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Teacher
Logbook:
Thursday August 3, 2000
Mary
Beth's Observations
This is it. Our final entry for the NEMO web site. What words can describe
the experience of being at sea for 16 days? One small entry cannot express
all I have learned and experienced. Stepping aboard NOAA Ship Ronald H.
Brown on July 19, 2000 in Victoria, British Columbia seems like weeks
ago. I didn't understand what CTD stood for and I certainly didn't know
how it worked. I didn't know the difference between a tow, a cast or a
mooring. I didn't know the difference between a MAPR, a current meter
or an osmo-sampler. Sixteen days later I have learned enough to fill volumes.
I have learned how chemists, oceanographers and biologists work together
to understand what is happening deep at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
I have also learned what it is like to live on the ocean. I have learned
how to walk and sleep with the rising and falling of the ocean. I have
seen beautiful sunsets and have seen nothing in the middle of a dense
fog. There are no words to justly describe this experience.
Thank you to the officers
and crew of NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown. Thank you to the science team on
Leg 3 of the VENTS cruise. You patience and willingness to explain has
not gone unnoticed. I can only hope another teacher will look at our cruise
calendar and wish to bring this experience to their students. Being a
Teacher-At-Sea has opened the doors of learning for myself as well as
my students at Franklin High School. Thank you to everyone who made this
cruise possible.
Mary Beth
Carol's Observations:
I can't believe it. It seemed as if we had so many days left at sea and
suddenly we're conducting the final tow along the bottom. No zigzag tow-yo
this time, just a steady traverse along the bottom. As I look out over
the Pacific I am reluctant to have the cruise end. The seas have been
gentle and the winds fair. The perfect weather for conducting casts and
tows.
As a Teacher-At-Sea, I
arrived with high expectations of increasing my knowledge of plumes, active
vents, seamounts, spreading plates and how scientists research the unknown.
I wanted to absorb the process as much as possible so I could take my
lessons beyond the high school textbook. Before the cruise I was concerned
that I would feel like such an outsider and my scientific questions would
go unanswered. How wrong I was. The scientists took the time to explain
complex science concepts in simple terms. The team of officers, crew and
scientists on NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown put in long hours and a tremendous
effort to complete the sixteen tows and thirty-nine casts in twelve days.
Even when exhausted by lack of sleep, they took the time to answer questions
and clarify the explanations with diagrams. There were discussions late
at night to develop student lessons that emphasize the skills scientists
need for conducting research. The enthusiasm for scientific discovery
pervades everything that is done on the ship. I watched as individuals
worked as a team to meet the various scientific needs.
Leg 3 of the VENTS cruise
has already impacted the way I will teach Oceanography to my high school
students. I have a better concept of what it takes to conduct research
at sea. One shouldn't underestimate the planning and patience it takes
to have a successful cruise such as this.
Captain Parsons, the officers
and crew always welcomed me on the bridge. This is my first time on a
large ship. I had so many questions. They carefully explained the ships'
computer systems and weather maps. I frequently checked on present weather
conditions with them to improve my own skills. My experience as a Teacher-At-Sea
is one that I will share with my students for many years to come.
Carol
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