Dr. Vermeij's Conch Quest

Geerat learned that if he became a scientist, he could study molluscs and find answers to his questions.  His parents encouraged his curiosity.  They helped Geerat to be a good observer by describing to him everything that he could not see.  His brother, Ari, created raised pictures of shells for Geerat to feel.

Some people doubted that someone who is blind could be a scientist,  They wondered how he could do what scientists do.  They thought his world was dark.  Geerat did no know why they thought this.  He described the world around him as sparkling with sounds, smells, shapes and textures.  Geerat was a happy boy who found the world fascinating.

Today, Geerat is known as Dr. Vermeij, a successful malacologist.  This is a scientist who studies molluscs.  He is also a college professor.  He shares his research on mollusks in speeches, articles, and books.  Some of his books have even been printed in other languages such as Japanese.

Reading is a very important part of Geerat’s work.  He knows that science is not just about making observations.  You need to read about other people’s ideas and discoveries.  He has been an eager reader since he was a boy.  He learned to read Braille when he was young.  This is how he reads today.  Braille is a series of raised dots that represent letters and numbers.  People who learn Braille feel these dots with their fingertips as a method of reading.

Geerat has a huge library of Braille books, articles, reports, and his own notes.  He writes in Braille using a device that produces the raised dots on paper.  He also uses a Braille typewriter.  Sometimes other people read to him.  This is for convenience only.  He is able to read Braille, French, German, Spanish and Italian.

Geerat has collected thousands of mollusks from all over the world.  One of his favorite places to study is the Palau Islands.  He describes Palau as a mix of rainforests and rocky coral reefs.  There are palm trees along the shore.  The water is warm and calm.  He also loves the island of Guam.  He describes it as “love at first feel”.  It has warm, moist air, sweet smelling plants, and the sound of cackling geckos.  The waves sound like thunder when they crash on the shore.  The coast is full of large, slippery, rocks. Moray eels and crabs hide inside the deep holes of these rocks……..