Geographic Area of Cruise: North Atlantic Ocean, Slope Sea
Date: July 24, 2025
Conclusion Log
On my first day sailing aboard NOAA Ship Pisces, I stood on the treadmill with my head held high. “I got this,” I told myself while setting my usual running metrics.
The treadmill was bolted down on the lower deck. Tucked among the engine systems.
It smelled like metal and salt. The air felt like a humid Texas summer: warm and dense.
“You’ve been training these past few months,” I reminded myself. “This will just be another run.” A few seconds in, I stumbled. Hard. The treadmill hadn’t budged… but I sure did! I’d swerved off and landed (thankfully feet first) on the floor.
Fast forward to my final days at sea: I’d completed consecutive 5K runs on that same treadmill. Boy… it wasn’t easy. But neither were the science mission nor my time at sea, and that’s where the reflection begins.
Just completed a run.
Celebrated the achievement.
Stretched and cool off on the flying deck.
I’ve been thinking about how much my time at sea mirrored my time on the treadmill. Here are five takeaways from running at sea; and what they taught me about science and teaching.
Accept help. You’re also a learner.
Next to the treadmill was a fan. During my runs, engineer crew members would pass by on their rounds and turn it on. They checked in (made sure I was cooling off) and reminded me I wasn’t doing this alone.
When I began the Teacher at Sea program, I had no experience with NOAA fisheries research or oceanography. I’d never lived on a ship. Let alone been out in deep water.
Every part of the mission, from scientific terminology to ship protocol and living, was unfamiliar.
Although, I wasn’t expected to know it all, my science team was patient. Like any great teacher, they scaffolded the learning: they explained terms, modeled procedures, and gradually released responsibility until I could confidently take on the tasks myself. To be among top scientists in their field. To feel welcomed, supported, and taught… was humbling.
All crew members aboard Pisces didn’t just show me the ropes. They reminded me that learning never stops.
I was a student again and that was a powerful place to be.
Begin steadily, avoid burnout.
There were moments, especially early on, when I wanted to try and do everything, even after my 12-hour shifts. I went from 0-100 fast, thinking that was the way to show commitment. A few days in, I was hit hard by exhaustion.
The same lesson applied to my runs. I’d start too fast and burn out too early.
Eventually, I learned to pace myself, both on and off the treadmill. I set boundaries, made time for rest, and remembered that sustainability matters more than speed.
I learned that I could be more helpful, more present, and more productive when I prioritized well-being.
Stay flexible.Conditions will change.
Shout-out to Emily Susko (program coordinator) for helping making this experience possible before, during, and even after the sail. Her patience reminded me that plans shift, even with the best preparation.
As a teacher, I know this well: you can write the perfect lesson plan, but students and life will take it in different directions.
The same applies at sea. From unpredictable weather to equipment delays, we had to adapt constantly.
Not everything was in our control but our responses and mindsets were. Flexibility didn’t mean lowering expectations. It meant adjusting our mindset and staying ready for the unexpected.
Even on the treadmill. It was calm and cool on some days but rocky and shaky on others. Eventually, I adapted, adjusted my balance, and kept going.
Stay grounded in your “Why.”
Our mission was to survey larval bluefin tuna. Some stations yielded many while others, none. But each time mattered.
We weren’t focused on isolated results but were focused on contributing to the larger scientific picture.
There were lonely moments at sea. I missed land, my family, and friends. But I reminded myself why I was there: my students back home. This “why” connected my work at sea with my work in the classroom, and kept me grounded.
Whether I was preserving fish samples or logging data at 2 AM, I knew I was part of something bigger that would outlast the sail itself.
Remain curious and humble.
One of the most memorable moments came after a shift. It was a quiet night. The storm had calmed, winds had slowed down, and Pisces‘s lights had dimmed. I walked out to the back deck alone.
Nothing surrounded me but ocean. I looked up and saw the Milky Way. Lots of stars above while I was surrounded by nothing but the ocean. I paused, stunned by the beauty. My mind loaded with curiosity and with many questions.
That moment was a reminder that there’s so much I don’t know. So much to still wonder about. And that wonder is a gift I’ll bring back to my students.
I will come home with the renewed motivation to bring the ocean back to my school community, not just through facts, but through curiosity. I want students to look at the world, land, sea, or sky, and feel and then share that same awe.
I’m grateful to NOAA’s Teacher at Sea Program for reminding me that learning is lifelong, and that the unknown is not something to fear… but to explore.
As educators, we wear many hats: teacher, learner, mentor, student. At sea, I was all of them. For that, I thank all crew members aboard who made this mission possible:
Of course… I can’t forget the science crew:
Chief Scientist Dave Richardson
Allison Black
Chrissy Hernández
Autumn Moya
Amanda Jacobsen
Kristen Walter
Elisabeth (Betsy) Broughton
Sarah Glancy
The science crew aboard NOAA Ship Pisces for the larval bluefin tuna mission.
Science crew: I’ll carry everything I’ve felt, seen, heard, and learned from y’all with me into every lesson I teach.
Until next time, everyone…
thank you for following my sea journey!
