help him or her see that experiencing the environment first-hand is the best way to learn to love it and, in turn, stop nature-deficit disorder from affecting any more young people, as they are the ones that will need this planet the most.

About the Author: Emilie Moore is a senior in the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences working towards a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies with a concentration in sustainability, energy and society. She has worked at the Santa Monica, California environmental defense firm Chatten-Brown & Carstens for two years, and will be collaborating with Venice-based marine consulting group ASR Ltd. this summer to continue her work in ocean conservation.

Editor’s note: Scientific Research Diving at USC Dornsife is offered as part of an experiential summer program offered to undergraduate students of the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. This four-week course takes place on location at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island and throughout Micronesia. Students investigate important environmental issues such as ecologically sustainable development, fisheries management, protected-area planning and assessment, and human health issues. During the course of the program, the 24-student team will dive and collect data to support conservation and management strategies to protect the fragile coral reefs of Guam, Palau and other Micronesian islands.

Instructors for the course include Jim Haw, Director of the Environmental Studies Program in USC Dornsife, Environmental Studies Lecturer Dave Ginsburg, SCUBA instructor and volunteer in the USC Scientific Diving Program Tom Carr and USC Dive Safety Officer Gerry Smith of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies.

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.