Week 4
24 July 2006

Patrick Rowe – Electronics Technician

Patrick is originally from Glendale, California near Los Angeles and now resides in Concord, Wisconsin, located between Milwaukie and Madison in the Great Lakes Region. However, he is considering making Arizona his “home base” when he retires. He contracts his technical services to a number of different oceanographic companies and institutions. He is currently employed by Raytheon Polar Services.

Career path: Patrick entered the Navy shortly after high school. He was trained in precision measurements / electronics. While in the Navy his jobs included repairing and maintaining aircraft electronics systems and performing repairs and calibrations on test and measurement equipment. After he left the Navy, he worked in the corporate world for companies such as Hewlett Packard, J.C. Penny, and Infonet Services Corporation.  The career philosophy that he developed while working in the corporate world was that regardless of the job you choose, it should be something that you would do as a hobby. You should enjoy your work and take pride in doing it well, rather than just putting in hours from 8-5. Following his years in the corporate world, Patrick began to work for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He worked on their research vessel the Oceanus  as Ship Board Scientific Services Technician, operating and maintaining all kinds of scientific equipment.  While still on board, a friend notified him of an opening for an electronics technician on a ship bound for Antarctica. He applied for the position while still at sea, After being on the Oceanus for over 250 days, he had only a 5 day break before flying to New Zealand to start work on the Nathaniel B. Palmer. 

Patrick on NBP mast	Patrick de-icing instruments
The R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer Link

Looking for Work: What kinds of interests do you have? When you think of careers, would you be willing to do that kind of work as a volunteer?

Job duties: An electrical / electronic technician has to be a “jack-of- trades” ready to adapt and fix the wide variety of instruments that either the scientists have brought on board or that are permanent fixtures on the Nathaniel B. Palmer. An electrical technician has to be comfortable making repairs and adjustments not only at the component level but also at the systems level. A system is a collection of components working together. An example would be the CTD. It has computers, software, sensors, releases, power supplies, communications and many other optional parts that can be added as science needs them. Computer and computing skills including programming are also a big asset when working in this field. Much of the equipment has or uses computers as a part of its operation.

The Antarctica Connection:  Patrick first came to Antarctica while he was in the Navy. The continent held a fascination for him and many others. He found that the friendships that he formed at that time (twenty-five years ago) are friendships that have continued since that time. Patrick reminds us that in Antarctica, people cannot survive on their own. You and everyone else have a job to do and you are dependent on each other. This builds a closeness that lasts long after people have left the continent. The first time Patrick came to the continent with the Navy was the 50^th anniversary of Byrd’s flight over the South Pole. He and the others there were given a 50 year commemorative patch. Coincidentally, Patrick returned 25 years later while working for Raytheon, and received the 75^th anniversary patch. Patrick is intending to be there to receive the 100^th anniversary patch and if so he may very well be the only person who will have received all three.

The 75th Anniversary patch issued to mark the commemorative 1929 flight of naval aviation Richard E. Byrd. Byrd became the first person to fly over the South Pole, dropping a flag to mark his achievement and breaking the isolation of the skies over the Pole for the first time since the age of the dinosaurs.. Link

The Wall Drug - Antarctica Connection:
(This is not a conspiracy theory).

The Oregonian, Portland’s daily newspaper, publishes pictures of people holding up a section of the Oregonian in various parts of the world. Likewise, many people take items from home and have them photographed with them in a far off place. One of the people working with Patrick had a bumper sticker made (Wall Drug in South Dakota makes them) that said 9333 miles to Wall Drug, the distance from the South Pole to Wall Drug. A picture was taken and sent to Wall Drug. Years later, Patrick was in Wall Drug with his family and was shown his Antarctic picture framed on the wall. (This is also another small world reminder: You may think you can hide out in Antarctica, but thousands of people may be looking at your photograph and know where you are.) See walldrug.com for more information about “Wall Drug”, South Dakota.

Question: How many miles is it from the South Pole to Wall Drug?  How many miles is it from Wall Drug to where you live?

Career Information: To become an electronics technician, you need training from a trade school or other institution that provides education in electrical or electronic engineering. The job outlook in this field is: very good with a wide and varied number of career paths.

Just another day in the life of Patrick:

It’s been cold here, as low as -9C on some days, although today, July 23, 2006, we are at a balmy -1C. When it’s cold, instruments on the top of the mast can freeze. Someone has to climb up the 50 ft. mast in extreme cold to de-ice the instruments. Patrick could be the spokesperson for the “Fitness at 50” crowd since he is the one that climbs the icy rungs to reach the equipment. As you can see from his smiling photo, he is not downcast and cursing at the thought of climbing the mast in freezing weather. The next time you’re grumbling about going outside in winter weather, think of Patrick, and be glad you’re not climbing an icy mast.

The R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer