NOAA Teacher at Sea Eric Velarde AboardR/V Hugh R. Sharp Wednesday, June 13, 2013 – Tuesday, June 24, 2013
Mission: Sea Scallop Survey Geographical Area: Cape May – Cape Hatteras Date: June 10, 2013
Personal Log
Mr. Velarde & Rudy (the family poodle)
¡Hola! I am Mr. Eric Velarde, 9th-12th grade Honors Earth/Environmental Science, Honors Biology, and Physical Science teacher at The Early/Middle College at Bennett in Greensboro, NC. I have had the distinct honor of experiencing my first 3 years of teaching at a truly wonderful, unique learning community. The Early/Middle College at Bennett is located on the historic campus of Bennett College and serves as a nurturing learning environment for aspiring, young women. Our students are engaged in their learning through academic scholarship, leadership & character development, and service to others.
I am intensely excited about sharing this research experience with my students, colleagues, and the general public. It is my plan to create several interactive, engaging, and personalized learning modules from the experience that educators can easily access and adapt for their students. These learning modules will focus on utilizing NOAA’s research, 21st century technology, and collaborative learning strategies to leverage the participation of historically underrepresented groups in the atmospheric & ocean science fields in America. In addition, I plan to use my experience with photography to help unveil the details behind ocean science research careers to provide students with an in-depth experience of what it feels like to be a scientist at sea.
R/V Hugh R. Sharp (Image Courtesy of NOAA)
I will be aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp from June 13th-25th to assist the Ecosystems Survey Branch of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in a survey of the Atlantic Sea Scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) to determine distribution and abundance in the mid-Atlantic. Biological analysis will occur through ocean-floor dredging, sorting & categorization of specimens, and Hab-Cam photography. Data collected will be used to assess the abundance of the population, health of the population, and the sustainability status of the fishery.
The Grand Canyon in Summer 2009
Growing up in Phoenix, Arizona has instilled in me a deep, sincere love of Geology & Geography which I still hold today. Upon moving to Greensboro, NC I began to shift my interests towards Agriculture through involvement with the National FFA Organization. My undergraduate career consisted of juggling the study of Biology, Women’s Studies, and Photography at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As my 2010 graduation neared, I enrolled in the UNC-Baccalaureate Education in Science & Teaching (UNC-BEST) program to prepare for lateral entry licensure as a high school science teacher. Upon graduation I promptly earned employment with Guilford County Schools with my current school, where I worked for 2 years before earning my licensure with Guilford County Schools Alternative Certification Track (GCS-ACT). I am now a licensed educator and I plan on spending the rest of my life in education.
Sisters in Science & LSAMP Scholar Collaborative Lab
Working with our higher-education partner, Bennett College, has afforded me a significant amount of working time and space to facilitate character development within the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields with the Sisters in Science (SIS) mentorship program. Select Early/Middle college students who express interest in STEM are paired with a Bennett College Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) scholar to help foster their interest in STEM. Students perform laboratory experiments, participate in service learning initiatives, travel to scientific conferences, and attend scientific lectures with their mentors. SIS has now expanded to include Brothers & Sisters in Science (BSIS) for Middle School students, and continues to reap the benefits of funding from the Anne L. & George H. Clapp Charitable and Educational Trust Foundation.
Nowadays I find myself constantly reassessing how I’ve facilitated a culture of lifelong learning, college & career readiness, and scientific curiosity in my students. Through professional development with North Carolina New Schools, National Youth Leadership Council, and the numerous opportunities provided by my school administrative team I have been able to begin to focus on character development, a growing passion of mine.
It is clear that this will be a significantly enriching experience both for myself and for students. More opportunities like the Teacher at Sea program are needed to help leverage teacher understanding of the size and scope of the field of science if we are to continue to advance our education, technology, and ultimately, our humanity into the far reaches of the Universe.
Mission:Ecosystem Monitoring Survey Date: 6/10/13 Geographical area of cruise: The continental shelf from north of Cape Hatteras, NC, including Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine, to the Nova Scotia Shelf
Weather Data from the Bridge: Time: 21:30 (9:30 pm)
Longitude/latitude: 40.50289N, 68.76736W
Temperature 14.1ºC
Barrometer 1017.35 mb
Knots 10.2
Leaving Newport – photo by Chris Melrose.
Science and Technology Log:
After several ship issues, we were able to finally head out from Newport, RI on June 9th after 4 extra days in dock. We have started the survey and are using two main types of equipment that we will deploy at the various stations: CTD/Bongo Nets and CTD Rosette Stations. We were originally scheduled to visit about 160 stations, but due to the unforeseen ship issues, these may have to be scaled back. Some of the stations will just be the Bongo and others only the Rosette, but some will include both sets of equipment.
Bongo and baby bongos being deployed during the survey.
A bongo net is a two net system that basically, looks like a bongo drum. It is used to bring up various types of plankton while a CTD is mounted above it on the tow wire to test for temperature, conductivity and depth during the tow. The two nets may have different sizes of mesh so that it will only filter the various types of plankton based on the size of the holes. The small mesh is able to capture the smaller phytoplankton, but the larger zooplankton (animals) can dart out of the way and avoid being captured. The larger mesh is able to catch the zooplankton but allows the phytoplankton to go through the openings. There are regular bongo nets and also baby bongo nets that may be launched at the same time to catch different types of plankton.
Rosette CTD returning to the surface.
The Rosette CTD equipment is a series of 10 cylinders that can capture water from different depths to test for nutrient levels and dissolved inorganic carbon, which provides a measure of acidity in the ocean. These are fired remotely via an electronic trigger that is programed by a computer program where each cylinder can be fired seperately to get 10 samples from different depths. It also has several sensors on it to measure oxygen, light and chlorophyll levels, as well as temperature and salinity (salt) from the surface to the bottom of the water column.
Copepods and Krill from one of the bongo net catches.
Our first station was about 3 1/2 hours east of Newport, RI and it was a Bongo Station. I am on the noon to midnight shift each day. So on our first day, during my watch, we made four Bongo stops and two CTD Rosettes. Today we completed more of the Bongos on my watch. We are bringing up a variety of zooplankton like copepods, ctenophores, krill, and some fish larvae. We have also seen quite a bit of phytoplankton on the surface of the water.
Wearing the survival suit – photo by Cathleen Turner.
Personal Log:
Being on a ship, I have to get used to the swaying and moving about. It is constantly rocking, so it can be a little challenging to walk around. I have been told that I will get used to this and it is actually great when you want to go to sleep! Luckily I have not had any sea sickness yet and I hope that continues! We completed several safety drills that included a fire drill and abandon ship drill where we had to put on our survival suits – now I look like a New England Lobster!
Common dolphins swimming off the ship’s bow.Blue shark swimming beside the Gordon Gunter.
Today was an amazing day – was able to see Right Whales, Blue Sharks and Common Dolphins – with the dolphins surfing off the ship’s bow! The Northern Right Whale is one of the most endangered species on the planet with only 300 left in the wild. One of the reasons there are so few left is that swim on the surface and were excessively hunted and there feeding areas were within the Boston shipping lanes, so they were frequently hit by ships. Recently these shipping lanes have been moved to help protect these animals. So I feel very privileged to have been able to see one!
Did you know? Plankton are the basis for the ocean food web. They are plentiful, small, and free floating (they do not swim). The word plankton comes from the Greek word “planktos” which means drifting. “Plankton” from the TV show SpongeBob is actually a Copepod – a type of zooplankton.
Copepod
Question of the day: Why do you think it is important that the scientists study plankton?
Mission:Ecosystem Monitoring Survey Date: 6/9/2013 Geographical area of cruise: The continental shelf from north of Cape Hatteras, NC, including Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine, to the Nova Scotia Shelf
Weather Data from the Bridge: Time – 8:15 am
Latitude and Longitude -41º32N, 71º19W
Temperature – 18º C, 65ºF
Barometer – 1019.5 mb
The Gordon Gunter at the Newport Naval Station.
