91吃瓜

Kelly Gleason, a 1998 graduate of the University of 91吃瓜鈥檚 (PLS), was leading a team of maritime archeologists on a research expedition some 600 miles northwest of Honolulu when they found two anchors and three trypots (used for boiling whale blubber down to oil), along with whaling implements and ship鈥檚 rigging all from the early 19th century.

After two years of follow-up research and field work, Gleason and her team from the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)鈥檚 Office of National Marine Sanctuaries confirmed this year that they had discovered a gem of maritime鈥攁nd literary鈥攈istory: the resting place of a ship called the , which wrecked on a reef at French Frigate Shoals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in 1823. ()

The ill-fated Nantucket ship was captained by George Pollard Jr., whose earlier whaling vessel, the Essex, was rammed by a whale and sunk in 1820, inspiring author Herman Melville鈥檚 novel 鈥淢oby Dick.鈥�

The Two Brothers, which Gleason calls a 鈥渙nce-in-a-lifetime鈥� find, is believed to be the first discovery of a wrecked whaling ship from Nantucket鈥攐nce known as the whaling capital of the world.

Discovering shipwrecks and the stories behind them is the most exciting part of her work, says Gleason, an underwater archeologist for NOAA鈥檚 Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the maritime heritage program coordinator at Papah膩naumoku膩kea Marine National Monument, one of the largest ocean conservation areas in the world.

And while 91吃瓜 may be among the nation鈥檚 more landlocked universities, Gleason says she credits its PLS program for where she is today.

鈥淚鈥檓 constantly reminded how grateful I am that I chose to major in PLS,鈥� she says.

The PLS major in the explores the 鈥済reat books鈥� of Western civilization and the Catholic intellectual traditions. A series of discussion- and reading-based tutorials provides students the opportunity to delve deeply into literature, philosophy, science, theology, political theory, the fine arts and cultural history.

In the process, students in the program acquire a broad intellectual background while honing their abilities to read texts critically, formulate articulate and thoughtful arguments, and communicate effectively.

And in effect, Gleason says, 鈥淧LS gives you the tools to do anything you want to do.鈥�

It was during a PLS retreat her senior year that she decided to follow her heart and pursue a career in marine archeology.

鈥淲e were talking about what we were going to do after college, and my classmates were discussing pursuing your dream versus doing what鈥檚 鈥榩ractical,鈥欌�� Gleason recalls. 鈥淎 lot of people choose a path that鈥檚 secure and practical, which is certainly understandable and noble. But it can be easy to put off pursuing a dream, and the longer it stays a dream, the more difficult it can be to attain.

鈥淚 had this moment where I decided: I鈥檓 going to try to pursue the one thing I鈥檒l always regret not 诲辞颈苍驳.鈥�

After graduation, Gleason went on to receive her master鈥檚 degree at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, which offers an underwater archeology program in its department of history. She then returned to the United States and completed her doctorate at Eastern Carolina University.

While there, she obtained an internship with NOAA鈥攁 position that later turned into her full-time job.

Every day, says Gleason, she uses skills she learned in PLS, whether it鈥檚 communicating with scientists across various disciplines, doing historical research into ship logs and newspaper records to confirm that the wreck her team found in 2008 was the Two Brothers, or working with the Hawaiian and Nantucket community and the media to show the discovery鈥檚 relevance to today.

鈥淭hese are much more than a collection of artifacts or things on the sea floor,鈥� she says.

鈥淭hey represent a story鈥攁 moment in time鈥攂ut also these men鈥檚 livelihoods, a way of life, and a whole era of history that is a fascinating reminder of where we鈥檝e come from; a time when we thought our ocean鈥檚 resources were infinite.鈥�

With its ties to one of the literary classics she studied as a PLS major, the Two Brothers shipwreck was also a reminder of how Gleason got her start.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I would have had the courage to pursue such an obscure career path if I hadn鈥檛 been involved in a program like the PLS, which really did encourage taking leaps of faith like that, as well as the skills to understand and interpret exciting discoveries on the seafloor like the Two Brothers.鈥�

Underwater photos by NOAA/Greg McFall. Other photos courtesy of Kelly Gleason.

Originally published by Sara Burnett at on August 29, 2011.