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I can affirm that I most definitely was right about learning and experiencing things I would never have, unless enabled by STEMSEAS. I now have skills in my pack that I hope to get to expand on in the near future and have them be a tad geared towards my interests in biochemistry. We have had the opportunity to learn of facets ranging literally from the sea to the sky; thanks to our amazing mentors and their individual research areas.
Today – the fourth day- was filled with variety and seemed to be quite erratic (in a good way). We cored so many times that it was hard to keep track, using both multi cores and gravity cores. What was different about today was that the marine techs on board allowed a few students to help out with taglinning! They were really intentional in their attempt to teach us their skills and were incredibly accommodating of our pestering. They even mentioned that we were the best taglinners they had ever had on deck. For those of us not keen on the physicality of taglinning, we were taught the skills of signaling to the chief engineer, helping him steer the cores to and from the water.
Being engaged in the technical aspect of the science, has made me appreciate the various facets that enable the research we do in labs. It’s most definitely a butterfly effect, and we couldn’t do one without the other. We were coring in the Chesapeake Bay, and the sediments were much more clayey compared to the samples we collected from previous sites. Peering through our portable resources – a dissecting scope – we observed the sediment and identified a few Forams in it! Our chief scientist taught us how he would use the presence of these Forams to determine the age of the sediment, along with its minerality and possibly the trajectory it has followed geographically.
Apart from the science, the new friends I’ve made are really good company for an expedition. They made adjusting to the dramatic sea a breeze. They are smart, funny, and very silly – everything you would want from a group of friends. Be it singing, playing board games, stargazing, sunbathing or even meals, we’ve been able to infuse our hilarious selves into all of these activities. This might be a cliché, but I really hope that we don’t lose touch. We’re already planning our reunion(s) because we’re sad about parting ways.
I am really grateful to the entire team at STEMSEAS for providing us with this opportunity and making a deliberate attempt to reach out to people with little to no resources. I am looking forward to the few but impactful days ahead of us!
