NOAA Teacher at Sea
Elli Simonen (she/her)
Aboard NOAA Ship Fairweather
July 10, 2023 – July 28, 2023
Mission: Hydrographic Survey of the Pribilof Islands
Geographic Area of Cruise: Pribilof Islands, Alaska
Location (In Port): 57⁰43.8384’N, 152⁰30.8319’W
Date: July 12, 2023
Hi Everyone, my name is Elli and this week, I arrived in Kodiak, Alaska and right now I am aboard NOAA Ship Fairweather. This is my first time in Alaska as well as my first time being on a scientific research ship. I teach high school Mathematics, specifically Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and AP Calculus at Special Music School, a public school located in New York City. I also instruct two classes at the College and Graduate level as an adjunct lecturer at City College and Hunter College. My high school students are musically gifted and many go onto Music Conservatory Education. I am constantly in awe of their talent, grit and perseverance in pursuit of becoming better musicians. My students at the college and graduate levels are all learning how to be educators in the New York City school system. Their sense of purpose, commitment and openness to new ideas is inspiring.
Elli aboard NOAA Ship Fairweather
I am a Math for America (MfA) Master Teacher and first heard of the NOAA Teacher at Sea Program (TAS) in 2019 through MfA – I researched the TAS program, and thought this is something I definitely want to do, and applied. I was accepted in the 2020 cohort, but because of COVID was rolled over to 2023 so here I am, three and a half years later embarking on a hydrographic survey of the Pribilof Islands.
I have been teaching math for 20 years and at various points have had experiences learning about the oceans and marine life. I started my career as a Peace Corps Volunteer and lived in Zanzibar, Tanzania for 2 years. In addition to teaching math, I was able to take students to study the coral reefs that surround the island through the Chumbe Environmental Education Program. They snorkeled, learned about coral and how to preserve and protect this environment. I also like to scuba dive and have completed over 90 dives at various places around the world– learning not only about shoreline habitat at each diving spot I visited, but how different facets of the ocean interact. In 2019, I was awarded a Fund for Teachers Grant where I traveled to Australia, scuba dived and learned first hand about the Great Barrier Reef. And now, I’m still on a journey to learn more about the world’s oceans and marine environments, this time with NOAA in the waters around Alaska.
Elli scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
So, what is a hydrographic survey you might ask? And where are the Pribilof Islands? The Pribilof Islands are four volcanic islands about 300 miles west of mainland Alaska in the south Bering Sea and about 250 miles north of the Aleutian Islands; the two largest islands are Saint Paul and Saint George. A Hydrographic survey uses sonar data to interpret the ocean floor and coastlines which then is used to produce Nautical charts. The Pribilof Islands Hydrographic Survey will map the ocean floor and surrounding coastline to provide updated accurate charts of this area. The Pribilof Islands have not been mapped since the 1950’s.
I will be onboard NOAA Ship Fairweather. The ship embarks in Kodiak, Alaska and disembarks in Dutch Harbor, Unalaska, Alaska. I am very much looking forward to spending time with the Science team on NOAA Ship Fairweather and learning about what everyone does on a NOAA ship. I plan on taking this information back with me to New York City and bringing this real-world research experience into my classroom.
NOAA Ship Fairweather
Did you know?
- NOAA has three different types of Scientific research ships: Hydrographic surveys, Fisheries survey and Oceanographic research
- Since 1990, the TAS program has sailed more than 850 teachers aboard their ships. Teachers have come from every state and 4 territories. (For any fellow teachers reading this, TAS has cohorts every year and applications are due in the Fall.)
- Each summer more than a million northern fur seals arrive at the Pribilof Islands to breed and raise their young, representing the largest gathering of sea mammals in the world. (https://www.travelalaska.com/Destinations/Cities-Towns/Pribilof-Islands)
- About 230 fishing vessels take shelter on the southwest shore of St. George during Crabbing Season.
