Boston – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

June 21, 2024June 21, 2024

Nick Lee: Teacher at Sea Introduction, June 21, 2024

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Nick Lee
Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 29 – July 20, 2024

Mission: Pollock Acoustic-Trawl Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Eastern Bering Sea

Date: June 21, 2024

Introduction:

Hello! My name is Nick Lee, and I am excited to be one of this year’s Teachers at Sea! I teach 11th/12th Grade Environmental Science and Computer Science at Codman Academy Charter Public School, located in Dorchester, MA (a neighborhood of Boston).

Nick stands on a small boat, wearing a life vest and holding a scientific instrument, probably one that measures water chemistry. We can see calm water surrounding the boat and a semi-developed shoreline not far in the distance. — Photo Credit: Ed Yoo

I love teaching Environmental Science, because I’m able to take students outside of the classroom on fieldwork (at Codman, we call academic field trips ‘fieldwork’). We have studied the trees in our schools microforest, visited local farms, and explored different parts of the Greater Boston coastline. This past year, we were fortunate to work with the Cohasset Center for Student Coastal Research, a partnership that allowed us to take students out on the water and collect samples in the intertidal zone.

Two students, wearing hoodies with the hoods obscuring their faces, stand in the seaweed wrack on a shoreline holding large white buckets. One is dipping the bucket into the water to take a sample, while the other, wearing a life vest, waits nearby. We see a small white skiff with an outboard motor, anchored in the water, in the far corner of the photo. — Environmental Science exploring the intertidal zone at the Cohasset Center for Student Coastal Research (Photo Credit: Ed Yoo)

My students even had the opportunity to build an ocean drifter, which helps scientists track currents and marine debris. A local fisherman helped us launch the drifter, and we’ve been tracking its movement off the coast of Massachusetts (you can find its current location here: https://studentdrifters.org/tracks/drift_stonehill_2024_1.html). I’ll hopefully be launching another drifter in the Eastern Bering Sea this summer, and next year’s students will be able to compare the paths the two drifters take.

a Google Earth aerial view of the coast of Massachusetts with two trajectories displayed in white and teal lines around the water; the trajectory lines are very squiggly, indicating that the buoys spent a while circling in the bay before clearing the "hook" of Cape Cod. — Path of Codman’s Ocean Drifter (white) as of June 21, 2024

I’m looking forward to learning more about marine science this summer, and I hope to bring back as much knowledge as possible for my students!

Science and Technology Log:

In a little over a week, I will be sailing aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson as part of the science team on a pollock survey. Just getting to NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson will be an adventure – I’ll be flying from Boston to Seattle, Seattle to Anchorage, and then Anchorage to Dutch Harbor!

starboard view of NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson (R 224) underway — NOAA Ship *Oscar Dyson* (Photo credit: NOAA)

I’ve already been in touch with two members of the science team: Abigail McCarthy and Robert Levine. Both were kind enough to send me some reading to learn about the ship’s mission – there’s a lot of new terms but I’m starting to get a better picture of what we’ll be doing!

We will be sailing on a Midwater Assessment and Conservation Engineering (MACE) survey, collecting data on primarily walleye (Alaska) pollock. Most of my job will be to help process the fish in the trawl catch, recording data like fish species, length, and age. The data we collect will help scientists learn more about the current pollock population in the Eastern Bering Sea, ultimately informing the quotas (limits) set for commercial fishing operations.

a scientific illustration of an Alaska pollock, showing the characteristic three dorsal fins — Alaska pollock, also known as walleye pollock. (Photo credit: NOAA)

This process is crucial to prevent overfishing – in 2022 commercial fishermen caught over 2.7 billion pounds of Alaska pollock (valued at $316 million) from the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/alaska-pollock). While these numbers may seem high, careful management has kept commercial pollock fishing operations sustainable. In fact, NOAA calls US wild-caught Alaska Pollock a “smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations” (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/alaska-pollock/seafood).

I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such important work for the future of our oceans and fisheries!

Personal Log:

I am originally from St. Louis, Missouri, far from the ocean. However, since I’ve been teaching environmental science in Boston, I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about our planet’s oceans and the importance of protecting them.

