Interview Question 3
with Dr. Jim Miller

3. What have been some of the recent discoveries in obstacle avoidance and navigation?

  Or click the alternate button below to use Windows Media Player:


(659K)


Question 3 transcript:
"One of the most interesting things is that some of the whales are easier to see underwater than with sound, than other whales. For instance, the muscular whales, like the blue whale and the humpback whale are relatively good reflectors of sound. So you can see them at a greater distance. But other whales, the ones that have a lot more blubber like the right whale, almost have an acoustic coating that keeps the sound from reflecting off of them and they're harder to see. So we detect them at a shorter range and we didn't expect that."

 Previous   Next



Interview Questions:
  1. How did you first become interested in science?
  2. What is the focus of your research and why did you choose this field of study?
  3. What have been some of the recent discoveries in obstacle avoidance and navigation?
  4. How do you use acoustics to detect and avoid underwater obstacles?
  5. What challenges have you faced in studying obstacle avoidance?
  6. What has most surprised you about avoiding obstacles and navigating?
  7. What skills are important in your area of research?
  8. What are the opportunities in ocean engineering? Can people without PhD's participate in some way in this type of research?
  9. What is the greatest impact/relevance of your research?
  10. What continues to inspire you about your work?
  11. What advice would you give a high school student who expressed an interst in pursuing a career in your field?

top of page

~ To text-based Site Map ~