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By Sheldon Turner, Triton College
One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about STEMSEAS so far is that I get to be in the shoes of a student again, learning things I never knew about oceanography as a discipline and as a career. While everyone on board is a lifelong learner, I think it is sometimes easy in community college to get into the rut of the few courses I teach, and not get as many opportunities to learn new content. Already I’ve learned how to tie knots, how to identify marine plankton, how research vessels are tied to Navy strategic interests, and how a Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) Rosette Sampler works. My instructors haven’t just been the STEMSEAS mentors; I’ve learned from ship engineers, independent contractors, marine technicians, and ABs (which I’ve learned means able seaman).
Above: STEMSEAS participants learning how to tie important ship knots from Kate (far right, center), an AB
I love that the STEMSEAS experience is not a “sage on the stage” lecture type learning experience. It is collaborative and experiential. It is collaborative in two ways: the ship itself takes a whole team, and the STEMSEAS mentors and participants learn together as a community. For the ocean scientists to collect their data, it takes marine technicians to troubleshoot and deploy the instruments, and it takes the crew to navigate and maintain the ship and keep everyone well fed and morale high.
All three teams must work in concert to make ocean science possible. Each member brings their own physical ability, culture, language, experience, and motivations. All of these culminate in the questions we ask, the data we collect, and ultimately our understanding of the ocean. What better model for learning than having students see this type of teamwork where specialists each do their part and are celebrated for bringing their full selves to the ‘classroom’.
Above: STEMSEAS participants learning how the CTD Rosette Sampler works from Liz (left, center), Marine Technician
As a STEMSEAS participant, one of the best parts of being in a team of community college faculty is that we all have so much interdisciplinary knowledge from so many diverse fields. In each activity, we aren’t just absorbing a lesson in a one-way channel but contributing our own analogies and questions in a collaborative dialog. When I think about how I want to reach my own students, this is the best way I can think of to facilitate learning in the classroom. I need to remember to help each student share who they are and what they know and celebrate their diversity and foster shared learning.
Above: STEMSEAS participants learning about ocean currents and upwelling in the main science lab aboard the RV Thompson.
In addition to being a student again, I also deeply appreciate seeing the background pedagogy for each activity and having a chance to think about how I can bring these insights back into my own classroom and what I might do if I mentor future STEMSEAS expeditions. I’m already planning out how to incorporate oceanography into my Earth Science course or even propose a new Oceanography course for my students who are 800 miles from the nearest ocean.
