Kristy Weaver: Career Day at Sea, June 7, 2012 (After the Journey)

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Kristy Weaver
Aboard The R/V Savannah
May 23 – June 1, 2012

Mission: Reef Fish Survey
Location: Back in Jersey
Date: June 7, 2012

You can be anything you want to be when you grow up!  While I was on the R/V Savannah there were two main types of jobs that people were doing.  There were the scientists and the crew of the ship.  If you think you might like to be a biologist or work on a ship someday these videos may help you to learn more about these jobs.

I would like to introduce you to some of the new friends I made on the ship:

COLLEGE STUDENTS:

Meet Dan- Marine Biology College Student

SCIENTISTS:

Meet David- Fisheries Biologist with NOAA

Meet Warren- Fisheries Biologist with NOAA

 

Meet Zeb- Fisheries Biologist with NOAA

Meet Stephen- Wildlife Biologist with South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources

Meet Jennifer: Recent Graduate of The College of Charleston and new full time employee at South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources

CREW OF THE R/V SAVANNAH:

Meet Pete- The First Mate

Meet Captain Raymond

Meet John- Marine Tech

Kristy Weaver: What’s a Reef Fish Survey? May 30, 2012

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Kristy Weaver
Aboard The R/V Savannah
May 23 – June 1, 2012

Mission: Reef Fish Survey
Location: 44 miles off the coast of Jacksonville, FL
Date: May 30, 2012

Current Weather: 80 degrees and sunny

Science and Technology Log

Today is our last full day at sea.  We have caught about 2,000 fish in the past week!  A lot of them were thrown back into the water because we only need to keep a fraction of them for the reef fish survey.  The fish that we keep are studied by the scientists for a few reasons.

First, every fish we catch is measured and weighed.

David, a fisheries biologist, measures every fish that we catch

Then we have a sheet that tells us which fish we “keep” and which fish we “toss” back into the ocean.

Stephen writes down the length of every fish as David calls out the numbers
After Stephen writes down the length he uses this paper to tell David to keep the fish or toss it back into the ocean
Every fish that we keep gets its own ID number and envelope.

After it gets dark we stop fishing and go inside to the lab to collect information about the fish we caught that day.  Every single fish that we keep gets its own ID number, and gets weighed and measured again.  We write everything down.  These notes are data.

Here I am writing down the length and weight of each fish as Stephen weighs and measures them

When you make observations using your senses you are collecting data too!  Can you think of a time you collected data or made an observation like a scientist?

After we  record the length and weight I give Stephen the envelope and the other scientists come get the fish.

Passing Stephen the envelope for the fish he just measured and weighed
Scientists Jennifer and David take parts of the fish that they will study under a microscope later

Once all of the information is brought back to the scientists at the lab, they look at different parts of the fish using a microscope.  This will tell the scientists three main things…

1) Is the fish a male (boy) or a female (girl)?

2)How old is the fish?

And

3) Are these fish from all different families, or are they all related to each other?

Once the scientists answer these questions, they can decide if its okay for people to go fishing for certain types of fish, or if too many fish are being taken out of the ocean and need to be protected.  Right now fisheries are not allowed to take Red Snapper out of the Atlantic Ocean.  That fish is a very important part of our survey.

Special thanks to Captain Raymond and the crew and of the R/V Savannah and to Zeb, the chief scientist, and his team of scientists for a great experience!

Ok, I got him!  He was heavy!
This Red Snapper nearly knocked me over

Kristy Weaver: One Stormy Week, May 27, 2012

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Kristy Weaver
Aboard R/V Savannah
May 23 — June 1, 2012

Mission:  Reef Fish Survey
Location:  Off the Coast of Vero Beach, Florida
Date: May 27, 2012

Current Weather: 73 Degrees, Windy and Rainy

Hello from Sunny Florida!

Storm clouds off the coast of Vero Beach, FL

Actually let’s change that to, “Hello from mostly cloudy Florida!”

When we learned about weather in our science kit we talked about how the weather is always changing and how we have to do different things or dress differently because of the weather. I have really been thinking about this for the past few days.  I wanted this post to be about all of the science that I am doing on this trip, but the weather has taken over!

Storm clouds off the stern (back) of the boat
about 20 miles off Vero Beach, FL

We were doing a lot of fishing off the coast of Georgia and our plan was to stay there for a few more days.  We had to move because there was a storm that was headed right towards us.   It has not rained that much.  The problem is the wind.  The wind makes it dangerous to work on the boat and can make large waves.  If we stayed where we were there would have been waves about 5-10 feet high.  Some would have been even higher.

The arrow points to where our boat is on this map of Florida

This would have been too rough to work in so we headed south to the water off Daytona Beach, Florida.  After a while the water got rough there too so we headed even further south.  Right now we are about 30 miles off the coast of Vero Beach, Florida.

The wind is about 20-25 miles per hour.  (That would definitely be a “2” on our wind scale  if we used our flags today!) That is the speed limit that cars can drive on our school’s street!   The waves are about 6 feet tall right now, which is taller than I am.  The boat is rocking back and forth a lot.  This makes it hard to walk, but it’s also pretty funny because I need to hold onto the walls wherever I go!

