NOAA Teacher at Sea
Sue Zupko
(soon to be) Aboard NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow
September 7-19, 2014
Mission: Autumn Bottom Trawl Survey Leg I
Geographical area of cruise: Cape May, NJ to Cape Hatteras, NC
Date: September 4, 2014
Personal Log
I am a teacher of the Gifted and Talented at Weatherly Heights Elementary School in Huntsville, AL. I am so very humbled by the opportunity I have been given to conduct research aboard the Henry B. Bigelow with NOAA scientists. This is my second NOAA cruise. I studied deep-water corals aboard the Pisces in 2011 and thought it was my only chance to do something like that. They told me if I did all my homework, and did all my projects well, that good things would come my way. I say that to my students and this is an example of why one should do one’s homework and try hard. You’d better believe that I did my best. I love to learn so a NOAA research cruise and projects with my students are a perfect fit.
In preparing for my first entry I asked my students for advice on what to include. They insisted that I include a “shout out” to them and tell how fabulous our school is.
Here are a few highlights. Weatherly has been recycling aluminum cans to help pay for our outdoor classroom since 1998 when I helped write a grant to get a trailer to collect cans and take them to the recycling center. We have made thousands of dollars through the years and have an Alabama Certified Outdoor Classroom now. Students, parents, faculty, and community volunteers help with it and enjoy learning there. We have raised Monarch butterfly larvae, viewed Ladybug larvae under a microscope from the Tulip Poplar tree, grown melons, touched plants in the sensory garden, and myriad other activities.
We piloted a recycling program for our district. Every classroom has a bin to collect clean paper and plastic. It is collected weekly and tons of items have been recycled as a result.
We participate in a plastic bottle cap recycling program. This is an annual contest city-wide and Weatherly counts and recycles thousands of caps to be made into paint buckets rather than taking up room in the landfill. For many years we recycled phone books and were one of the top three recyclers.
In addition to helping the environment, we are a No Place for Hate school. We also study about the ocean. A lot. I am the faculty advisor for our morning announcements. Our quotes of the week this year are about the ocean and we highlight an ocean literacy principle every day. We now know that marine biologist Sylvia Earle pointed out that “With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you’re connected to the sea. No matter where on Earth you live. Most of the oxygen in the atmosphere is generated by the sea.”
On my upcoming voyage with NOAA, I will launch two drifters. In order to be selected for this drifter project, a teacher must have an international partner to share lessons with to learn about the ocean. After an extensive search I found the perfect match. Sarah Hills at the TED Istanbul College teaches English. Her students will be studying map reading starting in September when they return to school. We have already decided that our students will plot the course of the drifters and hypothesize where they will be at specific times based on the ocean currents and winds which will carry them.
These drifters measure ocean salinity, surface water temperature, velocities (speeds) of the current, and air pressure and are important for understanding more about our weather and the ocean. I can’t wait to get our students communicating. Weatherly’s school theme is “A Village of Learners and Leaders.” Outside my classroom on the bulletin board are some wonderful items from Turkey provided by Mrs. Hills and it says, “A Global Village of Learners and Leaders.” In preparation for tracking our drifters, we are currently tracking former hurricanes and researching how the ocean changes our planet. On their exit ticket today, my 5th graders commented that they liked tracking the hurricanes since they will use the same technique to track my journey and the drifters.
I am so excited. I have spoken with the Chief Scientist, John Galbraith, and understand that I will be working side-by-side with scientists on this fisheries cruise. We will drop a trawl net behind our 209 foot long ship and catch marine creatures. Our job will be to sort the fish (and other marine animals) and learn more about them using measurements and other means such as dissection. Computers play a role in our study and my first assignment will be to collect data in the computer. Wonder what program I will use, and is it similar to Excel which we use a lot?
I asked my fourth graders if they thought I might see a whale. They all responded yes in that group. What do you think?
Teachers at Sea need to be flexible, have fortitude, and follow orders. Let me explain. Right now I am waiting to see if my ship will even sail. The engineers have found a problem and are working to make the ship seaworthy for our voyage. Already our cruise date has changed twice. I must be flexible and be ready to leave on a moment’s notice. There are always some changes, it seems, when dealing with the ocean. On my last cruise a tropical depression (storm) formed over us and we couldn’t begin our research for an extra day.
Sailing is not for the faint of heart. I must be able to work long hours in uncomfortable conditions (they say this is having fortitude). They do supply my “foul weather” gear. Wonder if I will smell like fish at the end of my shift.
