Deep Ocean Research and Imaging System (DORIS) Workshop 2026
Deep Ocean Research and Imaging System (DORIS) Workshop 2026
Posted May 4, 2026Above: Group Photo of the DORIS workshop participants. Credit: Ocean Discovery League.
Reflections by Vincent Maverick Jagon.
From April 11–15, I was fortunate to be part of the first-ever DORIS cohort, a workshop led by the Ocean Discovery League (ODL) in partnership with Blue Robotics and PacIOOS. The workshop was hosted by the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB), on Moku o Loʻe, Oʻahu. DORIS, the Deep Ocean Research and Imaging System, is a low-cost deep sea camera system designed to make ocean exploration more accessible to researchers and communities around the world. What makes DORIS especially exciting is its goal of expanding access to deep ocean research through user-friendly technology at a much lower cost than many traditional deep sea imaging systems.
Coming into the workshop, I was both excited and nervous. As an ODL Accessing The Deep (ATD) alumnus, I already had a growing interest in deep ocean exploration, but DORIS introduced me to a new level of hands-on learning. I was the only undergraduate in a room filled with professionals, researchers, engineers, and leaders from many different backgrounds. At first, I felt intimidated, but I quickly realized that being a “small fish in a big pond” was actually a powerful opportunity. I was able to learn from each person’s story, career path, and purpose. Their work helped me imagine different possibilities for my own future after undergrad.
One of the biggest highlights for me was learning the engineering behind DORIS. The system is complex in what it can do, but simple and thoughtful in how it is designed. Being among the first to experiment with this prototype was an unforgettable experience. My background in robotics and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) is still growing, but DORIS helped reconnect me with that interest and showed me how technology can be used not just for exploration, but also for education, conservation, and community empowerment.
Maverick Jagon (left) and Valentine Vaeoso (right) prepare DORIS for deployment. Credit: Ocean Discovery League.
What I am taking back with me is more than technical knowledge. I am bringing back a deeper understanding that ocean exploration should not only belong to large institutions with large budgets. Tools like DORIS can help open doors for island communities, students, local researchers, and future scientists who want to better understand and protect the ocean around them.
As I represented the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (UHH), I also carried with me the hopes of the Keaukaha community, Hawaiʻi, and my home island of American Samoa. In Keaukaha, where the health of reefs is deeply connected to culture, food, identity, and community well-being, DORIS can help people see more clearly what exists beneath the surface and why it matters. I believe our homes do not end where the shoreline begins. Our home continues beyond what our eyes can see, into the reefs, the deep water, and the life beneath the horizon.
For American Samoa, where many reef systems and deeper ocean areas remain understudied, DORIS offers hope. It has the potential to support local marine research, document reef and deep sea environments, strengthen climate resilience efforts, and inspire young people to see themselves as part of ocean science and discovery. This workshop reminded me that exploration is not only about finding what is unknown; it is also about helping communities understand, value, and protect what has always been part of them.
Overall, the DORIS workshop was an impactful and eye-opening experience. It taught me that accessible technology can change who gets to participate in science. It also reminded me that my voice, my background, and my island community have a place in the future of ocean exploration. I left the workshop hopeful, inspired, and motivated to bring what I learned back to my work, my community, and the next generation of ocean explorers.
