The Argonaut team made life exciting. |
JASON Boot Camp has been a great adventure! I have been to many conferences, training sessions, and even academic summer camps. However, none can compare to the many experiences I have enjoyed in the last six days. Where else can you interact with real research scientists, swim in a quarry, be involved in a video teleconference, spend the day on a research vessel on Lake Michigan, enjoy many great meals, and eat custard …all in one week? Did I mention the great Student Argonauts?
Our JASON Argonaut Field Director, Jude Kesl, picked me up at the airport, and to my surprise, immediately asks if I am hungry. Needless to say, I liked her right off the bat. Jude asked me what I wanted to eat, and I quickly responded "seafood." Somehow we wound up at a Vietnamese restaurant, which I was told had good seafood. It all sounded good to me, and we both enjoyed our respective meals. I had seafood with a kick and cooked in a clay pot to boot…did I say I like this lady? Imagine my surprise when I looked at the schedule and found Vietnamese was already on the menu. JASON really takes care of their Argonauts. However, this is to be expected. The JASON experience not only serves to enrich your mind with science, but also to make you feel at home by making sure everyone is both comfortable and well fed.
Water plays an important part in the weather. |
To helpeveryone get to know each other, one of our first activities was a game of Frisbee Football. It quickly became apparent these students were up for the challenge. When Cameron scored the first touchdown, he exclaimed, “I’m an all-American baby,” and this set the tone for a whole host of nick names and entertainment throughout the week. However, do not let the kidding around fool you; these Argonauts know how to work together. In fact, each Student Argonaut took it upon him or herself to make sure everyone was involved in all activities. Being a competitive person, I was happy to see so many Student Argonauts who shared my passion to do better. Cindy, our activities coordinator, challenged us to keep a blow-up ball in the air for as long as possible. Our first game ended with the ball being in the air about 10 seconds. However, the Student Argonauts quickly raised the bar, and when all was said and done, we managed to keep the ball in the air for almost 30 seconds. This scene played itself out over and over during the week. Any activity we participated in found the Student Argonauts setting their goals higher and higher.
One of my favorite days during the week involved snorkeling in a quarry. To get everyone in the team spirit, we started off with a race from the beach to one side of the quarry and back. Teams were made up of three students in wetsuits, in contact at all times, swimming like mad. My team won, and it wasn’t due to luck. These students planned, practiced, and executed the perfect race. We put two Argonauts in front while Ellen and I held their legs and paddled, kicked, and pushed our way to the finish line. Although snorkeling was the most enjoyable activity, the funniest was definitely getting in and out of the wetsuits. Dawn, a fellow Teacher Argonaut, and I spent a good five minutes pulling on both ends to extract Matthew from his wetsuit (what a picture moment). To top off a magical day at the quarry, we had dinner at a drive-in, and it could not have been better. The kids enjoyed the excitement of having food shuttled out to our picnic table and their custard dessert under a beautiful blue sky.
I have come away from JASON Boot Camp with many first time experiences and great adventures. I expect my JASON Field Assignment will be no less thrilling and no less challenging. Did I mention the custard?