Lauren Groskaufmanis is an out-of-the-box thinker who is naturally curious about everything!
Lauren has gone on 5 JASON expeditions, 4 via technology and of course on in person this year for Monster Storms. Already, her favorite JASON before Monster Storms was the Frozen World of Alaska. She says that her experience with JASON altered her perception of that spectacular and wonderful part of our country forever.
Lauren's favorite class is biology and she especially likes it when living things change how people live in the world. One particular favorite to study is a snail called Conus Victoria, and it really drives home this point for Lauren. The snail captures its prey and uses its venom to relax the prey’s muscles. But this venom is also useful for those suffering from diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and epilepsy. You may have guessed it, but Lauren is also interestedin the study of medicine as well. It seems a natural fit that Lauren was assigned to be part of the Miami hurricane team and where she learned about hurricane recovery.
In her own words:
On her Monster Storms Experience:I’m really excited about all the possibilities of being an Argonaut, and I don’t want Boot Camp or the mission to NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic Meteorological Laboratory in Miami to end! Working with the host researchers helped me change my views on meteorology, which was a subject I was never interested in before. Now, even if I don’t become a meteorologist, I’m definitely going to take some classes on the subject and follow the weather more closely, especially hurricanes.
Thoughts on Hurricane Camille
Why is this important information to collect? Let’s look back at the Galveston storm for clues. Camille’s rainfall fell with such ferocity it was said to have filled the overhead nostrils of birds and drowned them from trees. “Under ordinary circumstances the process of rain production depletes clouds. The 'sink rate' or the rate at which water leaves a cloud exceeds the supply of moisture arriving from the air/sea below causing clouds to dissipate like ghosts returning to the afterworld. But hurricanes defeat this cycle. They use the wind to harvest moisture and deliver it to their centers.” So it’s important to see what the wind is doing.
On a Boat on Lake Michigan
Perfect weather made Thursday a great day to be on a boat. It was beautiful, sunny, warm and breezy. It was the first time I had been on a boat on one of the Great Lakes. I couldn’t believe how big the lake was–it looked just like an ocean.
Thoughts on Butter Burgers
We went to a lot of restaurants. One night we went to dinner and had something that you will only find in Milwaukee: a butter burger or a burger with a pat of butter on top.
On Being an Argonauts
I came to this experience not knowing very much at all, but this experience has expanded my knowledge exponentially. We covered everything from cold fronts to cyclones to the jet stream to the Edmond Fitzgerald. This week has been sucyh a fantastic mix of meeting people, making friends, and learning.