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Charlie Mazel is a Principal
Research Scientist at Physical Sciences Inc. in
Andover, MA. He is primarily funded to do research
related to fluorescence of marine organisms in
the natural underwater environment. He first got
into this as far back as the mid-1970's through
his love of night diving, and with stops and starts
has been building specialized underwater lights
and photographic gear for more than 15 years.
This started out simply for his own enjoyment,
moved on to support funded research, and more
recently he founded NightSea,
of which he is President, to make the joys of
underwater fluorescence available to all sport
and science divers. NightSea gear is being used
by divers worldwide to explore for and document
fluorescence in the sea. Fluorescence is well
known in corals, but is now being found in some
fish, isopods, shrimp and crabs, and other marine
critters.
Charlie has a varied ocean
background. He has participated in numerous marine
archaeology projects, both finding and excavating
shipwrecks; worked in the deep sea survey business;
worked in the side scan sonar business; managed
a hydrodynamics laboratory at MIT; was assistant
director of the Edgerton Center (high speed imaging)
at MIT. Along the way he picked up a master's
in Ocean Engineering and a Ph. D. in Marine Biology.
His research now focuses on underwater optics
and imaging, of which fluorescence remains a big
part. . Recently he had the privilege to lead
a team that outfit a research submersible to search
for fluorescence at depths over 2,500' (800 m).
He has written numerous peer-reviewed and popular
articles on fluorescence phenomena.
Charlie's extensive time
on boats provided the (unwanted) experience that
motivated him to write his book, 'Heave Ho! My
Little Green Book of Seasickness'.
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