Science and Technology Log:
Since we have been delayed in sailing, I have had the opportunity to interview several of the crew sailing with the Gordon Gunter to learn more about working at sea and in the marine sciences. Sailing one of the NOAA vessels for scientific research requires personnel from many different disciplines including the: scientists, NOAA Corps officers, engineers, ship stewards, fishermen, deck hands, computer and electronics personnel, bird and mammal observers, and others. I will continue to interview personnel and add them to my future blogs.
Interviews:
Lab Technician, Cristina Bascuñán
1. Name: Cristina Bascuñán
What is your Position? Lab Technician
What do you do? I’m in charge of the Rosette CTD (Conductivity, Temperature and Depth) equipment and Sea-Bird equipment. I schedule them for the different surveys and send them out for maintenance.
Why did you decide to work with NOAA and ocean science? As a sophomore in college I started volunteering and loved it, so I volunteered for several more surveys and then went out to sea on a NOAA cruise and loved that. I was doing 2 trips a summer. Around that time I got hold of an oceanography branch chief of NOAA who was in need of a lab technician and the rest is history.
How long have you worked for NOAA? I have worked for NOAA for 16 years. I volunteered for 3 years initially and was 19 on my first trip.
What do you enjoy most? Meeting all the different people on the various cruises
What would you like to change? During long trips I miss the comforts of home.
If not working for NOAA, what would you do? I would be an architect.
What outside hobbies do you have? When out at sea, I like to knit. At home, I’m involved in many water activities like: kayaking, fishing and going out on our skiff (small sailboat).
Where are you from? I have lived on the Cape for 16 years.
What is your favorite marine animal? The Lumpfish – they look like they are made out of rubber.
What is the most unusual thing you have seen or found at sea? While out doing a MOCNESS (Multiple Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System and is a net system for plankton in the ocean), we brought up a bunch of bones and some carrots. Our group could not figure out where this could have come from or what animal the bones were from. We found out later, that the Steward (meal preparation person) had tossed the slop basket from dinner into the sea and that’s what we brought up!
If a student is interested in pursuing a career in marine science, what would you suggest to them? Get experience and go out to sea on a research vessel to see if it is something you would like to do for a career.
Operations Officer, Marc Weekley
2. Name: Marc Weekely
What is your Position? Operations Officer onboard the Gordon Gunter
What do you do? I am the liaison between the operational side of the ship and the science party, making sure that what the scientists want to accomplish gets done.
Why did you decide to go into the NOAA Corps and ocean science? I have a B.S. in environmental science. In 2004, 2005 I found out about the NOAA Corps and it was a good way to mix the operational side with the science I already had. All NOAA Corps officers have to do watches and get the ship to where the scientists need to go, which includes ship driving and navigation, which I also liked.
How long have you worked for NOAA? I was commissioned in 2006.
What do you enjoy most? The variety of operations, science, and projects that are available and learning about the different scientific research. The routine is always new and fresh and you can transfer to new ones frequently. For example, in the NOAA Corps you spend 2 years in the field on a ship and 2-3 years on a land assignment. I was in Antarctic in 2009 doing atmospheric research on air quality monitoring.
What would you like to change? Some of the assignments are only once in a lifetime and cannot return to them like going back to the South Pole.
What part of your job was the most unexpected? When I first entered everything took me by surprise because I was not aware of the scope of the Corps. The opportunities to pursue what I was training for came much sooner than I realized. I was on the bridge controlling and driving a ship much sooner than I expected.
How are people chosen for NOAA ships? For many of the officers you fill out a “wish list” of where you want to go and then assigned according to needs and timing.
If not working in the Corps, what would you do? A job on or in the water.
If a student is interested in pursuing a career with NOAA or in marine science, what would you suggest to them? The Corps is looking for individuals with science, engineering and math backgrounds.
What outside hobbies do you have? Scuba diving and anything outdoors. I tried rock climbing in Boulder before going to the South Pole.
