Alum Dives Deep to Bring Submerged History to the Surface

From shipwreck diving in the Red Sea to participating in Discovery Channel documentaries in front of and behind the camera, maritime archaeologist Alicia Johnson ’11 finds joy in making history more accessible to the public.

A certified photogrammetrist and PADI underwater photography instructor who actively dives in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean to take underwater photos and videos and conduct research, Johnson is based in Alexandria, Egypt, and has lived and worked in 12 different countries.

She’s motivated by archaeology, which, she explains, satisfies her wanderlust. At the same time, she relies on technology to manage the logistics of working with people worldwide – presenting at conferences, publishing research papers and working with the Honor Frost Foundation and the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology (ACUA).

Johnson says curiosity is what has brought her all over the world – and it was at the College of Charleston that she found that curiosity: “College of Charleston taught me the importance of maintaining my questions of the world, wanting to know more, wanting to see what’s over that hill over there, wanting to know why.”

What Lies Beneath

She’s finding out more through her work managing digital engagement for two innovative companies in the U.K.: Accupixel, which is headquartered in London and specializes in forensic photogrammetry, and consulting with PicSea, a Scottish developer of autonomous underwater vehicles.

As head of digital engagement at Accupixel, she creates media, writes support articles and blogs and assists in the design of courses for software products. Most important, however, she helps preserve underwater cultural heritage sites.

Accupixel’s photogrammetry – thousands of digitally stitched photos – yields impressively detailed 3D renderings of heritage sites and objects. One example of the technology’s unique value: preserving the SS Thistlegorm, a British vessel that German bombers sank in the Red Sea in 1941. Loaded with trucks, motorcycles and weapons intended for Allied forces, it is both a time capsule and a grave site.

^{Thistlegorm shipwreck}

While Accupixel’s 3D renderings connect Johnson to the past, PicSea lets her peer into the unknown.

With so much of the world’s sea floor and terrain still unmapped, PicSea’s autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) – untethered drones controlled remotely through computer code – help digitally map underwater with greater efficiency and safety.

“There is inherently a risk when people are diving, let alone when it’s in areas with a current or poor visibility,” explains Johnson, who serves as PicSea’s marketing consultant, handling social media, writing, analyzing data and offering insight into other aspects of the marine environment and how PicSea’s AUVs can operate in challenging and changing underwater conditions. “AUVs allow for better collection of data, less risk and higher levels of precision.”

Expert Advice

Johnson’s work isn’t limited to logistics, computer screens and diving sites. She has appeared in documentaries, including the Discovery Channel’s Unearthed, discussing the search for Alexander the Great’s tomb and Canal+ productions on Cleopatra and Mark Antony. She has also contributed underwater cinematography for other projects, including an upcoming production on the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

“I’m thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to not only be in front of the camera as an expert, but also to be the person behind the camera showing you all these amazing ancient sites,” she says.

These experiences have helped Johnson appreciate her own expertise.

“I never think of myself as an expert, but then I realize I can speak at length on these topics,” she says. “It reminds me not to doubt myself so much.”

Classic Education

Johnson credits her College of Charleston education with helping her career thrive at these intersections of history, technology and global collaboration.

As a freshman, she was placed in a Classics learning community, pairing Latin with coursework on ancient Rome and Greece – and was thrilled to find others who shared her passion for history.

“Meeting other people and not only sharing classes with them, but having a weekly meeting where we all just kind of nerded out on what we were learning about Odysseus that week, was very interesting for me,” she says, adding: “Being in the group taught me how to work with others and listen to different perspectives.”

Those peer relationships and caring professors helped solidify her academic direction at the College, too. Earning her B.A. in Classics and A.B. in history with a minor in Latin, Johnson advocates for the humanities in an age when students sometimes lean toward STEM and other career-forward majors.

“Don’t underestimate history and Classics,” she insists. “It’s not about memorizing dates. It’s about critical thinking, analytical reading and strong research skills – foundational tools for succeeding in any industry.”

Sea Changes

Looking back, Johnson sees her time at the College of Charleston as a period of transformation.

“Taking courses, having designated days and times that you need to be at a certain location: At that age it instills a sense of how to manage your time moving forward into adulthood,” she says. “Networking, collaborative work, research and critical analysis, time management, task completion and overall curiosity were the most important skills that I learned at the College of Charleston.”

And those skills are what she has taken along her journey through the world.

“I think when you’re in an environment that encourages you to learn more about yourself, about others, about your studies,” says Johnson, “it inherently allows you to improve your trajectory in the world, because if you’re always asking why, you’re always moving forward.”

Photos courtesy of Alicia Johnson. See more photos on her Instagram @AloofNerd and on her Facebook page @Aloof.nerde. Check out more of her videos on YouTube @AloofNerd.