As a teenager, Michael Hodge wanted to be a draftsman, but when he tried to get into a senior drafting program, there was no room for him. Instead he chose to pursue an electronics technician program. Michael is now a marine computer specialist aboard the JOIDES Resolution.

As the Marine Computer Specialist, Michael is responsible for ensuring that the database on the ship is in working condition. If the database were to stop working, it would stop the production on the ship. For this reason, Michael views the ship as a production environment and takes his part in collecting scientific data very seriously. Above all things, Michael finds that the most important skill in his job is the ability to communicate. He uses both verbal and written communication to instruct others in technical procedures. With crew rotations every twelve hours, it is important that the technicians can communicate new procedures to each other.

The best part of being on the JOIDES Resolution is seeing all of the different places around the world from which the ship embarks. Michael enjoys the different cultures and landscapes of the many countries he has visited, as he never envisioned traveling around the world when he was younger.

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