The boat was rocking a lot today.
Sometimes I had to hold on while we waited to drop the traps.

We are done fishing for the day because the wind is getting stronger, but we will start again in the morning.  We are going to go closer to the shore where the waves will not be as big.  When we get there the captain will set the anchor.  The anchor will grab onto the ocean floor and hold us in one spot for the night.  We will head back out to sea in the morning when the storm passes.

Clouds off the stern of the R/V Savannah
Part of Tropical Storm Beryl

Weather also affected the way I packed.   About three weeks ago I was on the beach with my mom and I was so cold!  I was nervous that I was going to be freezing on the boat because I knew I would be working outside until midnight.  So before I left for my trip I bought a whole bunch of really warm clothes to take with me.  I haven’t needed any of it!  It is a little more chilly on the water than it is on land, but I still haven’t needed more than a sweatshirt and shorts to stay warm.   I checked the weather in New Jersey, and I checked the weather in Georgia, but I didn’t believe it!  I should have trusted those meteorologists!

I can’t wait to tell you everything I have learned from the scientists on the ship!  I also have some GREAT pictures of dolphins for you.  They were jumping out of the water and put on quite a show for us yesterday.  Make sure you check back soon to see them!

(On a personal note:  I would like to wish my niece Maddie a very happy 9th birthday!  Aunt Kristy loves you!  Also,  congratulations to my parents on the purchase of their new home!  I’m sorry I couldn’t be there, but I know you understand:)

Kristy Weaver: The Sea is All I See, May 23, 2012

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Kristy Weaver
Aboard R/V Savannah
May 22, 2012-June 1, 2012

Mission: Reef Fish Survey
Geographical Location: Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Savannah, GA
Date: May 23, 2012

Current Weather: 85 and Sunny

Hello from the Atlantic Ocean!  Right now we are about 75 miles off the coast of Savannah, GA.  and there is water all around me!  The last time we saw land was about an hour after we left the dock yesterday.

Sunset on our first night at sea

Before I left many of you asked that I be careful while I am out here.  I wanted to tell you that I am safe and that safety seems to be a very important part of being a scientist, especially when you are on a ship.  I took photographs of a lot of the safety equipment and information throughout the ship.  We even had a safety meeting before we went out to sea.  The first mate (he does a lot of work on the ship) showed us how to put on a survival suit, which is something you wear that covers your whole body and has a hood.  This suit will keep you warm and floating if something happens and you need to go into the water.

After the meeting we had a fire drill just like we have at school, except we didn’t leave the boat.  The captain (he is the leader of the ship) sounded the alarm and we all put on life vests and met on the deck.  The deck is the back of the ship–the part that is outside.  A life vest is also called a life jacket or life preserver.  A life vest is put on like a jacket, but it doesn’t have any sleeves.   It’s bright orange and gets buckled and tied around you so that you can float if you go in the water.  You can see a picture of me in my life vest in the safety video that I made.

Many children asked what type of marine life is in the water here.  Here is a list and pictures of the animals I have seen so far.

Scamp Grouper
Scamp
Black Sea Bass
Black Sea Bass
Red Porgy
Red Porgy
After we empty the traps we sort the fish by family. Jennifer (a scientist) and I are sorting Red Porgy in this picture.
After we empty the traps we sort the fish by family. Jennifer (a scientist) and I are sorting Red Porgy in this picture.
The Red Snapper is the large pink fish. The black fish is a Shark Sucker.
If you look closely you can see that the Shark Sucker has a flat head with deep pockets on it that work like suction cups.
Spotted Dolphin
Spotted Dolphin
Gray Trigger Fish
One of the fishermen caught a shark with a fishing pole.  We had to get a picture of it quickly so that we could get it back into the water as soon as possible!

AND…to answer the #1 question that I have received…(drumroll please) YES!  Someone did catch a small shark today!

Did you know that you do things in science class that I have seen real scientists do  on this ship?  What things do you think you do that make you like a real scientist?  Check my next blog to find out how you already are a student scientist!

Kristy Weaver: Ms. Weaver Goes to Sea


NOAA Teacher at Sea
Kristy Weaver
Aboard R/V Savannah
May 23 – 31, 2012

Hello from Hillside, New Jersey! First, for any out-of-state readers, allow me to say that despite what you may have seen on “reality” television about this beautiful state, we do not all tease our hair and have VIP memberships to tanning salons.  (Okay, so I may tease it a little, but only for special occasions!  Yes, this is my attempt at humor; bear with me.)  All kidding aside,  thank you for visiting.  I am excited to tell you about the NOAA Teacher at Sea Program!

Perhaps I should introduce myself before I start making corny jokes.  I am Kristy Weaver and I am happy to say I have been a first grade teacher here at The A. P. Morris Early Childhood Center for the past 12 years.  Our building is home to every pre-k, kindergarten, and first grade classroom in the district, and we  are currently a community of 668 students.

