C-IMAGE Chief Scientist Leslie Schwierzke-Wade talking with 3rd graders at Jamerson Elementary in Florida during a Skype ship to shore video-conference (also pictured, Scientists Heather Broadbent and Teresa Greely)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have had many visitors from shore join us at sea via Skype video events. Thank you to all the students, teachers and scientists for your participation this week. It has been exciting and important to share with everyone on shore about our research this cruise, which focuses on the lower end of the food web in the northern Gulf of Mexico’s water column. Our first students aboard were from Mr. Holby’s class at Lake Region High School in Polk County. We hope your chemistry students enjoyed the experience during their C-IMAGE voyage. Thank you for sharing this summary, “They all got a kick out of us trying to Skype; I think just the fact we were using it and speaking to someone, so far away really hit home that it is a useful tool for “real” work and not just socializing! “

Science Technician, Andrew Warren sharing with students during a Skype visit how the on-board CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) instrument package works

 

We send a shout out to students in Pinellas County, Florida at Guardian Angels Catholic School and Clearwater Intermediate School. A wave of thanks goes to Mrs. Deeley and Mr. Reese for helping to coordinate the Skype events for their students. Mrs. Deeley shared that her students, “…enjoyed seeing the sediment core sampling, plankton nets, the filtering station for Carbon-Hydrogen-Nitrogen, and learning about what the water column is showing us about marine life.” Mr. Reese’s Oceanography Club liked seeing the types of instrumentation and technology aboard the vessel. Sixth graders from Mrs. Watson’s class at Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences joined us just in time to see the sediment cores being retrieved from the ocean floor. She appreciated the opportunity for her students to see scientists in action.

CTD data output during collection of seawater at depth during C-IMAGE May 2013 cruise

 

Our final visit this week was from all the 3rd graders at Jamerson Elementary School. Ninety students came aboard in time to see the bongo nets retrieved and the plankton collected. Students toured the vessel, met the chief scientist Leslie Schwierzke-Wade, chemist Nikolaus Finke, then visited Andrew Warren the science technician on board, then to the bridge with to talk with Captain Brendon ‘Boomer’ Baumeister. So far this week, about 370 students have virtually sailed with us over the past four days.

 

Weatherbird II Captain Brendon "Boomer" Baumeister on the Bridge explaining to students during a Skype event about how the research vessel is operated and about how he became a captain.