Roberta Eike was an American

oceanographer Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics ...

and

marine geologist Marine geology or geological oceanography is the study of the history and structure of the ocean floor. It involves geophysical, geochemistry, geochemical, sedimentology, sedimentological and paleontological investigations of the ocean floor and ...

in the 1950s. Eike became aware of the

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering. Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it i ...

(WHOI) in 1954. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to gain permission to go to sea with her male counterparts, Eike secretly stowed away on one of her supervising professors'

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

missions, only to be discovered several hours into the voyage and physically abused as

punishment Punishment, commonly, is the imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome upon a group or individual, meted out by an authority—in contexts ranging from child discipline to criminal law—as a response and deterrent to a particular acti ...

. Eike's consequent dismissal from the WHOI led to increased calls for

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

in oceanography. Six years later, women were officially permitted to join WHOI sea-going

research vessel A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...

Career

Eike was a

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

graduate student Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

from

Radcliffe Radcliffe or Radcliff may refer to: Places * Radcliffe Line, a border between India and Pakistan United Kingdom * Radcliffe, Greater Manchester ** Radcliffe Tower, the remains of a medieval manor house in the town ** Radcliffe tram stop * ...

. Eike had fellowships in 1955 and 1956 to study crustaceans with Clarke. While on

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

with the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, Eike found out about the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. At Radcliffe, she capitalised on the opportunity to work with George Clarke, a senior WHOI authority on

marine ecology Marine ecosystems are the largest of Earth's aquatic ecosystems and exist in waters that have a high salt content. These systems contrast with freshwater ecosystems, which have a lower salt content. Marine waters cover more than 70% of the surf ...

and "pioneer in instrumentation". In September 1955, Eike wrote a short essay on the role of women in oceanography, exploring the reasons women were not welcome at sea.

Women's rights in oceanography

Until the 1960s, female scientists were severely

discriminated Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...

against in the field and were barred from sailing on oceanographic vessels with their male counterparts. This prohibition stemmed from old

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

s in

myth Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

s and legends such as Homer's ''Odyssey''. It is worth noting that while this taboo prevailed in much of

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

, women had already led numerous major

expeditions Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

in the Arctic and Atlantic in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

Voyage

In order to conduct her necessary research, Eike repeatedly requested to join sea voyages but was denied access to the sea every time. Worried that the her

fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

and

career The career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work and other aspects of life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defin ...

could not succeed otherwise, she decided to take a chance on July 16, 1956, and snuck onto ''CARYN'', the sea vessel employed for one of her supervising professors' research missions. In preparation for the voyage, Eike gathered "oranges, peaches, cookies, a change of socks and clothing, and a green cloth bag with jars to collect

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...

". Once she boarded the vessel, Eike took up quarters in the

bilge The bilge of a ship or boat is the part of the hull that would rest on the ground if the vessel were unsupported by water. The "turn of the bilge" is the transition from the bottom of a hull to the sides of a hull. Internally, the bilges (us ...

with the engine and extra stores. However, after a few hours, rolling seas and nausea forced Eike to emerge from her hiding spot. She was discovered by the captain, Bob Munns, who did a 180-degree turn with ''CARYN'' upon her discovery. Perturbed by the traditional "no women at sea" principle, her supervisor George Clarke made Eike suffer the indignity of physical humiliation when "he held her over his knee and

spanked Spanking is a form of corporal punishment involving the act of striking, with either the palm of the hand or an implement, the buttocks of a person to cause physical pain. The term spanking broadly encompasses the use of either the hand or im ...

her". For the rest of the voyage, Eike was confined to the captain's quarters. On July 18, ''CARYN'' was pushed back to dock. As punishment for her decision, Eike was stripped of her Fellowship title and was quietly dismissed from the WHOI.

Response and legacy

Following Eike's dismissal, many prominent figures in oceanography including

Henry Stommel Henry Melson Stommel (September 27, 1920 – January 17, 1992) was a major contributor to the field of physical oceanography. Beginning in the 1940s, he advanced theories about global ocean circulation patterns and the behavior of the Gulf Stream ...

, Alfred Woodcock, Joanna and William Malkus, William von Arx, Dick Backus, and

Valentine Worthington Lawrence Valentine Worthington (March 6, 1920 – February 10, 1995), better known as Val Worthington was a British-American physical oceanographer. His most noted contributions are the discovery of mode water which he called ''18° water'', fir ...

spoke out in defense of her. Eike's dismissal sparked much debate and served as the catalyst for igniting conversation about the position of women at sea on WHOI vessels. Six years following her secret stowaway on ''CARYN'', WHOI changed its

regulation Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. For ...

s and women were officially permitted to join WHOI research vessels. Today, Eike is credited with having revolutionized the rights of female scientists at sea. Women now occupy top positions across the institution, having for instance piloted the submersible ''ALVIN'', leading as Chief Scientists and even having served as the institutions first female president. Moreover, the WHOI established the WHOI Women's Committee, which actively seeks to continue the dialogue in regards to continued improvement initiatives that ensure women are treated as equals and with respect both at shore and at sea.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eike, Roberta 20th-century American biologists Living people Radcliffe College alumni Year of birth missing (living people)