Last year, through the generous support of the Pat Cooke Foundation, I was able to travel to the Netherlands, where I spent two weeks working with a small-scale fishing company. There, I was able to catch wild oysters and sea bass, and participate in all steps of seafood production, from catching and processing fish to selling direct to consumers in restaurants and markets. I also learned how most fish we buy in supermarkets change hands many times, sometimes traveling across the world for days or even weeks before being purchased by the consumer. This experience has made me passionate about sustainable seafood – recently, I’ve been trying to buy only seafood local to Massachusetts and New England.

Nick stands on the back of a fishing vessel in the ocean; land is only barely visible at the horizon far in the distance. He's wearing a long sleeved shirt, gray fishing overalls, boots, black gloves, and a hat. In his left hand he grasps three fish by their gills. Behind him on the deck we see crates for holding fish. The sky is partially clouded in lovely shades of blue, pink, and purple. — Last summer, I worked with a small-scale fishing company in the Netherlands that caught and sold wild oysters and sea bass.

I’m excited to be back working with fish this summer, and I’m looking forward to learning more about sustainable fishing from the scientists and crew aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson.

Did You Know?

Many fish, birds, and mammals including Steller sea lions depend on Alaska pollock as a food source (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/alaska-pollock/overview).

May 7, 2013August 11, 2021

Melanie Lyte: On the Brink of an Adventure at Sea! May 7, 2013

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Melanie Lyte
Aboard NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter
May 20 – 31, 2013

Mission: Right Whale Survey, Great South Channel
Geographical Area of Cruise: North Atlantic
Date: May 14, 2013

Personal Log

Hello, from Castleton, New York. My name is Melanie Lyte and I am a first grade teacher at Bell Top Elementary School . I am very fortunate to teach in a school of dedicated staff where creativity and innovation is fostered, and embraced. My principal, Jim McHugh, was the one who urged me to apply for the NOAA Teacher at Sea program, and I am grateful to him for his support and encouragement. Although Bell Top is a public school, many of the yearly activities our students are involved in are unique, especially in a public school setting. With funds from a NSTA administered Toyota Tapestry Grant we built a Learning Barn on our school grounds. The barn, built uniquely using both Dutch and English architectural styles so students can compare the two ways, houses an evaporator for a school wide maple sugaring project, as well as cider press for making apple cider in the fall. We also have amazing parental support at our school, a very active PTO, and of course the best kids in the world walk through our doors each day!

Bell Top Elementary School,Troy, NY — Bell Top Elementary School, Troy NY

I originally applied to be a teacher at sea because I love science and adventure, and I love to bring my experiences outside the classroom back to enrich my students. In the last few years I have camped in the jungles of Sumatra, Indonesia, hiked and kayaked in Alaska, visited the rain forests of Brazil, and traveled to China. I believe we must expose our children to the the broader world, and the natural world around them in order to foster a curiosity about far away places, and love and appreciation for our earth. We need to feed every student’s innate sense of wonder and excitement for the world around them.

My friend Harold and I on top of a volcano in Sumatra, Indonesia.

I think the opportunity to work with real scientists doing research will be a life changing event for me, and I am even more enthused because the mission of this voyage, conducting a right whale survey in the North Atlantic, is perfect for my first graders! What child doesn’t get excited about whales?!?! I am also very fortunate to teach with my partner in first grade, Sarah Lussier. She and I truly have a the best teaching partnership imaginable, and we, and our students, are enriched by it. To prepare our students for my upcoming voyage, we have been learning all we can about right whales, and whales in general. We painted a right whale and whale calf on the parking lot at school (that was an adventure in itself – think 42 first graders with paint brushes and black concrete paint). The students also researched right whales, created diagrams of the whale, and developed informational posters of what they learned. I think the consensus of the students is that right whales are “really cool, but a little lazy, and kind of ugly.” (as one of my first graders so eloquently put it). They are fascinated by the callosities on the whales and are saddened that the whales sit on top of the water so often and are in danger of being hit by boats. While I’m at sea the students in both our classrooms will be working on many other whale related activities, as well as following my blog.