One handy piece of equipment I will take is ear plugs. The engines are loud and that helps when it is time to sleep. My shift will be either from midnight to noon or noon to midnight. That’s a long time to work. If we have a good catch, we will be working a lot. That is good for weight loss, as long as I don’t overdo with the fabulous food prepared by the stewards (cooks) in the galley (kitchen).
I was in the U.S. Army years ago and learned to follow orders, the third of the 3Fs. There are NOAA officers whose orders I must follow for my safety and the safety of the other scientists. I also must follow the orders of the NOAA Teacher at Sea directors and my chief scientist. Add to that my principal and superintendent in my district. That’s a lot of bosses giving orders.
Lastly, my students requested that I tell everyone our school motto. “We are Weatherly Heights and we…GO THE EXTRA MILE.” Well, pretty soon I can say, “We are the crew and scientists aboard the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow and we…GO THE EXTRA NAUTICAL MILE.” Can’t wait to see what treasures we will uncover in the ocean.
hi
I am so very touched by this article! I miss you already.
– Sarah Brockway
Wow, that’s so cool!
Dear, Mrs. Zupko, I think you will see a whale. Hope you have a fun and safe trip. – Ashley
You might see a whale, but it depends on where the ship travels, because whales follow certain cycles each year
Dear Mrs. Zupko,
I hope your trip is staggering. We are having a great time back at Weatherly. But, it still isn’t the same without you.
Sarah B.
Dear Mrs. Zupko, I miss you so much and I love you article. I can’t wait to see you when you come back.
-Emilia
Hi Mrs.Zupko I miss you very much. It is not the same without you. On Friday the 5 we screamed roll tide and war eagle. we are working very hard. When we were playing a math review game I was Vanna White. and remember we are Weatherly heights elementary and we….. GO THE EXTRA MILE!!!!!! or in your case we…..GO THE EXTRA NAUTICAL MILE!!!!!!!!!
Your blog is full of interesting information about what you will be doing while on the ship. I will keep in touch, hope the ship is fixed and you’re ready to sail !!!
We have set sail, but just for testing. Should be underway Tuesday morning and fishing by that night.
I can’t what to see what happened to our cups. By the way what have you seen any dolphins of sharks?
I haven’t sat outside too much so haven’t seen any sea creatures. We are going pretty quickly right now. I had to write my blog. Will send it to the Captain, the chief scientist, and the NOAA Teacher at Sea people for approval. They will double check my work.
That article was amazing! I never knew how hard it was to be a sailor! Good luck!
-Jenna R. third grade
Great comment. It does take fortitude and flexibility, but the rewards are fabulous!
hi how are you doing have you seen any cool fish? sorry your ship broke. Nathan Grade 3
Well, Nathan, it didn’t really break. It just needed to be more efficient. As with anything when dealing with salt water, it is possible to have things wear out faster or not work as well as needed. We have been out sailing. Have a couple of things to look after and we should start steaming toward our first fishing spot by 10 am tomorrow. It will be another 10-12 hours steaming to get there. When would we start fishing?
Dear, Mrs. Zupko I was just wondering how you got a shark on, how big it was it was.
p.s. I hope you see a whale. good luck
We haven’t started fishing yet. Maybe tomorrow night or Wednesday. I will let you know what I see. Think sharks!
Zane S. 3rd grade
Have you put the cups in the sea?
Keep reading my blog to see what happens. Check back once a day.
I hope that you will find some interesting creatures and not get sea-sick
Noah M. 3rd grade
Mrs. Zupko– did the cups cum back up?
Sterling B
We have not sunk the cups yet. Will let you know when it happens, what happened.
ChristianN.3 grade-did the cups shrink?#Awesome
Have you caught any fish? Those fish are so scared they’re probably GOING THE EXTRA MILE!!!!! Yeah! Great time! Whooo hooo!
We Love You!
Thank you for the interesting blog……!
Bon voyage!
Will you be sharing video footage of the dissection? One of my students would love to see what you learn while studying creatures of the sea. What an awesome opportunity you have!
cool
It is a fact that that this school could not prosper without YOU!!!!!
SEE YOU SOON!!!
Well, Luke, you are too kind. Going on this adventure is to benefit you and the entire school. I hope everyone enjoys reading about what we find. It is important research.
Have you seen any unusual fish or sea live
When we get farther south off the Outer Banks of NC we should see some unusual things.
have you seen a shark?