Where are you from? Currently I live in Moss-point, Mississippi, but I’m originally from Texas where my parents still live.
What is your favorite marine animal? Sharks because so little has changed in them over time. Even though they are a very frightening animal, I love to be in the water with them.
What is the most unusual thing you have seen or found at sea? Watching a 20 foot humpback whale full breech (entire body) out of the water is one of the most unusual and amazing things I have seen.
Head Steward, Margaret Coyle
3. Chief Steward: Margaret Coyle
What are some of the skills and experiences a person needs to become a ship’s steward? A person needs good cooking skills, organization, to be personable, and dedicated. This is a career, I’m working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. “I live to cook and cook to live”.
What do you like most about your job? The cooking and sailing.
What would you like to change? I hate the paperwork – “If I only had to just cook and order groceries, I would be the happiest person on the planet.”
How long have you been working for NOAA? I have been sailing since I was 20 and cooking for 25 years. I started in the coastguard as an engineer and then went back to school to be a cook. I have been with NOAA for 8 years, 2 months and 7 days.
What do you like most about working on the ocean? The solitude and the lifestyle of just being at sea and having my own space and my galley setup. Having a set schedule is something I like and also the rocking of the ship and the weather.
What part of your job did you least expect to do? When I came here I knew exactly what to expect. Over the years the record keeping requirements have increased, which I did not expect.
How far in advance plan your meals? I have 8 years of menus and keep them all in my computer. I plan my menus by the people we have onboard and how many are going to be at a certain meal. I have to plan and order 7 days in advance and I have to always order dairy and produce when we pull into a new port.
What training or experience would you suggest for high school students if they want to pursue a career as a Steward or other ocean careers? You can go the military route and go through their school for cooking. Take Home Economics in HS and work in a restaurant – that will determine if you like it or hate it.
What advice would you give young people to eat more nutritiously? Eat dinner at a table with your family and have a conversation. Don’t sit in front of the TV or play on a computer. Don’t eat out of a bag instead choose something healthy like an apple.
If you weren’t a ship’s steward, what other career would you like to have? This is my dream job! But if I didn’t cook, I would be a seamstress.
*What’s your favorite meal to prepare? Whatever someone wants to eat, is something I love to prepare.
*Do you ever run out of food? I once ran out of orange juice one year. We were in Mexico and I ordered 100 lbs. of oranges and squeezed 15 lbs each morning for fresh juice.
Do you have an outside hobby? I sew clothes – My husband and I go to Renaissance fairs and I make the costumes for that. I love old movies as well and gardening.
Where are you from? Hurley, Mississippi and I’m married and have 2 children.
What is your favorite marine animal? The edible kind, salmon!
Here is one of her favorite recipes:
Sweet Potato Cheesecake
2 cups Mashed sweet potato
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 eggs
2 lb cream cheese
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
Beat cream cheese and sugar together till light. Add eggs one at a time. Add sweet potatoes, spices and mix together. Butter a spring-form pan and dust with graham crackers. Pour mixture into pan. Bake at 325º till filling is set. Chill and serve with whipping cream.
I can’t wait to try this when we head out to sea!
Downtown Newport, RI Photo by Kevin RyanThe NOAA Vessel – Okeanos Explorer
Personal Log:
One thing that I have learned in life is that many things are not under your control and you just have to make the best of each situation and be flexible. So even though it has taken several more days to leave port than had been planned, I have had the opportunity to explore the base, visit another NOAA vessel, the Okeanos Explorer, interview several of the staff, and work on my blogs and photography. I have really enjoyed talking with the others onboard and visiting the areas around the base and in Newport, RI.
Stormy day on the Naval Base in Newport, RI
Also by postponing the sailing day, it looks like we missed the bad weather from hurricane Andrea. Friday it was raining constantly in port, so it most likely would have done the same at sea!
NOAA Corps’ Flag.
Did you know? The NOAA Corps is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. Officers work on one of NOAA’s 19 ships or 12 aircraft in support of the atmospheric and oceanic scientific research that is being carried out on these vessels.
Question of the Day?
