Tag: alumna

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Laura Guertin: My Journey Begins on NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson, May 31, 2023

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Laura Guertin

Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson

May 31 – June 22, 2023


Mission: 2023 Summer Acoustic-Trawl Survey of Walleye Pollock in the Gulf of Alaska

Geographic Area of Cruise: Islands of Four Mountains area, Western Gulf of Alaska
Location (in port): 57o 47.0200′ N, 152o 25.5543′ W

Date: May 31, 2023

Not every educator has the amazing opportunity to volunteer with scientists on a NOAA ship. But in 2014, that opportunity became a reality for me when I joined NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson for a hydrographic survey in the Atlantic Ocean. Now my journey at sea with NOAA continues in 2023 as I head out on NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson for an acoustic-trawl survey of walleye pollock populations in the Gulf of Alaska.

Ever since I was an undergraduate intern for two summers at NOAA Maine Operations Center – Atlantic in Norfolk, VA, I wanted to sail on a NOAA ship. The NOAA Teacher at Sea (TAS) program opened that door for me and has provided so much, from my own advancement of the science and technology used to map the ocean floor, to content and stories I share with students and at science outreach events for the public. Now as a TAS alumna, I can’t wait to see how much more I can learn, teach, and share from my latest ocean expedition with NOAA.

Photo of Laura Guertin on a boat on the Atlantic ocean
Offshore of Miami, Florida, where I went to graduate school (University of Miami – Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science)

I’m a college professor, teaching introductory-level earth science courses primarily for non-STEM majors at Penn State Brandywine in Media, Pennsylvania. I am dedicated to not only helping my students build their science literacy but also seeing the relevance of why and how science matters in their present and future lives. My research has involved using technology tools to enhance student learning of geoscience content, with my current work focusing on having students produce audio narratives (or “podcasts”).

Photo of Laura Guertin with RDML Gallaudet standing in front of flags in DC office
RDML Gallaudet and I in his office in Washington DC

I also blog for the American Geophysical Union (AGU) about educational technology, pedagogy, and science communication on my blog GeoEd Trek. I’ve dedicated several posts on NOAA and its programs and resources . But it was my blog post A New Year’s resolution: help the public learn about NOAA (December 30, 2017) that caught the attention of RDML Tim Gallaudet, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere at that time. He was kind enough to invite me to his office in Washington DC to thank me for the post – and, naturally, I wrote up a blog post about the visit and our conversation! That visit has been “the” highlight of all my NOAA experiences! (*see A conversation about science communication with NOAA’s RDML Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D. (March 13, 2018))

Heading back out to sea with NOAA in 2023 is special for so many reasons. Life for all of us was disrupted in March 2020 – the COVID pandemic has been long and hard. My teaching and research has had so many twists and turns, and I still don’t know how everything will be moving forward. Getting out to sea on my first-ever fisheries expedition is not just exciting for me, but it has been heartwarming to see how many of my students and colleagues are sending me messages and looking forward to frequent updates! In a way, I’m taking so many people out to sea with me, and I’m going to work so hard to make this an informative and thrilling adventure for us all!

Photo of book cover, Endless Novelties of Extraordinary Interest - The Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger and the Birth of Modern Oceanography
Cover photo of Macdougall’s book on the Challenger expedition

Last year (2022) was a notable year for the field of oceanography. It was the 150-year celebration of when the H.M.S. Challenger set sail to collect meteorological and oceanographic data ranging from deep sea soundings and temperatures to biological samples. Although there were several ships that went out on scientific expeditions prior to 1872, the Challenger expedition (from 1872-1876) is the one credited as giving rise to the field of oceanography – and it’s interesting that before 1872, the term “oceanography” didn’t even exist in any dictionaries! I read the book Endless Novelties of Extraordinary Interest: The Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger and the Birth of Modern Oceanography by Doug Macdougall, and I couldn’t help but make connections between the methods of oceanographic research back at the time of Challenger versus today. Keep a look out for many comparisons between the work and logistics of Challenger to my experiences on Oscar Dyson in my upcoming blog posts – no doubt I will be sharing some current items of “extraordinary interest!”

I’m also looking forward to continuing to explore the intersections of science and art (STEAM) can be used to engage audiences and to communicate science data. I like to crochet temperature data and use these temperature records created in yarn for teaching and outreach (it is similar to the amazing work of The Tempestry Project!). While on board Oscar Dyson, I’ll not only be exploring under the sea but looking up towards the sky as my atmospheric observations will inform my Stitch the Sky project! Stay tuned for a future blog post to follow along and/or to create your own data visualization for your location.

