Lauren P. Batte
Program Analyst
NOAA Research
Budget and External Affairs Division
SSMS 3, Room 11537
1315 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
lauren.batte@noaa.gov

Lauren Batte has been a program analyst with the NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research at the headquarters office in Silver Spring, Maryland since August 2001. She serves a joint role on the External Affairs Team and with the Office of Scientific Support. Her duties are varied, the "mixed bag" of which includes interacting with and answering inquiries from Congress and constituents to participating in scientific review panels to coordinating exhibits to organizing an "Aquanauts" summer camp with Smithsonian.

Now, Lauren has decided to trade her desk for diving gear to join the Aquarius team on the eighth and final mission in 2002.

Lauren is a native of Annapolis, Maryland and a first-generation coastal resident. During her undergraduate career at the College of William and Mary (B.A. Biology, 2001), Lauren conducted research in benthic ecology at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) leading to graduation with High Honors for her work. After graduation in the summer of 2001 (and without a job), Lauren took graduate courses at the Duke University Marine Laboratory during which time she accepted a position at NOAA.

This mission is Lauren's first field endeavor for the agency. She completed her NOAA dive certification in the Fall 2002 with her final checkout dive on November 3 before traveling to Key Largo for the mission on November 9. You may ask,"How did she swing this?" Lauren said, "With an invitation from my former VIMS professor combined with supportive managers in the home office - that, and the will and determination to jump through all the hoops necessary to complete my dive certification in time to fly." During the mission, Lauren will serve as a member of the surface support dive team, or Surfnaut team.