NOAA Teacher at Sea
Guy Sturdevant
Preparing to board NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 20 – July 15, 2026
Mission: Summer Pollock Acoustic Survey, Leg 2
Geographic Area of Cruise: Bering Sea, Alaska
Date: June 17, 2026
Weather Data from the Flint Hills of Kansas
Latitude: 37°34’00” N
Longitude: 96°30’40” W
Winds S at 20-30 mph
Air Temperature: 79° F (26° C)
Introduction
Hello and welcome! My name is Guy (Clark) Sturdevant from Northwest High School in Wichita, KS. You join me as I make final preparations for my two-day journey to Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Once there, I will board the Oscar Dyson and join an amazing science team and crew for a month-long leg of the biennial Eastern Bering Sea Pollock Survey.
As I prepare for this incredible opportunity, I find myself reflecting on the amazing science educators and communicators that helped define my relationship with science. From Mr. Patton’s sixth grade life science class through graduate studies in the department of Geology at the University of Kansas, the passion, character, and enthusiasm of my mentors and teachers was infectious. In my seven years in the classroom, I have worked to immerse my students in the hands-on practice of science. NOAA’s Teacher at Sea Program will be another amazing opportunity for me to learn from world-class scientists and technicians in hopes of bringing the exciting world of marine science into my high school classroom.
Check in here for regular updates from the Bering Sea!
Science and Technology Log
Next Monday, I will board NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The Oscar Dyson is a 208 ft. purpose-built research vessel which hosts the Midwater Assessment & Conservation Engineering (MACE) team for the Summer Pollock Survey. The full survey spans nearly three months and hundreds of nautical miles of the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska.
(Photo from @NOAAShipOscarDyson Facebook account)
Did You Know?
The Oscar Dyson is named in honor of a fisherman and sustainable fisheries advocate, Oscar Dyson.
Oscar’s fame, however, is eclipsed by his wife, Peggy. Peggy Dyson acted as the “Voice of the North Pacific”, broadcasting out marine weather forecasts as WBH-29 twice daily for over 30 years. Her voice served fishing communities in the North Pacific, providing valuable information and a familiar voice across the vast span of the open ocean.