If you’re an educator interested in this opportunity, I highly encourage you to apply for the 2026 sail season.
NOAA Teacher at Sea Kiersten Newtoff Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces January 6 – January 27, 2025
Mission: Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS) Geographic Area of Cruise: North Atlantic Coast Date: February 3, 2025
Nearly every blog post was an interview with a group of folks working towards a common goal. Well, for this final post, I’ll interview myself (I’m sure there’s a literary term for this, but alas, English was never my best subject) about how it all went! Also, I hate actually talking about myself, so when someone in real life asks me about the trip, I can just tell them to come here. Plus they get pretty pictures. We all win.
What was your favorite interview? (asked by Rob!)
Honestly, I can’t even remember my answer when Rob asked, but it probably wasn’t that insightful. But now that I am home and reflecting, I think all my interviews with the quietest people on the ship were the best. Once we started talking one on one, so many people opened up about their journey and had great advice for people interested in the field. One memorable moment was with Tom, one of the engineers, who I literally had not even heard him say a word to anyone (partly because he wasn’t around at dinner due to his shift, partly because I don’t pay attention). I just went up to him during lunch and asked “Hi, I’m interviewing everyone on the ship and was wondering if we could chat later” to which he just started talking to me about his time in maritime school and how his class would go tutor at the local high school and tell them about the maritime trade! Like bro, I am not prepared for this yet. We did catch up later and I learned even more cool stuff about him. A lot of the crew kind of just minded to themselves or with their smaller crew, but I am glad I kind of forced myself into each ‘group’ and learned from everyone. It definitely strengthened our relationships throughout the trip. Many people had sailed together for years and learned about each other from my blog! It was cool to hear that I got to share their stories.
How big was the boat?
I’m getting this question a lot, but this was my first legit boat ride, so I have very little frame of reference. Smaller than a Carnival cruise ship. Bigger than a yacht on Below Deck. From the engine area, it takes 7 flights of stairs to get to the flying bridge. Here, take a look at the picture, me for scale.
Kiersten standing in front of the NOAA Ship Pisces. Boat is big, Kiersten is small.
Did you know anyone?
Nope! I had lots of mutual connections with folks though! Yin and I shared a connection with someone I went to graduate school with, I had a student in 2013 who ended up working with Rob in California, and someone I met recently who works 5 minutes from my house was a close colleague and (current! friend!) of Allison’s. The ecology world is small!
What was the coolest thing you saw?
I’m not a very decisive person and am really bad at superlatives. So here’s the top 4:
Seeing North Atlantic Right Whales, some of the rarest and most endangered whale species in the world, off the coast of Virginia Beach
It snowing, and sticking, on the deck
Tons of water spouts forming and breaking up
Being outside in a T-shirt while in the Gulf Stream
North Atlantic Right Whale. NEFSC permit #27066.Water SpoutSea Snowman (Cred Annamaria)
How was the motion sickness?
If you haven’t read the Ode to Scopolamine, you’re missing out on my finest work. But after three weeks, it was mostly “fine.” I only puked once, but had a few instances where I decided being horizontal was in my best interest. At night though, rocking softly in bed – I understand why waterbeds were a thing. The nights where things are crashing around and you are getting airborne while sleeping, not as pleasant. But the meds really helped, thank you modern medicine.
What was living on the boat like?
I was in a bunk room, with the best roommate Tasha. She was mama bear and was always looking out for me when I needed to be horizontal. She was also so fun to work with on deck and she is just a cool person. (But also a literally cool person, we had low key thermostat wars fueled by love). We had three cooked meals a day and limitless snacks (when all the chips weren’t being stolen!) and dessert. I learned you are not allowed to work out in the galley, but that it is also the roomiest place on the ship, so I exercised only 1.5 times. I’d rank boat living 5/7.
What did you learn?
Literally everything. Everything about this experience was brand new to me, except that I knew maybe 20% of the seabirds. Although my master’s was in marine biology, my research was on ecotoxicology of Brown Pelicans, which aren’t around this area this time of year. They have the right idea and hang out in the Caribbean. All the science was new, the boat living was new, the struggling to stand was new. Every day I learned new science or new boat things.
One of the ways I really felt like part of the team was going into the acoustics lab and seeing this new snazzy screensaver. I pointed it out to everyone that day. (original pic taken by Kelsey).
What do you do now?
My commitment to NOAA Teacher at Sea isn’t over! While the blog portion is done, the main goal of the program is to disseminate to students the important research by NOAA. I am working on a lesson plan for students that I will be test running in Fall 2025 when I return from sabbatical. I used to do a population sampling lab on grid paper and students learned about and tested the accuracy of different population estimation techniques: point, transect, quadrat, and mark and recapture sampling. I am adapting this activity a bit to actually apply the AMAPPS protocol where students will have to consider a sampling technique, and then how to actually implement it given X amount of time at sea, the need for Y conditions, and following an observational protocol Z. The chief scientist Debi developed a map for me to use with students that shows the North Atlantic with contour lines that students can use to develop their sampling regions based on 6 species of concern I provide them. I’m excited to test this out with students! I’ll also be presenting at the Maryland Collegiate STEM Conference to community college faculty about the NOAA Teacher at Sea experience and with students about all of the careers they can pursue with NOAA. And the program also has an alumni organization to keep previous teachers connected with each other and with the organization!