Right whale calf created by first graders at BellTop Elementary School.

Categorizing toothed and baleen whales by the first graders at Bell Top School

Whale Facts by first graders at Bell Top School.

Whale Sizes by the first graders at Bell Top School.

So in less than two weeks my adventure at sea will begin! I will be joining head scientist Allison Henry and the crew of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Gordon Gunter out of Boston MA. We will be conducting a North Atlantic Right whale survey, but I have been told we will see other whales as well such as humpback, sei, and minke. I can’t wait to explore the ocean with scientists, and learn all I can about the creatures who live there. I hope you will join me on my adventure by reading my blogs while I’m at sea.

NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter (photo credit NOAA)

April 26, 2013August 11, 2021

Angela Greene: “And So the Love Story Begins… “ April 25, 2013

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Angela Greene
(Almost) Aboard NOAA Ship Gordon GunterApril 29-May 11, 2013
Mission: Northern Right Whale Survey

Geographical Area of Cruise: Atlantic Ocean out of Woods Hole, MA
Date: April 24, 2013

Personal Log:

I am quite certain I am about to fall in love with a whale, as I embark upon a journey that will surely change me forever. My name is Angela Greene, and I have had the honor of teaching middle school in the Tecumseh Local School District for the last twenty-five years!

TMS — Tecumseh Middle School: “Home of My 8th Grade Scientists!”

I care deeply about my students, and I am committed to providing them with amazing science experiences in my classroom! I love my job, my students, and learning. I am a NOAA Teacher at Sea!

I applied for the NOAA Teacher at Sea program because I believe the best way to develop myself, as a professional educator is to seek out field experiences that will enable me to work side by side with leaders in the scientific community. I can’t think of a better way to efficiently expose my students to careers in the field of science as well as the scientific issues that will directly affect their lives than to “walk in the shoes” of highly trained scientists.

Kristin and Me — “Walking in the Shoes of a Scientist”: Me with Dr. Kristin Stanford, Lake Erie Water Snake Recovery Plan Coordinator

The purpose of this blog is to tell my family, students, friends, and colleagues a story, a love story, if you will. I hope to share my love of teaching, my love of wildlife, and my insatiable love for learning.

In only a few hours, I will fly to Boston, Massachusetts, take a bus to Woods Hole, and board the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter. The ship will take me, as well as a group of ocean scientists, into the Northern Atlantic to search for the critically endangered Northern Right Whale.

At this point, I know very little about this mammal, so I enlisted the help of my 8^th grade scientists using a technique I called “Teach Your Teacher”. Together, we brainstormed a list of questions about Right Whales, the Gordon Gunter, and marine research. Each student selected a topic, complied a summary of their findings and wrote me a quick “good bye” note. I collected the pages and promised not to read them until I was on the bus to Woods Hole.

Tecumseh 8th Grader Researching Whale Biopsy

I also wanted my students to have an understanding of the actual size of Northern Right Whales and other North Atlantic Whale species. We celebrated our new learning and my incredible opportunity to sail with NOAA by having “Tecumseh Middle School Whale Day”. For one day the concrete campus of our school became ocean habitats to student-created “chalk whales”. We calculated the actual size of four whale species using the scaled measurements of sketches found in our research. This data enabled us to create over forty whales using sidewalk chalk! We were amazed at the size of our whales, and the chalk models enabled us to compare the external anatomy among the species. Our local news channel, WDTN, stopped by to film us for the evening news! We determined that 14 middle school students could fit head to toe along the length of a fin whale. We had a terrific day!

My preparation time is coming to an end. I need to finish packing, say my goodbyes to my family and dogs, and focus on the journey that’s about to begin. One of the most important lessons a teacher can learn from rare field experience opportunities is that this time will quickly end. I promise to enjoy every second while I am falling in love with a brand new world.

