Contributing Editor, Exploratory Diving - Leveraging a unique mix of undersea expertise, technical experience, affinity for writing, and an attraction for the arts, Michael finds himself involved in numerous projects, microventures, and consultancy activities across all of the humanities subjects. His creation of 'Ocean Opportunity', a 501(c)3 not for profit organization, has afforded the vehicle to apply his innovative, grassroots model for business and exploration to many projects. Just one notable recent success includes the Diving a Dream Project from 2004-2007 which was aired on NBC's Today Show in January 2007. Michael is the former Diving Safety Officer for NOAA's Caribbean Marine Research Center, and has served as an advisor to the Advanced Diving Council for NOAA's Undersea Research Program (NURP). He presently serves on the Membership Committee for the American Academy of Underwater Sciences, and is an elected Board Member (2007-2010) to the Society for Human Performance in Extreme Environments. Michael is a 1997 Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership (HOBY) award recipient and was also recognized in the 2006/07 Who's Who in Science & Engineering. In 2007, his work in exploration advocacy earned recognition as one of Rhode Island's '40 Under 40' by the Providence Business News, and most recently he has ben elected as Member National to the Explorers Club. Presently with more than 40 articles, journal publications, operational standards reviews, and technical documents published, with work featured on local and national NBC and Fox TV affiliates as well in local, regional, and national periodicals, over 1500 dives/1300+ hours, with numerous sub-200feet, utilizing every mode of diving available, and in the harshest extremes on this planet...Michael is on a mission to take exploration and its influences on science, technology, and society where it has not yet ventured...deeper and longer into the abyss.