He found the resting place of the Titanic, John F. Kennedy\u2019s PT-109, the aircraft carrier Yorktown and numerous other modern and ancient shipwrecks, as well as hydrothermal vents and their exotic ecosystem that lives off the energy of the Earth instead of the sun. Now marine explorer Robert Ballard<\/a> is looking back at his 50-year career of discovery by publishing a memoir, Into the Deep<\/em>, recounting the backstories of many of his greatest adventures.<\/p>\n The University of Rhode Island oceanographer said that while he isn\u2019t ready to stop exploring the marine world just yet, now is the time to tell his story.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m stepping back a bit and pivoting to a mentoring stage in my life,\u201d said Ballard, who will turn 79 in June. \u201cI\u2019m wrapping up what I\u2019ve been doing and making a strategic pivot to other projects. Time is running out, and if we don\u2019t embrace global change and acidification of the oceans and take steps to create conservation areas, we\u2019re in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n While his book features numerous stories about his favorite research expeditions and discoveries, the major revelations are more personal. For the first time, he publicly discusses the difficult task of following in his brilliant older brother\u2019s footsteps, the inspiration he received from his younger sister, who has a handicap, his first marriage, the death of his son in a car accident, and other aspects of his personal life, including his recent discovery that he is dyslexic.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a very private person, not one who talks about who I am, but I decided that maybe it\u2019s time, and maybe I can do some good,\u201d Ballard said. \u201cEveryone needs to understand that dyslexics aren\u2019t stupid, they\u2019re just a different kind of human being. They see the world in a very different way.<\/p>\n \u201cThis book is a coming out party for my dyslexia,\u201d he added. \u201cI\u2019m standing on a soapbox now and saying, \u2018I\u2019m dyslexic,\u2019 and I feel so lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n Written with New York Times investigative journalist Christopher Drew and to be released May 14 by National Geographic, the book is receiving rave reviews from such notable readers as Henry Kissinger, who calls it \u201ca testament to the power of imagination, scientific rigor and dogged hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n Fellow National Geographic explorer-in-residence Enric Sala said the book is \u201ca page-turner, every chapter a cliffhanger that delivers yet another surprise.\u201d And James Cameron, director of the movie Titanic<\/em>, said \u201cBob Ballard was, and still is, a true exploration pioneer, and has inspired generations of ocean explorers, myself included.\u201d<\/p>\n A companion article appears in the May issue of National Geographic<\/em> magazine, and a television special mirroring the book will air June 14 on the National Geographic channel.<\/p>\n Ballard, who earned his doctorate from URI in 1976, joined the faculty of URI\u2019s Graduate School of Oceanography in 2003, where he established a program in archaeological oceanography and developed the Inner Space Center<\/a>, a facility he calls his proudest accomplishment at URI. The center, an international hub for ocean science and education, uses cutting-edge technology to facilitate, support and promote live ocean explorations around the globe in real time.<\/p>\n As he looks ahead to his 80s, Ballard is enjoying mentoring early-career scientists and engineers and training the next generation of ocean explorers.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was growing up, my Kansas grandmother was full of sayings, and I remember one in particular,\u201d he said. \u201cShe said, \u2018Great is the person who plants a tree knowing they will never sit in its shade.\u2019 That\u2019s where I am now. I\u2019m planting trees.\u201d<\/p>\n But he\u2019s not yet finished exploring. After a year of staying home due to the pandemic, he is looking forward to returning to sea this summer aboard the exploration vessel, Nautilus.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be on the Nautilus a lot. It reminds me of when I sat on the beach watching my children build sandcastles and making sure they could make their dreams come true,\u201d Ballard said. \u201cI\u2019ll be watching and mentoring this amazing team I\u2019ve built.\u201d<\/p>\n