Coast Survey spotlight: Meet Lt. Bart Buesseler


Ever wonder what it’s like to be a member of the NOAA Coast Survey team? We use the Coast Survey spotlight blog series as a way to periodically share the experiences of Coast Survey employees as they discuss their work, background, and advice.


Lt. Bart Buesseler, navigation manager

“It is extremely rewarding to interact with our users and see how important our products are to their livelihoods. I’ve always known our work was “important”, but to actually get that feedback on a daily basis from the users motivates me to come to work every day.”


Lt. Bart Buesseler dressed in an immersion suit (also called a gumby suit) following a man overboard drill on NOAA Ship Rainier in Whale Pass, Alaska.
Lt. Bart Buesseler dressed in an immersion suit (also called a gumby suit) following a man overboard drill on NOAA Ship Rainier in Whale Pass, Alaska.

What is your job title, and how long have you worked for NOAA Coast Survey?

I am a regional navigation manager for Alaska. I have been in the NOAA Corps for eight years and almost all of that time has been in support of Coast Survey.

What were your experiences prior to working for Coast Survey?

I joined NOAA immediately following graduation from my bachelors program in mechanical engineering. I had experience as an intern working in the transportation industry (trucking) and alternative energy field (fuel cells), but was really looking for a job that got me outside and had an “adventure” aspect to it. I definitely found that with NOAA.

What is a day in your job like?

It’s highly dynamic, but focuses on communicating needs and requests from the maritime community here in Alaska to the folks in our headquarters in Silver Spring (and vice versa). This also means I attend a lot of meetings across the state in order to get a better understanding of what is most pressing in each area. Once I gather these needs and requests it’s then a matter of connecting to the right people at Coast Survey or elsewhere in NOAA to see what we can do about them.

Why is this work important?

Alaska’s survey needs can be daunting at first glance considering the size of the state and the difficulties of working in remote environments. In order to pare these needs down to a manageable size we need to know what is most important, and there is no better resource for that than those who rely on our products on a daily basis. By interacting directly with the end user of our products I’m able to help Coast Survey make sure that the work we’re doing is the work people using our products want us to do.

What aspects of your job are most exciting or rewarding to you?

I love that part of my current job is to travel around the amazing state of Alaska. The natural beauty is breathtaking, and the people are driven, collaborating on common goals. That collaboration also extends within NOAA, as I’ve found myself working closely with other parts of the National Ocean Service, NOAA Fisheries, and the National Weather Service, which has been a fantastic experience. Furthermore, it is extremely rewarding to interact with our users and see how important our products are to their livelihoods. I’ve always known our work was “important”, but to actually get that feedback on a daily basis from the users motivates me to come to work every day.
 

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