Deidre Sullivan’s 35 years of dive experience include diving director for Catalina Island Marine Institute, the largest program certifying teenagers in the world, to research diver/submersible diver/marine geologist making marine habitat maps of the ocean floor. Many areas mapped by Deidre are now Marine Protected Areas in California. She is a NAUI and CMAS instructor and has taught thousands of students. Deidre is currently the director of the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center, which uses marine technology to improve science and engineering education and to provide the technical workforce with appropriately-educated marine professionals. One example of MATE’s successful programs is its network of underwater robotic competitions which engage thousands of students each year.