14 in Fin — Fourteen Tecumseh Students Fit Head to Toe in a Chalk Fin Whale

rightwhale_baleen_georgia — Northern Right Whale (Photo Credit NOAA)

July 23, 2004March 18, 2021

Kirk Beckendorf, July 23, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Kirk Beckendorf
Onboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown
July 4 – 23, 2004

Mission: New England Air Quality Study (NEAQS)
Geographical Area: Northwest Atlantic Ocean
Date: July 23, 2004

Daily Log

Today was my last day and night on the BROWN. We spent last night off the coast of New Hampshire. We were scheduled to meet the pilot at 11:00 AM. The pilot is a person very familiar with the local port and he or she comes on board large ships and drives them into and out of the port. Since they know the harbor very well they can make sure the ship doesn’t run aground in what may be a very narrow channel. It was pretty cool to watch him jump from a small boat onto the rope hanging from the side of the BROWN while we were moving. Everyone was out on deck as we came up through the channel into Portsmouth. As we got to the dock the crew had the ropes out and ready. Tanker trucks of fuel were lined up ready to refuel the ship, which can hold about five tanker trucks worth of diesel. It was a bittersweet feeling to dock and be back ashore. It is good to be back but I am sure going to miss all of the people on board. I have learned so much from them, plus I enjoyed their company.

This evening we had a big New England style clambake at a beach. They fed us steamed calms and whole lobsters.

I finally met Jennifer Hammond. She is the person in charge of the Teacher at Sea Program and who got me on the BROWN and who gets the logs and pictures onto the web.

July 22, 2004March 18, 2021

Kirk Beckendorf, July 22, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Kirk Beckendorf
Onboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown
July 4 – 23, 2004

Mission: New England Air Quality Study (NEAQS)
Geographical Area: Northwest Atlantic Ocean
Date: July 22, 2004

Weather Data from the Bridge
Time 4:50 PM ET
Latitude- 42 49.88 N
Longitude- 70 15.46 W
Air Temperature 20 degrees C
Water Temperature 17 degrees C
Air Pressure 1011 Millibars
Wind Direction at surface Southwest
Wind Speed at surface 15 MPH
Cloud cover and type clear but hazy

Daily Log

Last night at sunset we were just out from Boston when we launched the radiosonde. The pollution levels were up and we had to look through a haze to see the downtown skyline. A sea breeze began blowing cleaner air to us from the east. Late last night we headed east to meet up with a couple of the airplanes this morning. The goal was to have us and two of NOAA’s research planes all under a satellite which will be orbiting overhead. Pollution measurements could be made at many different levels of the atmosphere plus instrument comparisons could be made.

Of course it was foggy again. Wayne Angevine, a meteorologist back on shore was looking at live weather satellite images and got word to us that close by was a clear spot in the fog. The flight crew in the airplanes confirmed what Wayne said. When we got to the latitude and longitude they had directed us to, we found clear skies. The plan worked. The planes flew by making their measurements, several satellites passed over head, the ozonesonde was launched, all of the instruments on the Brown were continuing to collect data and Drew and I did Sunops.

Later today the rest of the fog burnt off, but there was still a haze as we slowly made our way back to the west. We need to be in the vicinity of Portsmouth so that we can meet up with the harbor pilot tomorrow morning. The pilot will direct the ship back into Portsmouth at about noon. The timing is actually important because we need to go in at high tide. Tonight the plan is to continue back and forth through the urban pollution. Before we get to port tomorrow, a couple of the crew will be diving under the ship to do some maintenance that should be interesting to watch.

Today is my last full day at sea on the BROWN. This next week I will be visiting some of the land based scientists, facilities and activities involved in NEAQS. We get into port about noon tomorrow.

I asked some of the scientist what is the one thing my students should know about this research project on air pollution. Some of the statements were:

We are studying a very complicated situation with no simple answers.

To study something very complicated takes lots of coordination and cooperation from numerous organizations and a lot of people.

Air pollution is a global problem not a local problem. Even people in areas, like Redmond, OR, with little pollution should be concerned. Air pollution doesn’t stay where it is made. North America gets pollution from Asia, Europe gets pollution from N. America, Asia gets pollution from Europe.

Each one of us needs to realize that we are part of the problem.

Question of the Day

How can you be part of the solution not just part of the air pollution problem?