Photo by Jessica Maloney,
UNH Human Resources

As an academician, Yuri Rzhanov continues a family legacy; however, as a result of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he inhabits a far different climate of academic scholarship than did his parents. The son of two scholars of semiconductor physics, Yuri grew up in a home in Siberia where scientific discourse was an everyday affair, yet under Soviet rule, discussions were circumscribed. In an era of banned literature and repressive ideology, Yuri's Russian parents were somehow able to foster in him a high regard for independent and critical thought. To this day, Yuri marvels at this mysterious feat, still unsure of how exactly it was achieved as they were not able to communicate these values directly or openly.

Though the Soviet borders were impermeable for most, Yuri's father was one of the few intellectuals permitted to travel internationally to present the findings of his research. While Yuri went on, in the footsteps of his parents, to pursue a degree in semiconductor physics, he felt he would never achieve the level of esteem that resulted in freedom to travel, as his father had. In fact, when he married his wife, Irina, colleagues warned him that the marriage would further jeopardize his chances at travel. Their concerns arose due to the fact that the Soviet system separated nationality (Russian, Jew, Kazakh,) from citizenship (Soviet), and the former was stated in a passport. Irina's passport denoted her nationality as Jew. According to Yuri "it was sufficient to be a Jew according to the passport to be banished from the prestigious colleges (and much more than that), and it was sufficient to be married to a Jew to be marked as "politically unstable" and hence jeopardize your career." Fortunately for Yuri and Irina, the Gorbachev era of politics and the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union released many of the restrictions.

In the world of post-Soviet politics, Yuri's professional career quickly became one of international travel and collaborations. As a result of his expertise in numerical experiment, Yuri was invited to join a team that was working towards the creation of an all-optical computer at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh in Scotland. In 1999, Yuri was a part of the Image Processing group at Heriot-Watt University that was invited to join the newly-organized Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (CCOM) at UNH. In his role as a research scientist at CCOM, Yuri is part of a team of international scholars whose excellence has helped to establish UNH as an international leader in this field. Their knowledge has not only affected navigation safety, but has also allowed geologists and biologists valuable and innovative perspectives of the marine environment. Yuri credits Larry Mayer, director of CCOM, with creating an environment that is conducive to such high-level scholarship; "He managed to create a relaxed and at the same time productive atmosphere, allowing people with very different backgrounds (professionally as well as ethnically) to cooperate fruitfully."

Currently, Yuri is working on "developing techniques and algorithms for processing of various data acquired underwater." Innovative optical methods of coastal and ocean mapping offer scientists much better resolution than more conventional sonar mapping methods. Yuri is working on ways to process data that result from such methods, including laser and video data. In fact, when asked what he finds most satisfying about his position, he states, "presenting data in a principally new way, which allows scientists to extend our knowledge - to see what cannot be seen in conventional presentation." One such non-conventional technique is called mosaicing and involves combining frames of video to form an image with a much larger scope. One recent project for Yuri involved creating a mosaic of underwater volcanic activity in the East Pacific, allowing geologists a far clearer picture of lava flows and thus, an ability to ascertain the relative age of certain flows. Other projects include the creation of a mosaic of the wreck of the Titanic, which he and a student have been working on together. He has also been working with underwater archeologists from UNH who are studying a region of the Moroccan coast. The archaeologists have located an underwater plateau, where, throughout the ages, boats would wait for a passage to become navigable. The popularity of this specific area has resulted in a rich accumulation of artifacts, and UNH scientists are creating a mosaic of the site.

Whereas he once doubted that he would ever have the opportunity to travel beyond the Soviet borders, Yuri has now traveled to areas of the world that most of us can hardly imagine and that few will ever see. Traveling aboard research vessels and submersibles to witness firsthand the challenges of collecting the images which he ultimately receives to process, he has dived to depths of two and a half kilometers, viewing spectacular plants and animals that inhabit the extreme depths of the sea. "I am one of those lucky people who are being paid for satisfying their own curiosity" he says.

Though he states that many of his hobbies overlap with his professional duties, Yuri's personal interests also include racquet sports, especially tennis; "My main partners are my wife, Irina, and son, Tosha, who is a freshman at UNH this year. We all enjoy watching tennis tournaments, too…and in summer we do a lot of hill walking - something we grew fond of in Scotland."

Yuri has made a career for himself that defies boundaries; be they national or disciplinary. Having grown up in a political climate where much was obscured and little could be articulated freely, it is intriguing that his work at CCOM has made visible scenes that had been inaccessible to most, in a way that is engaging to even the layman.