In this episode of the Adrenaline Zone, Dr. Joe Dituri, a former commander in the US Navy, shares his experience as a deep-sea diver, special operations officer, and engineering duty officer. His passion for diving started at a young age when his father gave him a double hose regulator that allowed him to breathe underwater. He eventually found his way to the Navy, where he gained extensive experience in diving, engineering, and research. The episode covers a range of topics, including underwater suits, physics and mechanics of the underwater environment, and his current work in treating traumatic brain injury. The conversation is a must-listen for anyone interested in deep-sea diving and undersea research.
During his 100-day stay at the Jules' Undersea facility, Dr. Dituri serves a threefold purpose: outreach to students to get them excited about STEM fields, discussing preservation, protection, and rejuvenation of the marine environment, and conducting biomedical research related to solving problems for astronauts and aquanauts. Living underwater presents its own unique challenges, including decompression and bone density loss, which Dr. Dituri is researching to help solve problems for astronauts in space. He also shares his goal of becoming an astronaut and his excitement about his upcoming zero gravity flight. Dr. Dituri's work and passion for deep-sea diving and undersea research are truly inspiring and a testament to the limitless potential of human exploration and scientific discovery.
The Finer Details of this Episode:
Joe's early passion for deep-sea diving and his journey to the Navy
His experience in the special operations community and becoming a diving officer
The challenges and tasks involved in being an engineering duty officer
Joe's work at the Deep Submergence Unit and the risks of diving at 2000ft
The importance of risk mitigation and management in deep-sea diving
Launching two underwater suits at once and writing operational procedures
The importance of having a person in the suit and extensive training for deep-sea missions
Joe’s biomedical research to solve problems for astronauts and aquanauts
His personal experience with traumatic brain injury
His efforts to improve the system and address veteran suicide
Quotes:
"Risk mitigation became an every other day word for me."
"If you don't fix the body, the body does keep the score."
"We lost a bunch of guys to suicide following the horrific events that they'd been through."
"I want them to be like, hey, you can be a scientist and be cool, too."
"I'm trying to solve problems on the International Space Station for muscle loss and bone density loss."
"My long term goal is to solve problems for aquanauts and astronauts."
"The thing that I think is really important is to have a community of people that you can talk to who have been through similar things. And you know, that's why groups like the Wounded Warrior Project are really important."
"I think that sometimes we forget that we're all humans and we all have a similar capacity for dealing with stress and trauma."
"It's important to remember that people are complex and that there's no one-size-fits-all solution to any problem."
Links:
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Dr. Deep Sea
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