by Hello from the R/V Roger Revelle! Day 2 has brought a beginning to the work shifts with students working four hours at a time. Experience in a ship environment is very immersive. There are several experienced members on board that are willing to talk about their various adventures and what they have learned.
Captain Dave, for instance, has been sailing for 35 years and has traveled to every continent under different conditions. He has given us a personal tour with his first mate of the bridge with the controls for the ship. Dave also set up tours for people to tour the engine room tomorrow to show all that goes into keeping a boat at sea. A restech, Carmen, has been at his job for 10 years now. Today, he helped us deploy a magnetometer. This instrument measures the strength of the magnetic field and lets the scientists know the conditions before we get to the EM retrieval spots. He let us control the winch, releasing the magnetometer 300 meters into the water. After it was deployed, the work shifts started. We are keeping an eye on the numbers coming in from the instrument.
No matter who you run into or talk to, there are several stories to tell. Other STEMSEAS students have told me about their trips abroad, majors, and what they plan to do after this trip. Everything about this trip is a learning experience with an introduction to research and making connections that could help you find a job after school. Hearing about their experiences helps me determine which opportunities I might want to participate in later on. The graduate students running the research are also willing to talk about what they are studying and make it hands on for the students to learn and help out. This is a great learning environment and is also a beautiful adventure with amazing views. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to work in the ocean or any kind of research!
-Rachel