What job would you like to have on a NOAA vessel and why?
The weather has been rather difficult here over the past day or so. Yesterday, the winds were so bad that we had to cancel fishing from our bandit reels. We had winds up to 23 knots, or about 26 miles per hour! So far today’s weather seems to be much the same, so no fishing today either.
It’s been a very wet and gray couple of days at sea.
We keep putting the camera array in the water, even though we can’t fish. But with the winds, waves, and current as strong as they are, the team has to be much more careful about getting the camera in the water and getting it back out again. The cameras are very expensive, so they have to take care that nothing happens to them. It’s been taking a couple of tries to get the boat lined up enough to get the camera array out of the water. Thus, the whole process takes much longer in the rougher weather.
This is me helping to deploy the camera array in better weather.
Since the science has been a little slower than usual, I figured that I would use today’s post to talk a little bit more about the crew in command of the Pisces, and how the ship gets to these sometimes remote places to conduct our scientific research.
The view from the bridge. Forecast: rain.
The ship’s officers come from the NOAA Corps. NOAA has its own commissioned officers, 321 in total, spread across 19 ships and 12 airplanes. I’d never known that NOAA had its own officers, so I’ve been fascinated to learn how the process works. In some ways, it’s similar to any other uniformed branch of service, with basic eligibility requirements – US citizenship, pass a medical exam, etc. There are also some that are a little more specialized to NOAA, though. For example, you need a bachelor’s degree, with at least 42 credit hours in “science, math, or engineering course work pertaining to NOAA’s missions.”
Applications are competitive, with those for the next cycle being accepted until August of this year. You have to be able to get and maintain a Secret level clearance to be a NOAA Officer, so they’re selective for a reason.
The officers have to be aware and involved with the scientific work on board. They’re responsible for putting the ship into position for the operations to occur. The scientific team selects sites for survey out here in the Gulf, but it’s the ship’s officers that put us in position to drop the camera and/or go fishing, when the weather allows. They also have to be aware of what’s going on with the science team, to make sure that our fishing lines don’t catch on the bottom of the boat, or that the cameras aren’t damaged when the deck crew raises and lowers the array.
The science only happens when everyone works together.
Personal Log
Life on a boat is different. There’s the obvious, with it taking a while to learn to walk again or with seasickness, if you’re so inclined. (I’ve been spared that misfortune so far, even with the bad weather!)
One thing unique to boats is the amount of different doors.
Doors?
There are a series of watertight doors, designed to protect the rest of the ship if a portion floods. These doors would hopefully contain any problems that occurred and keep the ship afloat. All of the doors that open to the outside are watertight.
These doors can be very loud when you open them, so you have to be careful. The ship has crew working 24 hours a day, which means there’s always someone sleeping.
In addition to the watertight doors, some of the interior doors act as fire boundaries. They’re very, very heavy – I can turn the handle and lean into them and they don’t move. It’s heavy for a reason, though. We have A60 doors on the Pisces, which have been designed to withstand an open flame for up to an hour.
Not all interior doors are fire boundaries though, just as not all doors were meant to be watertight. For example, in the hallway that leads to my bunk, the stairwell to my deck has a fireproof door but my room itself only has a “normal” door. The other end of the hallway opens up to the outside, so it has a watertight door.
I’m definitely getting a workout every time I go in and out of a room!
Did You Know?
The United Nations has a specialized agency devoted to maintaining safety in maritime shipping called the International Maritime Organization, or IMO. The IMO regulates everything from pollution from ships to the design of the ships themselves.
Mission:Ecosystem Monitoring Survey Date: 6/5/2013 Geographical area of cruise: The continental shelf from north of Cape Hatteras, NC, including Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine, to the Nova Scotia Shelf
Weather Data from the Bridge:
Time: 1800 (6 pm)
Latitude/ Longitude: 41 degrees 32 N, 71 degrees 19 W
Temperature: 19.5 C or 67 F.
Science and Technology Log:
Walkway to the Gordon Gunter. Photo by Kevin Ryan.Map of our Ecosystem Monitoring Survey.
