Monday
It's hard to describe the thrill I felt at being selected as a JASON Argonaut, but I did have a preview, since my son, Lee, actually had been a Student Argonaut to Panama for Rainforests at the Crossroads four years ago. We both share a passion for environmental science, and like his experience, this for me is hands-down one of the very best I could imagine.
Back then, Lee spoke to students at many schools before and after his Argo experience. A young girl at my school became so intrigued by his descriptions and pictures that she asked me to advise her on the process of applying. It was the beginning of a wonderful friendship, and two years later Jing Fan became a Student Argonaut on Monster Storms, studying tornadoes with Tim Samaras in Colorado. I can't wait to talk with her to compare our experiences at JASON boot camp. It has been and will be life transforming for us both, I have no doubt.
It was great to start meeting and working with our new Student Argonauts, all of whom are supercharged, ready to go! We all met at the airport yesterday, playing cards and telling stories, waiting for the late arrivals, then got to work that evening with training. By the next morning, we were onsite, collecting critters, sampling water, learning about Milwaukee's ecosystems, and building the skills we would need for our missions.
Tuesday
Upside down under water is not where I expected to be during our investigations today! However, it turned out to be one of the most memorable parts, on a day of many firsts that included canoeing an urban river, paddling to sites for experiments, running rapids, portaging, and walking our craft over a mile of rocky, shallow river bottom. Derek and I had our canoe flip over in a small waterfall. Actually, it was great. We drifted with the current probably 50 feet and didn't lose anything. He was a terrific canoeing partner, strong and completely undaunted by the challenges. He was as superb at finding critters as he was gracious in dealing with our many obstacles.
It is so much fun doing science this way: outdoors, testing our endurance, experiencing a great new environment, taking on new challenges, and making new friends. What a great way to learn!
Wednesday
I've snorkeled before, but not like this. With a snug fitting mask, a cooperative snorkel that I could entirely blow the water out of, and a "buoyancy" vest that meant I didn't sink like a rock, I was able to enjoy the clear water of the quarry with relative ease. That is, until my foot started cramping badly. John (of the dive shop) showed me how a buddy partner could bend my fin backwards to reduce the cramp. It came back though, forcing a frustrated retreat from the water for a time. I didn't want to miss a moment!
Later, with dive boots and better-fitting fins, I tried again, with success. I can't say that I mastered the dive with the grace and skill that Brittany and Allison did, but I was still proud to have dived 4-5 feet with a snorkel; that was definitely a first! With more practice, I think I could get good at it. In any case, the teal-colored, refreshing clean water, the flashes of fish, the naturally carved limestone escarpments all created an image that will remain with me forever. I want to try again, who knows, maybe someday in the coral reef.
Thursday
Today's investigations aboard the Neeskay reminded me vividly of my experience with Project Oceanology back in Connecticut in 2001, doing aquatic studies aboard their Envirolab, in the Thames River estuary off of Long Island Sound. That's where I first got my feet wet (so to speak) in sampling from a research vessel. At that time, we did pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, temperature, and salinity measurements at each of 12 stations in the river over the course of a week. Other tests included turbidity, using the SECCHI disk, invertebrate sampling using the Peterson Bottom Grab, and some others I can't now recall.
In our current JASON research, it was incredibly fascinating to me to see both the similarities and differences between that investigation in an estuary and this one in one of the freshwater Great Lakes. Some equipment was very similar, but I was especially interested in the ability of the equipment aboard the Neeskay to quickly graph the data directly from the sampling devices to the computer, making it instantly usable. It took me untold hours to do this by hand the last time I had tried! Now as then, lab work and research reports followed, but I enjoy that, too, as an opportunity to make sense of the data we collected and relate it to the bigger picture of what's happening to our aquatic planet.
I can't wait to take the next step and investigate the ocean environment in our next JASON mission.
Friday
I can't believe that boot camp is coming to a close so fast. JASON held a graduation ceremony for the Argonauts this afternoon, at which both teachers and students received their mission assignments. I felt like I couldn't breathe, waiting with anticipation. We'd had no clue up to this point. I felt a huge mixture of emotions: respect and admiration for all that the Student Argonauts had accomplished this week and their personal growth in the process, how close we all had become, how much fun we'd had, the thrill of wondering which of the world's famous research scientists we'd be working with, and imagining which part of this wide, wonderful world we'd be sent to.
JASON had spent the week watching our interactions, assessing our skills, and matching them with their mission requirements. Throughout it all, I wanted to freeze every moment, to savor all that each one had to offer. We had all become so close; it was hard to imagine parting with any of my newfound friends. I wanted to take all eleven of my teammates with me and couldn't imagine the prospect of maybe never seeing some of them again, yet as Dr. Ballard has said, "Life is the act of becoming; it's the journey that counts." I am eager and ready for us to continue growing in our perceptions, skills, and experiences and perhaps to accomplish things beyond our current imagination.
At graduation, I was thrilled beyond measure to be selected for the JASON mission in the Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary, studying the geology of the sea bottom and the life in the deep coral sea with none other than Dr. Bob Ballard. It was equally exciting to welcome the students who will join me on this expedition, Chirag, Brittany, and Conrad. What a journey it will be!