Marine Explorer Who Discovered Titanic Wreckage, Scientist & Author

An Evening With Bob Ballard

The man who made some of the most startling undersea discoveries in recent years, Robert Ballard, describes what it was like to locate the Titanic and other significant shipwrecks. World-famous for his discovery of the Titanic and the German battleship Bismark, Ballard leads audiences on a journey to plumb some of history’s greatest mysteries.

Ballard’s adventurous spirit is matched by a practical and hugely successful approach to goal setting, team building and execution. The skills that led to his headline-grabbing accomplishments are the same skills that now lead people from all walks of life toward a realization of their dreams.

Speech Topics:

The Personal Account of How the Titanic Was Found and a Look into the Future: Dr. Ballard shares his incredible story of the significant discovery of the Titanic, the advanced technology he used for this world famous expedition and what’s the future holds for deep sea exploration.

Deep Sea Exploration: Dr. Ballard uses the emerging science of deep water archeology to share his findings from numerous expeditions where he searched for, located and document sites of historical significance.

Ballard has a Ph.D. in marine geology and geophysics from the University of Rhode Island, where he is currently a full-time faculty member. He spent 30 years at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where he helped develop manned submersibles and remotely operated vehicles for marine research. Throughout his career Ballard has conducted more than a hundred deep-sea expeditions, using both manned and unmanned vehicles. A 1977 expedition he led in the Galápagos Rift found hydrothermal vents in the seafloor, along with their exotic ecosystems, a major scientific discovery. Understanding that the thrill of such discovery should be shared, he has developed telecommunications technology to create "telepresence" for his JASON Project, which allows hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren to accompany him from afar on undersea explorations around the globe.

Ballard has 13 honorary degrees and 6 military awards and is a commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He received the National Geographic Society's prestigious Hubbard Medal in 1996 for "extraordinary accomplishments in coaxing secrets from the world's oceans and engaging students in the wonder of science." He has published 18 books, numerous scientific papers and a dozen articles in National Geographic magazine, where he is an explorer-in-residence, Ballard also has been featured in several National Geographic television programs, including the record-breaking Secrets of the Titanic.