South Middlesex Times

New Jersey native Joe Gradone, who recently earned his doctorate in oceanography from Rutgers University, has been awarded the 2024 Walter Munk Scholar Award and Commemorative Lecture. He will present a webinar lecture on January 23 for the international Marine Technology Society.

Gradone's journey into oceanography began during his undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado. Despite growing up near the Atlantic Ocean, it was in this land-locked state that he realized his passion for studying the ocean. "It took me going to a land-locked state to realize I want to study the ocean," said Gradone.

His career path has included research with underwater gliders and an industry role testing their hardware and software. Janice McDonnell, a broader impacts specialist at Rutgers, praised him: “He has a remarkable ability to make the science accessible and relevant to diverse audiences.”

Travis Miles, an associate professor at Rutgers and Gradone’s adviser, highlighted the significance of Gradone's award: “The award is an acknowledgement of not just the important work he’s been doing, but also his future successes, and his commitment to training and mentoring the next generation.”

In 2020, Gradone joined Rutgers–New Brunswick Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RUCOOL), which contributes to hurricane prediction efforts. This summer, he piloted an underwater glider toward Hurricane Beryl’s eye. The glider captured data used by the National Hurricane Center for predicting Beryl's impact.

Gradone is co-principal investigator on a $1.5 million grant to study water mixing in the Caribbean. He utilized online tools developed by Rutgers to define broader impacts of this research proposal. "Simply put, my hope is that my research benefits society by enabling a better understanding of the ocean’s role in our climate system," said Gradone.

Since joining Rutgers, Gradone has engaged in various outreach activities aimed at enhancing public understanding of hurricanes and improving storm predictions. McDonnell commented on his dedication: “Joe is deeply committed to helping people understand hurricanes and improve models and predictions of dangerous storms.”

Reflecting on his journey into science from building skateboards as a child, Gradone plans eventually to start his own lab and encourages aspiring scientists: “If I could give one piece of advice... I would tell them: just follow whatever seems interesting and you’ll always be excited to go to work,” he said.