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How the heck did I end up writing a 250-word blog post in the middle of the Pacific? Just last week I was doing my weekly routine of sitting down at my little desk setup and logging onto Zoom University. Now I am sitting in the Muster of the Langseth looking out into the Western Pacific Ocean. Opportunities in science are INSANE!
Anyways, we are on Day 3 on our cruise from Newport, OR to San Diego, CA. It’s only been a few days, but I’ve already had a lot of time to spend with myself, peers, and mentors that I feel like we are forming great connections with each other. Everyday I learn a little, laugh a little, miss home a little … it’s interesting what being on a boat for a short amount of time can do.
Our first activity for the day consisted of a tour of the Langseth’s engine room by one of the engineers and a talk with our admirable Chief Scientist Raquel. The engine room was extremely loud and at some points all I could do was smile, widen my eyes, and nod to give some sort of affirmation that I understood what was being said. Learning about Raquel’s research in using formas for paleoclimatology was really interesting and is a topic I never delved into too much at university. I really enjoyed how she was able to use the conclusions she made and pulled from literature to paint a story of the past. Our second meeting consisted of a tour of the Langseth’s Deck with the Captain. A lot of technical terms were thrown around and made me want to actually get my boating license that I’ve been putting off. The most eye-catching piece of equipment in the room was not the global GPS or gyroscopic compass, but the shower knobs oddly placed on the ceiling to spray down the head windows. Also, in our meeting, we did a worksheet investigating PETM, which was really engaging and reminded me about why I love science so much.
We ended the day talking story and watching the sunset, waiting for the green flash that never came.
– Caleb Mantanona
