After spending two weeks of her summer mapping the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean, graduate student Ophelia Christoph returned to the University of Delaware campus with new discoveries and remarkable stories. And to think, the opportunity to spend two weeks of her summer on the Nautilus Ocean Exploration Trust Vessel came close to being lost in her inbox.

“I remember I got an email from my advisor and this application was kind of buried in it amongst other things,” Christoph said. “I wasn’t too sure what it was, but it seemed interesting, so I decided to apply, and it ended up being one of the best experiences of my life.”

Christoph, who studies geological science, knew from a young age she wanted to have a role in helping to save the planet.

At age 3, Christoph watched a movie called FernGully: The Last Rainforest — a film about a fairy who saves the rainforest from humans destroying it. Christoph recalled that once the movie was done, she turned to her mother and said, “‘Mom, I’m going to do that.’ Ever since then, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to helping the planet,” Christoph said. “As I got older, that solidified into more concrete goals.”

While completing her undergraduate degree at UD, Christoph studied environmental science with a concentration in renewable energy. Christoph remembered the day she walked into her offshore wind course. She knew from that moment on she wanted to work on offshore wind energy.

After taking a couple of years to work post-graduation, she returned to UD, where she now works with John Madsen, chair of the Department of Earth Sciences, to explore the sediments off the coast of Delaware to make offshore wind turbine foundation recommendations.

This past summer, Christoph took sail on a Nautilus Ocean Exploration Trust vessel, where she worked as a seafloor mapping intern. Throughout the two-week journey, the vessel sailed from British Columbia, Canada, down to Hawaii, using sounds and acoustics to map the seafloor along the way.