Best known for discovering hydrothermal vents, the sunken R.M.S. Titanic, the German battleship Bismarck, and many other ancient and modern shipwrecks around the world, ROBERT BALLARD has conducted more than 150 deep-sea expeditions and is a pioneer in the development of advanced deep submergence and telepresence technology. Since 2008 he has managed the E/V Nautilus, his flagship for exploration, operated by the Ocean Exploration Trust and funded in part by NOAA. Among his many honors he holds the Explorers Club Medal, the National Geographic Hubbard Medal, and the National Endowment for the Humanities Medal.