*If you are interested in reading about my first TAS experience on NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson, here are direct links to those blog posts:

Photo of Laura Guertin in front of the hull of the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson
NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson (at Marine Operations Center-Atlantic, 2014)
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Kathy Schroeder: Twice in a Lifetime Experience, September 12, 2019

shark tag

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Kathy Schroeder

Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II

September 15 – October 2, 2019


Mission: Shark/Red Snapper Longline Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Gulf of Mexico

Date: 9/12/19

Weather Data from the Bridge

Current Location:  Naples, Florida

Latitude: 26° 17’ 45”
Longitude: 81° 34’ 40”
Temperature: 91° F
Wind Speeds: NNE 7 mph


Personal Log

Before I leave on my “Twice in a Lifetime Experience” I thought I’d let you know a little more about me.

In May of 2010, I participated in the NOAA TAS program.  The hardest part was leaving my 1 ½ year old son Jonah while I was gone for three weeks.  At the time I was teaching science at Key Biscayne K-8 School, which was located on an island off of Miami, Florida.  I wanted to have my students experience something new so I chose to go to Alaska aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson.  The ship left out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska where the Deadliest Catch is filmed.  We spent the days and night doing neuston and bongo tows to study the walleye pollock (imitation crab meat).  I couldn’t have asked for a better experience and crew!  For more information you can look up my blog in the past season 2010.  I applied for the NOAA TAS Alumni position and now I’m happy to say I will be having a “Twice in a Lifetime Experience” with NOAA!  This time I will be on NOAA Ship Oregon II where we will be tagging and monitoring sharks and red snappers in the Gulf of Mexico.

I grew up in Louisville, KY where I spent most of my summers boating and skiing on the Ohio River.  When I was 10 years old my parents, sister and I got scuba certified.   I guess you could say this is when my love for the ocean began!  Our first trip was to Grand Cayman and we experienced things underwater that were even more beautiful than books and videos could ever show.  I have been back numerous times, but when I went back this past June you can obviously see the changes that are occurring in the ocean and the beaches.  I currently volunteer with Rookery Bay Estuarine Reserve and help with turtle patrol, shark tagging, and trawls.  The amount of garbage we collect is getting out of control.  Teaching the importance of this to my students is one of my top priorities. 

I currently teach AICE Marine and Marine Regular at Palmetto Ridge High School in Naples, Florida.  For the past 5 years I have grown the program into a class that is not just “inside” the classroom.  What better way to learn about marine species and water quality than taking care of your own aquarium?  Throughout the school there are 24 aquariums.  The tanks include saltwater, fresh water, and brackish water.  My students are taught how to properly maintain a tank, checking the water quality and salinity, as well as feeding and caring for their organisms.  In addition to the aquariums they have a quarterly enrichment grade that has them getting outside in our environment and learning about the canals, lakes, and ocean that are just miles from us.  We work with Keeping Collier Beautiful to do canal cleanups twice a year and they also visit Rookery Bay and the Conservancy for educational lessons.  Thanks to the science department at Collier County Public Schools we are also given the opportunity to go out into the estuaries.  Rookery Bay and FGCU Vester lab work with us to get the students out on the water to experience the ecology around them.  Even though we are only miles from the Gulf of Mexico some students have never been out on a boat.  This day trip gives them a hands on learning experience where we complete a trawl and water sampling.

As I leave this weekend I know my students will be in good hands and will be following my blog throughout my journey.  The value of what I am going to be sharing with them far outweighs my short time away.  My goal is to show them you are never too old to try something new and hopefully my experience will get more students into a career in marine sciences. 

Shout outs:  First one goes to my son Jonah (11), my parents Bud and Diane for taking care of him while I’m off having the time of my life, my boyfriend Michael who is currently deployed with the Air Force SFS, and his two kids Andrew (17) and Mackenna (10).  Thanks for your support. Love and miss you all!  <(((><

shark tag
Rookery Bay Shark Tagging in the estuaries
Gulf of Mexico alumni workshop
NOAA Gulf of Mexico TAS Alumni workshop
Jonah and lobster
My son Jonah’s first mini-lobster season
Keep Collier Beautiful
PRHS Keeping Collier Beautiful Canal Cleanup
Kathy and baby turtle
Rookery Bay Sea Turtle Patrol – rescued and released