The Underwater World That Connects Us
By Maureen Sweeney
Dr. Joe Dituri, Maureen Sweeney, and Patti Gross hanging out before the zoom!
Hi Everyone! My name is Maureen Sweeney, and I’ve been a volunteer with the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society (OWUSS) since 1987. The OWUSS is an all-volunteer organization that fosters future leaders in the underwater world through underwater experience-based year-long scholarships and summer internships. Our goal is to help young divers and visitors of the underwater world find a career path that fits their passions and talents! Recipients of our scholarships are from North America, Europe, and Australasia. Our internships are available to US citizens, permanent residents, or those who have legal status to stay in the US.
Our World Underwater 2018-2019 Scholarship Recipients
The purpose of the scholarships is to expose recipients to various aspects of underwater fields to help them determine their career in the underwater world. When they apply, someone might think that they want to go into underwater photography, but by the end of the year it may have changed to biology, anthropology, archaeology, conservation, government, education, tourism, or dive medicine. The opportunities are endless, and OWUSS is here to help! The OWUSS Scholarship is for a person 21 - 26 years old at the time of the application deadline, a citizen of the Scholarship region, fluent in speaking and writing in English, a certified Rescue Diver with a minimum of 25 scuba dives logged in the past two years prior to application and has not yet earned a graduate degree or chosen a clearly defined career path.
The 2022 European Scholar of the OWUSS Hanna Douglas (left) and the 2022 AAUS Mitchell Scientific Diving Research Intern Phoebe Churney (right) during their Saturday Symposium presentations
Internship opportunities with OWUSS are more specific and are directed at current or recent undergraduate students. Internships typically occur during the summer, with each internship having specific requirements and vary in their objectives and goals. Current internship opportunities include underwater photography, scientific diving, scientific diving research, health and safety, marine conservation, and a research internship with the National Park Service.
Jamie L. King Reef Environmental Education Foundation Intern Alumni
I had a blast talking about the OWUSS in Jules’ Undersea Lodge with Dr. Joe Dituri, Patti Kirk Gross, and Mary Quinn. Dr. Joe was busy breaking the World Record with Project NEPTUNE by staying underwater for 100 days and collecting scientific data for future analysis. Patti represented the Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF) and shared the many scholarships, internships, and grants this wonderful organization offers. Mary Quinn was the 2021 OUWSS Jamie L. King REEF Intern. She was awarded the internship directly after graduation, and it jump started her career in Marine Science Education! Her internship introduced Mary Quinn to MarineLab, and today, she’s a Marine Science Field Instructor and Communications Specialist.
Storyteller Thane and Instructor Mary enter the habitat through the moon pool for the zoom
The underwater world connects us all; we are dependent on our oceans, rivers, and lakes as we are with each other. Together is the only way we can heal our planet. Organizations like the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society and the Women Divers Hall of Fame offer opportunities for those who want to go further. It’s up to you to apply.
Click here to watch us discuss our experiences, along with Dr. Joe Dituri in Jules’ Undersea Lodge!