I am currently onboard the Gordon Gunter, however we have been delayed a day due to an issue with the Automatic Steering Gear. A part was to come in today, but the wrong part was shipped (twice) so we have to remain in port for another day. We are currently at the Naval Station in Newport, Rhode Island and as soon as the part arrives, we will head up to the Gulf of Maine to start our Ecosystem Monitoring Survey. During the survey we will deploy our equipment and gather data at about 120 fixed stations and 25 random ones from the Gulf of Maine down to Norfolk, Virginia. At each station a Bongo Net (phytoplankton) and/or CTD Rosette (salinity, temperature, and density) equipment will be deployed which I will discuss in my upcoming blogs.
The de-commisioned Aircraft Carrier, Saratoga, at the Newport Naval Base. You can see the Gordon Gunter on the far right.The diesel engines on the Gordon Gunter.
The Gordon Gunter: The NOAA ship Gordon Gunter was originally built in 1989 as the U.S. Naval Ship Relentless. When first built it was designed to be used for ocean surveillance mainly hunting submarines. In 1993 it was transferred to NOAA and became the NOAA ship Gordon Gunter in 1998. Because it was built for hunting submarines, it is a very quiet ship. It runs off of four diesel generators that power all the ship’s systems, which includes the ship’s two electrical propulsion motors and bow thruster.
The Gordon Gunter is 224 feet long with five levels above the water line. It can go at a top speed of 10 knots (about 11.5 miles per hour). This does not sound very fast, but it is a good speed for completing scientific surveys (and hopefully avoiding getting seasick). Actually most of the trawling nets (like for phytoplankton) are dispatched at 3 knots (about 3.45 miles per hour). The ship also has V-Sat (very small aperture transmission) satellite to provide connection to the internet and phone communications.
Gordon Gunter Mess HallThe “Wet Lab”
The ship seems to have all the comforts of home! There is the bridge (ship navigation), observation deck, state rooms (sleeping quarters – with a total of 35 bunks), a gym, movie room, TV room, mess hall, store, laundry area, dry lab,and wet lab. The “dry lab” is essentially the computer lab and this is where data from the survey will be entered into the computer. The “wet lab” is the location of where the ocean samples will be processed.
Operations Officer, Mark Weekley, gives us a tour and discusses safety drills.
Today we took a tour of the ship and learned about some of the important safety drills that are required onboard. The three main drills are: Fire and Collision, Man Overboard and Abandon Ship. Each one has it’s own set of alarms that we need to be aware of. The day we depart (hopefully tomorrow) we will be doing one or more of these drills to make sure we are ready!
Besides the scientists onboard, there is a NOAA crew that pilots and runs the ship. The Gordon Gunter is involved in many scientific voyages along the Atlantic Coast from as far north as Nova Scotia to down south along the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. It’s home port is the Pascagoula Laboratory in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Each of these expeditions has a different scientific crew, but the ship personnel usually remains the same. This crew is essential to the smooth running of the ship and includes: Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Operations Officer, Navigation Officer, Safety Officer, Junior Officer, Engineering personnel, Deck personnel, Stewards (meal preparation), and Electronics personnel.
The Bridge – ship operations and navigation.
Personal Log:
My stateroom on the Gordon Gunter.
I am getting to learn my way around the ship and am all moved into my stateroom. I was really surprised at how large it is! I have a roommate – Kat, a graduate student, for the first leg of the trip and then Sarah, an intern, for our second leg. We will make a stop in Woods Hole, Massachusetts on June 16th to drop a few people off and welcome aboard some new ones. So far I have met several marine and bird scientists, a college volunteer, graduate student, and college intern. The science and NOAA crew are all very friendly and welcoming, but it is hard to sit here in port and am really looking forward to heading out to sea and learning all the science that I can share with my students.
Sunset outside the Gordon Gunter – waiting to leave port.
Did you know? NOAA has its beginnings in as far back as 1807, when the Survey of the Coast was started as the nation’s first scientific agency.
