Meet Our People
SRI's innovative thinking depends directly on the people who work here. Meet members of our team in Computing and Engineering, Chemistry, Physics and Materials, Drug Discovery, Drug Development and Health, Economics and Education, Environment and Energy, Business Development, and Administration and Corporate Activities, and learn why they joined SRI—you may discover that you would like to join the team, too. Visit Careers @ SRI for descriptions of current openings.
Meet Lori Adornato,
Research Engineer, Optics Group, Marine Technology Program, St. Petersburg, Florida
Focus at SRI:
Oceans cover more than 70% of the earth’s surface and contain about 97% of the earth’s water, but remain largely unexplored. I work on the development of in situ instrumentation to produce high-resolution data that will help us understand biogeochemical cycles in marine systems. As a chemical oceanographer, I am particularly interested in the interrelated carbon and nutrient cycles.
Day in the Life at SRI:
A typical day may involve work at sea, in the lab, or writing manuscripts or proposals. My favorite day is one at sea during the summer, when the surface is so calm that I can see the squid, fish, dolphins, barracuda, and other sea creatures that occasionally visit the boat while we work. The day is perfect if we collect lots of great data using our instruments. Before SRI:
I previously worked in a law office and in property management. Then I went back to school and earned my bachelor’s and doctorate degrees.
Academics:
B.A. in Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
Ph.D. in Marine Science (Chemical Oceanography), College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida
Why SRI?
I especially like SRI’s support of innovation and the exploration of new ideas. SRI has a sensible way to assess whether an idea has merit and to understand how it fits within the context of what has already been accomplished in that field. I am amazed at how much I have learned since I started working here. Inspiration and Motivation:
I am motivated by discovery. There are lots of opportunities for discovery in oceanography, and the ability to develop new instruments allows us to stay at the forefront of exploration. What has changed in your field since you began your career, and what new or exciting trends are you seeing?
The oceans still have the power to delight and astonish. We have developed tools to study a number of different parameters with unparalleled sensitivity and resolution, and have had opportunities to use them for wide-ranging and interesting research. As we move forward, we will continue to make progress toward answering important questions through our own research, and through work with partners.
Proudest professional accomplishment
Successfully deploying novel in situ instrumentation in the open ocean. It is a very challenging environment for electronic equipment.
Away from the Office:
I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling, reading, and watching the activity in my butterfly garden. I have always been interested in art, so I occasionally take classes and visit museums. A friend and I put together a display (based on Andy Warhol’s “Silver Clouds”) at the 2007 American Society of Limnology and Oceanography conference as part of its “Plankton in Art” exhibition. We filled a room with very large helium balloons in plankton shapes so conference participants could feel as if they were inside a plankton bloom. It was great fun and the children especially loved pulling the three-foot-wide jellyfish balloons around the room by their feathery “tentacles”.
Words of wisdom for SRI colleagues
Don't be afraid to achieve a personal or professional goal, even if it is one that you have had to defer for a while.
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