by Tuesday January 3, Latitude 41 31.430154N, Longitude 070 40.332901 W
As we got ready to embark, we all got an opportunity to get to know each other, we got our safety briefing and learned a little about the journey ahead of us. We ran a drill so we can all experience putting on our emergen-suits. We also signed up for meal times, (since there are more people on the ship, including crew, STEM Seas, and WHOI then there are seats in the mess hall) so that we can spread ourselves out throughout the day. 3 meal slots for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – 20 mins each. I chose the middle slot so I can see folks transitioning from the early and the late. Food is great by the way, We have had something new so far each day, for each meal, with plenty of options to choose from. The ship runs on diesel and coffee, so at least coffee is always available.
We each brought some knickknacks from our home institutions to share with each other as an icebreaker, and we shared these after dinner. We have folks representing several HBCUs and other institutions as well. I am enjoying getting to network with folks from WHOI, URI, FIT, Rutgers, UNC, FAMU, Savannah State, Berkeley, Tnstate, Coppin, Morehouse- CAU, Supergirl Shine, Columbia, Morgan, IUP – representing stem education, data science, and geosciences broadly. As of day 2 on the water (Wednesday), we are still on our way to the first station. In the meantime, we are still getting our sea legs under us and a few of us are adjusting to the motion better than others. I seemed to be ok (also took some motion sickness medication). I tried to figure out the best way to get my balance while the ship rocked, and it was rockin! But I feel ok, even better after a nap too! After lunch, we got together for an overview of the STEM Student Experiences Aboard Ships (Seas) project and learn discussed potential opportunities for future collaborative projects. I completed a puzzle of an Ammonite, then did it upside down to complete a challenge. Looking forward to the next day when we reach our first station and start deploying equipment. Currently passing by Latitude 37 30.705642 N, Longitude 073 31.352289 W
- Reginald Archer, Tennessee State University
