Saturday, June 23
Our formal work as Teacher Argonauts began at the UW-Milwaukee Continuing Education Center, located on Plankton Avenue in downtown Milwaukee. We had an opportunity to look over the abiotic tests that we would go through with the student. We dined at a restaurant where we performed activities to get to know one-another. I particularly enjoyed the activity where we had to rescue endangered pearls from an ocean. They were located in a toxic area! We removed them with a series of ropes tied to a tire tube, all the while working as a team to accomplish the goal. We were successful!

Sunday, June 24
We had a long day at Mitchell International Airport. Today we got to meet the Student Argonauts for the first time! At dinner, Caleb Schutz, President of JASON, spoke to us about the awesome responsibility we had. He stated that JASON scientists are well-rounded, team-oriented, passionate people. He spoke of how science involved the team. We Argonauts did more team building things with trainers after supper. After settling in at the dorms, we got to sleep at about 10:30 PM. What a first day with the Argos!

Monday, June 25
Following breakfast, we traveled to the downtown UWM Center. After settling on a hypothesis, we divided into three teams of Argonauts for the day's activities. Allison, Derek, Austin, and I formed one of the three groups for the day. We traveled to Greenfield Park in Milwaukee where we did water testing at various stations the groups set up. The Argonauts got a chance to use the same sampling equipment that other teachers would later use with their students while working with Operation: Resilient Planet. The station I was responsible for conducting turbidity and water current testing.

Biotic and abiotic data was collected while on site. By the time the last group came to my station, the students' brains were pretty fried! We had dinner at the Safe House located in downtown Milwaukee. We were supposed to use clues to find the restaurant. I'm sorry to have to report in that our group "cheated" on finding clues to get to the Safe House where we ate that night. Allison used the map in a Grand Avenue Mall brochure that contained the location of the restaurant. Once inside, I was impressed by the types of famous people that visited the Safe House. Among the famous people were Mark Hamill of Star Wars' fame, Robert Moore (the original James Bond), as well as have actual signs that used to be located on the borders between East and West Germany during World War II and beyond. The Student Argonauts enjoyed themselves in a telephone booth that opened to reveal a hidden downstairs area. The food was delicious!

Tuesday, June 26

Today we got to go canoeing on the Milwaukee River!

We were sized up for fins and life jackets. After a brief explanation of what we would do, we took off. There were three sites we visited on the way down the river. My crewmate in the canoe, Lewis, did most of the front work in the canoe while I was in the back. The other boat crew in my group that day, Austin and Allison, raced a number of times. I think it was a draw!

Early in the evening at Discovery World in Milwaukee we toured the new Reiman Aquarium, with Michael Cudahy, donor of funds for the aquarium, and the President of Discovery World Board of Directors. I can't wait to take my fourth grader at David's Star Lutheran School in Jackson, Wisconsin to see this wonderful representation of the aquatic environment of Lake Michigan! Camera crews have been working with us to speak slowly and clearly. When we're being filmed, researchers ask us questions and we have to wait before the crew comes over by us with their equipment before we could answer the question on-camera.

That same evening we attended a good portion of a Milwaukee Brewers/Houston Astros baseball game at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Brittney and Allison, Texans by birth, enjoyed the score of Houston leading 4-2 when we left. We were all quite surprised to hear that the Brewers had taken an 11-4 lead in the game during the time we left the park and were headed back to our dorms!

Wednesday, June 26

I learned how to snorkel and breathe under water today at a quarry near Watertown, Wisconsin!

The Argonauts enjoyed my difficulty in getting a diving mask to seal properly with the moustache I have. I had to put on cherry-colored lip balm to make the mask seal better. They called me "Moustache Randy!" We collected water samples and had ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) submarine races through hula-hoops. It was fun to work with my snorkeling partner, Ada. I got splashed several times by Derek when he went under.

In the evening we enjoyed hearing about the mission to study zebra mussels. We're getting better at on-camera work! We need to focus on the speaker rather than on the film crew. One member of the camera crew reminded me of a lobster because he was so sun burnt!

Thursday, June 27
We finally went out on Lake Michigan! I was part of one group that was able to use side-scanning sonar on the boat, Len-Der, to study the lake bottom. All of our team members had a chance to drive the boat. I was really scared when Jerry, the captain, let me leave the harbor and take the boat into Schooner Harbor near Discovery World! After we returned to the Great Lakes WATER Institute we had a chance to speak with the researchers about what we saw.

Friday, June 28
Today at the Great Lakes WATER Institute we analyzed the data in the labs. Dr. Cuhel explained the carbon dioxide cycle. He did say earlier in the week his presentation and the evaluation of the data would be similar to what a college class is like. Boy, was he right! I did understand the concepts he was trying to bring across though.

Saturday, June 30
This is our last day before going home tomorrow. We spent most of the time in the lab working on team journals, scientific journals, and personal journals. As you can see through the brevity of these last entries, there is a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time. I've had a wonderful experience this week and have enjoyed learning about zebra mussels. We learned from Dr. Cuhel that we have a surprise invasive species in Lake Michigan, the quagga mussel! His final presentation to us reminded us of the importance to take care of water we have on the Earth. In the evening all the Teacher and Student Argonauts received their certificates declaring us full-fledged JASON Argonauts! We were presented with our mission to be accomplished later in the year. I was shocked to find out that my crew, consisting of Allison, Austin, Derek, and me were chosen to study whales with Dr. Leila Hatch, at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, near Boston, Massachusetts. Another group was chosen to study with Sylvia Earle on Chesapeake Bay, and another group would study in the Gulf of Mexico with none other than Bob Ballard! What an exciting time all of us would have!

All the Teacher and Student Argonauts met one last time for a party. We exchanged and traded gifts with each other. I wound up with a Washington Redskins' shirt from Derek, who lives near Baltimore.

Sunday, July 1
It was a sad time at Mitchell International Airport this morning saying good-bye to everyone. I'm looking forward to working with my Stellwagen Bank crew! I've most enjoyed working with the students this week and have developed life-long relationships. Please enjoy what you see at other parts of this website to learn more about what we learned this week. There are so many people I would like to thank that I would forget someone. Thanks goes to all the National Geographic and JASON people for all I've done and learned!

I look forward to seeing our group's work on the JASON Mission Center!