It seems as if everyone wants to know if I’ve seen a shark. What kind do you want me to see?
Have you seen any sharks or big fish?
Dani K.
4th Grade
The scientists tell me we will see a lot of sharks. Remember, a healthy ocean has an abundance of sharks.
Have you seen any interesting animals yet?
Thea S. 4th grade
Just birds. We are moving pretty quickly. Trust me. Will see a lot of animals in the next day or two.
Hi miss Zupko what did you see what do you do and most importantly WHERE ARE YOU.
We left Newport, RI and are out at sea heading down the coast. Right now I’m guessing we are off New York.
what food do you eat!
The stewards have made some delicious meals. We have a buffet and they post a menu for each meal. Of course, seafood is my top choice. Today was baked or fried haddock. We have had salmon and shrimp and scallop curry. There is so much to choose from I can’t list it all. Corned beef and roast chicken last night was transformed into corned beef hash and roast chicken and corn soup today. There is always a salad/fruit bar. They have ice cream in a cooler. Desserts are either cookies, brownies, cheese cake, etc. One dessert a day. It is set out at lunch and is usually gone by the end of the day. People run in during a break and get a snack. I could write a book just about the food and it’s only been three days. So, I’m not starving. The chief steward made me a fabulous omelet this morning with spinach, mushrooms, and onions. Yum!
Have you seen any dolphins or sharks? Is it cold?
Madeline W. 4th Grade
The animals I’ve seen are mostly gulls, cormorants, geese, and terns. As to the weather, it has been a nice temperature. Inside it is much colder than outside, normally. I do dress in layers. Thank goodness I have my Weatherly Heights Elementary sweatshirt with me. Have even used the hood. We have had temperatures inside and out up to 90 degrees F and down to my room’s temperature after lunch (what is that, frigid?). So, layers are the best form of dress.
Only birds so far. The weather has been varied. Glad I brought my Weatherly Heights sweatshirt. Have used my hood inside and outside. It’s usually freezing inside, like my classroom, and at other times it’s humid, like my classroom. The farther south we go, the more I won’t need it outside and the more I’ll need it inside.
Have you seen any puffer fish?
We don’t fish for about a day. It takes awhile to get there. I am not sure what we will see, although I’m assured that this leg has some cool things we will find.
Not yet, but they assured me we would see some interesting creatures.
Have you set sell yet?
Sterling B
We went out for a test run on our equipment and now are “steaming” to our fishing spot. We will be running overnight and start tomorrow. Thanks for the post.
We set sail this morning.
Have you seen any of the animals on our list??
Elena a. Mrs. Zupko I love your blog, I don’t have any questions.
remember to tell us what will happen to our cups!
I love your blog!
I am excited to know how your cruise went when it is over and what happened to our cups.
Rachel W.
4th grade
We will use a lot of the information from my cruise in class. Thanks for the kind words about my blog.
Have you seen any neat fish yet?
Yeah the temperature does sound like your room. And have you see any fish or dropped the cups yet if you have sorry I just haven’t been on for a couple days.
Abigail C.
3rd grade
Cups haven’t gone down yet. Lots of interesting critters. Next blog has lots of pictures.
Have you seen any coll fish yet? by the way has your ship been fixed?
Have you seen a shark?Maybe you seen one! I can’t wait for you to tell us!
Do you see lots sea plants?????
Eugene p
4th
To be honest, the only plants are the Sargasso which floats on top. Other than that it is mostly animals. Lots of fish, squid, crabs, skates, and stingrays.
Are you having fun?
What kind of sea animals or plants have you seen?
Dani K.
4th Grade
Having a great time. It is a lot of work, but so worth it. Am learning an amazing amount of things to share.
Absolutely. There are so many animals. We don’t see many plants at all. Just Sargasso. Why not look that up and comment about what you learn? Thanks for the questions.
This will be rare………..but if you see a colossal squid don’t get me wrong it will be rare if you see one tell us O.K.?
If we see one it will be in the news worldwide. You bet I’d tell you. Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni is its scientific name. Perhaps you should do research on it since you are so interested. How big is it? What does it eat (don’t say “whatever it wants”) 🙂 I have to identify all the animals we catch that I post on the blogs. It is fascinating.
Dear Mrs.Zupko, the challenge I think it is a manta ray’s eye. I also want to ask you if you dropped our cups in the ocean yet?
Sure did drop them. New post coming out in a couple of days.