Oscar Schofield

One Smart Biological Bum

How He Got Here

As a child he was teased for having a name from a hot dog commercial. So how could we blame young "Oscar Meyer Wiener" for getting into fights and developing a heavy drinking problem by the 8th grade? Fortunately for us, Oscar Schofield's love of science and the ocean merged to lift him beyond the taunts of his youth to a lengthy career as a student at UC Santa Barbara. He stayed there well beyond his undergraduate years, but once his post doc appointment was completed Santa Barbara finally had enough, and encouraged him to continue his oceanography career elsewhere.

Oscar moved on to New Orleans, where he landed a job with the Department of Agriculture bearing the prestigious title of "Food Flavor Quality Biologist". That's when all the fun started, beginning with a mission to Stoneville Mississippi to study catfish farming. Oscar and his brave assistant fearlessly sampled the swamps of Mississippi, collecting scores of precious data almost flipping a government truck and being buzzed by a catfish chow-toting biplane. Our hero was finally chased from the property by the angry owner's farm hands, and would never return again since he was banned from the farm for life. Oscar's next mission to the darkest depths of Columbia to study "shrimp" farming proved to be his last for the DOA. He grew weary of fending off the constant hail of bullets trailing him during his stay, and once he cured the ailing shrimp, Oscar packed up his petri dishes and continued ambling eastward - to New Brunswick.

Thoughts On His COOL Job

My job is to explore the oceans. I do this many ways, which includes going on ships to using robots & satellites. I teach classes for undergraduate and graduate students on oceanography, but am expected to build and manage a research lab. This means I have to write grants to raise money to fund the research and then plan the experiments.

I spend about 1-2 months a year at sea, the rest is on Rutgers campus where I teach, look at data, write up the results, and plan future adventures.

I have never been the smartest kid in my classes, but if I am interested in something I work hard at it. I love this stuff, so working-studying isn't a job it is a privilege.

What's COOL?

I have the best job in the world. I get to travel the world and have adventures other people read, all the while getting paid for it.

I have seen the sun rise on the frozen oceans of Antarctica, seen 3 ft. squids in the Bermuda Triangle, and have skin-dived with Basking sharks off California.

Also Oceanography has the greatest weirdest most amazing collection of personalities, it sometimes feels like I am living in a nerdy Tarantino movie. I have freedom in my job, so tomorrow I might decide I want to study something completely different, and I can. I am one of the few lucky people where my job is always exciting and never boring, what more can you ask for?

What's Not so COOL?

Sometimes it can be very stressful raising grant money to pay peoples salaries, since this is a very competitive field. Also, there is just too much work to do so you never feel "caught up".

Spare Time?

When he's not jumping for joy over microscopic marine life, Oscar enjoys reading, spending time with his two children, and pickling his liver at the bars of Princeton with Dr. Scott Glenn. Oscar is in the process of writing his own version of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales based on his scientific pursuits, and has plans to design scientifically themed wine labels to raise cash for various science organizations. Not bad for the quick-fisted, beer-guzzling, hot dog boy from California. KA

Oscar's Thoughts...

If you want to go into oceanography, "Study science, and don't let anyone say you can't."

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