Hillside is part of the Partnership for Systemic Change which is a collaboration between the Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE) and six other urban or semi-urban school districts.  Through this partnership I have been a part of the Academy for Leadership in Science Instruction, which is an intensive staff development series that takes place over the course of three years.  I have also been a Peer Teacher Workshop facilitator and have had the opportunity to discuss effective science instruction at length with my fellow science teachers and professionals from MISE and partner districts.

Here is a little video trailer my class helped make to tell everyone about my trip.  See if you can spot the cameo appearance from our beloved class pet, Jerry.  My students had the responsibility of casting him in this role and are all super excited that Jerry will now be “famous.”

The purpose of the NOAA Teacher at Sea program is to provide teachers with real life experiences with scientific research and for us to then share that knowledge with the community upon our return.  This will strengthen my own content knowledge and expose our students to scientific research and science careers while increasing environmental awareness.  I am passionate about the pedagogy behind effective science instruction and while I hope that this experience will be shared with many classes, it will definitely be utilized to its fullest potential in my district.  This opportunity already inspired an impromptu math lesson when I showed my class my ship,  the R/V Savannah.  In order to grasp how big the 92 foot vessel is, we used 60 inch measuring tapes and counted by fives until we got to 90 feet.  Then we estimated two feet to help us get a sense of the size of the R/V Savannah.

This is my class, 92 feet down the hall! Wow! The R/V Savannah is larger than we thought!

I love being a teacher, and it is definitely where my passion lies.   However,  when I was a child I never  felt that being a scientist was an option for me because I didn’t know where to begin.  I had an innate curiosity about the water, but didn’t know that I could have built a career around it.   It’s my job to make sure that my students are afforded every opportunity, know that their dreams are within their reach,  and feel as if the world is at their fingertips- because it is!

How Did I Hear About Teacher at Sea?

Two years ago I attended the National Science Teachers Association Convention in Philadelphia, PA.  One of the booths at the exhibition center was for NOAA‘s (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Teacher at Sea Program.  It was fascinating to talk with teachers who had gone out to sea with NOAA in the past, and I immediately knew it was something I would pursue.  My whole life I had lived vicariously through scientists on various nature shows, and I was thrilled to learn that I even had the possibility to experience something like this first hand.

What the Research Says

So how is this going to help first graders?  In 2011 Microsoft Corp. commissioned two national surveys with Harris Interactive for parent and student opinions on how to motivate the next generation of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) professionals.

For most, the decision to study STEM started before college.

  • Nearly four in five STEM college students said they decided to study STEM in high school or earlier (78 percent). One in five (21 percent) decided in middle school or earlier.
  • More than half (57 percent) of STEM college students said that before going to college, a teacher or class got them interested in STEM.

This gives me, a first grade teacher, the opportunity to plant the seed early and expose children to STEM careers before they even reach the second grade.  If I can motivate just one child with this experience, or prove to them that they too should chase their dreams, then any amount of seasickness will be worthwhile.

Speaking of Motivation…Here is Mine:

Barnegat Lighthouse
“Old Barney”
Long Beach Island, NJ
Photo by Captain Al Kuebler

I have always been fascinated by the ocean and how something could be equally tranquil and ferocious.  As a child I never “sat still” and my boundless energy had me bouncing from one activity to the next with less than a heart beat in-between.  Yet, even as early as three years old, I can remember sitting on my grandfather’s lap in Long Beach Island and just staring out at the water for what seemed like hours.  In retrospect it may have only been 15 minutes, but regardless, just looking at the ocean had me calm, captivated, and thoroughly entertained in the silence of my own thoughts.

Feeding Sea Turtles at the Camden Aquarium

When I was young I always loved the underwater pieces in my parents’ National Geographic magazines, but it never crossed my mind that I could someday be a diver.  When I grew up a little I decided that it was something I would definitely do “someday.”  I finally realized that someday never comes unless you make your “someday” today.  I became a certified diver three years ago, and up until this point, it is one of the best things I have ever done.  As an adult, I have always watched nature shows, but never in my wildest dreams did I believe that I would someday have the opportunity to experience something like Teacher at Sea.  I think this helps send an important message to my students: You should always  go out and experience everything you want in life.  I did a shipwreck dive to 109 feet, have fed sea turtles, swam with sharks, flew a helicopter, , and have been on a trapeze in two different countries.  Yet somehow, I have a feeling that all of these things will pale in comparison to the adventure I am about to have.

Me at the Saltwater Marsh in Stone Harbor, NJ
Photo by Myron Weaver- Hi Dad 🙂

So What’s Next?

I am getting ready to head out to sea and my students and I are so excited.  The next time I write I will most likely be somewhere near Savannah, GA where I will be setting sail on the R/V Savannah for an 8 day reef fish survey.  While the first grade students are my target audience for my blogs while I am at sea, I encourage people of all ages to follow me along my journey.  I hope that everyone will be able to get something out of it, and that secondary teachers will be able to use this experience as a starting point for some of their lessons as well.

Please feel free to post your comments or questions, and I will do my best to bring back the information you are most curious about!