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A week into our trip already? We’ve all been having so much fun aboard! Getting to know the other students, mentors, and crew members has been a blast! Today is the day we’ve finally reached Alaska waters. As I write this, we’ve entered the Gulf of Alaska. It’s so cold outside my fingers instantly freeze when I go out on deck… good thing I brought gloves!
We started out the day with another XBT, and spent most of the morning and afternoon working on our personal projects for the cruise. The weather finally cleared up a bit after several overcast and stormy days. As a California girl, I’m so used to sunny and warm days, so it was a nice reminder of how much I love spending time in the sun! In the evening we listened to a presentation from a Scripps computer engineer (Daniel Diaz) about Geodesy, megathrust earthquakes, acoustic ranging, and other methods of plate tectonics (super interesting stuff!!). Finally, we had an international zoom meeting with postgrad students from CAPSTAN, a sister program similar to STEMSEAS occurring in the Great Australian Bight as we speak! They were so knowledgeable about oceanography, and the amount of similarities we’ve experienced was amazing!
I’ve loved every moment of this life changing trip, from the fun movie/game nights, to the scientific exploration and discovery, and overall the opportunity to be exposed to a completely new world I didn’t know about until now. As I sit back on the picnic table on deck and watch the waves go by, I think about how grateful I am to be one of the lucky few to be here. Truly the adventure of a lifetime
