Tom Laidig

NOAA Research fisheries biologist

Necessary Skills

Word, excel, a lot of statistical software (SAS and R), and Video software such as Adobe premier and VLC

Tom Laidig describes the skills he uses in his job

Operating a Submarine

Piloting is not the hardest part. Life saving equipment is the hard part: oxygen regulation and CO2 controls. It’s similar to being in a spaceship

Tom Laidig describes his experience with operating a submersible. In the clip he describes what he enjoys about his job

Tom's Research

Most of his research was around Central California, however he also did some work in the north. It was very interesting to compare juveniles from different parts of the country

Tom Laidig describes the research he did during his career. He specifically goes into detail about his favorites

Average Day

Working on the computer, analyzing data, and doing video analysis. Additionally, expeditions to gather data last around 40 days

Tom Laidig describes his average day while he does his job.

Background

He studies aquatic biology and then moved on to relevant work that gave him the necessary skills

Tom Laidig talks about his background

Full Podcast

In this episode of the What to Be Show we hear from Tom Laidig. Tom has worked for the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) for over 30 years as a research fisheries biologist. Tom leads an exciting career doing underwater research on mostly fish and corals using ROVs, AUVs, and scuba diving up and down the California coast, as well as Alaska and Hawaii. Tune in to learn more!