by 
Ah, what better way to begin than with a triumphant stack of blueberry pancakes aboard the illustrious R/V Neil Armstrong? By 8:30 a.m., the day had already flexed its muscles as the final of three moorings joined its comrades on deck. There they sat, seven golden orbs glistening in the sunlight, like pearls plucked from Poseidon’s treasure chest. The Dualed EdgeTech Acoustic Releases, having braved the ocean’s depths for over two years, emerged with an almost cheeky newness—proof that even underwater dwellers enjoy a glow-up.
At 9 a.m., Joe’s electrifying plankton talk had us marveling at the ocean’s tiniest architects, crafting geometric perfection like nature’s own draftsmen. By 10, Dwight wowed us with his microplastic retrieval demo. Filters of fiberglass, cellulose, and nylon bore witness to a confetti of microplastic particles under UV light—who knew pollution could sparkle so vividly?
Lunch ushered in another delight—the opening of the coveted R/V Neil Armstrong shop. Like giddy sailors chasing treasure, we snagged T-shirts that screamed oceanic chic. At 1 p.m., Captain Kent charmed us with his journey from engineering student to master of the waves. His tales were so riveting, we peppered him with questions like curious dolphins.
Later, at 3 p.m., Joe once again stole the spotlight, unveiling the microscopic wonders in our samples. Diatoms revealed their delicate artistry, leaving everyone spellbound. The afternoon wrapped up with lab cleaning at 4 p.m., as we scrubbed and tidied with the fervor of sailors preparing for port.
Dinner at 6:30 p.m. was served with a side of grandeur—the awards ceremony! Six days and 1,250 nautical miles had brought triumphs aplenty: four moorings recovered, one CTD cast, three Argo floats deployed, and sightings of dolphins and flying fish alike. The awards were a celebration of quirky brilliance:
- STEMSEAS Appreciation Award for cruise leadership: Magdalena “Chief Scientist” Andres
- STEMSEAS Leadership Award for herding cats: Sharon “La Jefa” Cooper
- Best Barkeep Award for hands-on science: Dwight “Mixmaster” Ebanks
- Marine Engineering Award for maritime education: John “Mooring Man” Kemp
- Mentorship Award for sharing seagoing knowledge: Jim “Old Salt” Dunn
- PTA Award for boosting K12 education: Mike “The Educator” Sanderson
- Coding Camp Award for Python practice: Jamell “Code Whisperer” Dacon
- Friend of Fishes Award for representing vertebrates: Eric “Flying Fish!” Lewallen
- CSI Award for promoting crime scenes at sea: Tao “I didn’t do it!” Huang
- Mighty Hunter Award for foram finding: Edwin “el Cazador” Cruz-Rivera
- Angel of Death Award for most microbe kills aboard: Mary “methylmercury” Lardie Gaylord
- Next Generation Award for youth and vigor: Alexa “Cruise Baby” Crossen
- Marlinspike Award for creative ropework: Max “It’s a life preserver!” Christopher
- Golden Blanket Award for horizontal recovery time: Chao “I’m OK, really1” Guan
- Golden Bucket Award for marathon mal de mer: Onji “Kinda Dehydrated” Scott-Price
- Probably a Spy Award for unexpected photos: Rosy “covert surveillance” Padilla
- Loch Ness Award for imaginary animal sightings: Becky “I saw what I saw!” MacKay
To cap it off, we reveled in the irreverent hilarity of Cards Against Humanity—a fitting end to an utterly glorious day.
Tao Huang
