NOAA Teacher at Sea
Elizabeth Bullock
Aboard R/V Walton Smith
December 11-15, 2011
Introduction
Hello! My name is Elizabeth (Liz) Bullock and I work for the NOAA Teacher at Sea Program (TAS). Before I worked at NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) I was in graduate school at Clark University in Worcester, MA studying Environmental Science and Policy. As my final project, I created an environmental curriculum for the Global Youth Leadership Institute (GYLI). Through this experience, I realized how much I love both science and educating others about the importance of the natural world.
I have been invited to take part in a research cruise on the R/V Walton Smith. I will be participating in the Bimonthly Regional Survey / South Florida Program Cruise. The researchers on this survey are from NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanography and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) which is located in Miami, FL.
What will we be studying? The scientists on this survey are very interested in knowing about the strength and health of the ecosystem. They can judge how strong it is by looking at various indicators such as water clarity, salinity, and temperature. They can also record information about the phytoplankton and zooplankton that live in the water.
Question for students: Why do you think it is important to learn about the phytoplankton and zooplankton? What can they tell us about the ecosystem? Please leave a reply with your answers below by clicking on “Comments.”
Here is a map of the route the R/V Walton Smith will be taking.
I am so excited and I hope you will follow along with me on this journey of a lifetime!