The other thing that really made me feel like part of the team was making it into Ian’s meme of the day. Peak.
Who do you want to thank?
Well of course, my mom, who has always believed in me for all the random things I pursue! Of course, the NOAA Teacher at Sea program for hosting this incredible experience for 35 years! And thank you to everyone who had to approve me to join this cruise – which I’m sure Commander Kliewer and Debi had a bit of say in that! Everyone on the ship who let me bother them with my questions and to everyone who made me feel like one of the team, even when I was clearly an outsider. The people made this trip. The experience was fun, but the people were it.(But I swear, I’m not an extrovert).
So long, and thanks for all the (whales).
PS. Do you feel like you missed a blog post or 10? Here’s a quick index to all of them.
Mission: 2023 Summer Acoustic-Trawl Survey of Walleye Pollock in the Gulf of Alaska
Geographic Area of Cruise: Islands of Four Mountains area, to Shumagin Islands area Location (in port, Kodiak Island): 57o 47.0200′ N, 152o 25.5543′ W
Date: June 22, 2023
TAS Laura Guertin and a pollock!
I’m wrapping up my time on NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson. There was so much that went in to getting out to sea for this expedition, and so many people that did so much work pulling for me and coordinating all the logistics before I joined Dyson (starting in 2020!), during my time at sea, and I’m sure after I leave the ship. Thank you to the wonderful people in the NOAA Teacher At Sea Office (Jennifer, Emily, Britta) and for giving me an opportunity to sail as a Teacher At Sea Alumna in 2023.
While waiting to board Oscar Dyson in 2022 during my first trip to Alaska, I prepared several blog posts that provided a background to NOAA, NOAA Fisheries, fisheries surveys, etc. With my undergraduate students in mind as my audience, I wanted to start the posts at the broadest scale and have the content easily utilized in multiple courses that I teach. As I authored these posts from Alaskan hotel rooms in 2022 and in 2023 and not while on the ship, they do not contain personal logs. Again, I thank the Teacher At Sea Program for giving me this flexibility in having one post that captures my personal log from the shortened expedition and keeping the “academic” focus for the prior content.
I’m trained as a geoscientist. During and after my studies in marine geology and geophysics, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in fieldwork in expeditions that have lasted hours to days to weeks to months. Although I think I know what it takes to live/work at sea, I’m reminded of new challenges on new ships in new ocean basins. It is so important as an educator that I take advantage of opportunities to get out to sea for my own professional development and to remind myself of what to share with students and community members when I present the story of what we did during our time at sea. I know I sound like a broken record – I’ve written these same words before. But that doesn’t mean these points are less important!
First topic of reflection – the people
This expedition had 32 people on board, which included the science party, bridge crew, stewards, engineering, deck, electronics technicians, and survey. The people on Oscar Dyson were born/raised and live in parts across the United States. Some people were sailing on a NOAA ship for the first time, and a few people were working for their first time on the ocean! We all have different backgrounds and training and personalities. In a way, I feel like stepping on to Oscar Dyson was like joining a game of Yahtzee – put all of these people together, shake us up (by sending us out to sea), and see what rolls out. Fortunately, during this “game”, everybody was a winner. On this 208.6-foot long ship, everyone has a purpose and function, and we must all work together to accomplish our research goals and the mission of the expedition. And to be successful, this group was supportive, understanding, respectful, took the time to listen, and made sure to laugh and smile through everything we faced.
Departing Kodiak aboard NOAA Ship OscarDyson
Next topic – the work
The schedule is very different than one I keep as an instructor. At home, I know the days/times I’m teaching, and I have a calendar to organize meetings and personal appointments. I’m pretty much in charge and in control of my own schedule. At sea, it’s not “me” but “we” when it comes to all day, each and every day. There are no weekends or holidays off. We work 12-hour shifts (mine was 4AM to 4PM) during the entire expedition. Once you leave your room at the start of your shift, you can’t go back to your room until your shift is over (you are sharing a room with someone that works a different shift than you, so the room is theirs during your work time).
But you are plenty busy during your 12 hours! There can be downtime as the ship transits to a site to begin data collection, and the weather can cause a change of plans for where you are headed and what work you can do. High winds, rainstorms, cold air temperatures, the ship rolling and heaving… we faced it all during our 13 days at sea.
And this work is hard! It is a balance of the physical demands faced by the deck crew setting the trawl net, and those working in the fish lab to furiously and accurately process the catch brought on board, and everyone ensuring that safety is a top priority at all times. The Chief Scientist working in the ship’s acoustics laboratory and all the NOAA Corps Officers working on the bridge must balance the scientific mission with the realities of our present situation – is there too much ship traffic to “go fishing” and set out the trawl net? Are there whales or other marine mammals in the vicinity? Is the wind speed too high for us to operate safely?
Everything on Oscar Dyson operates at a different pace and schedule from back home. Fortunately, we are able to balance out our time in the laboratories with taking short breaks to view beautiful sunrises and do some whale watching. Again, it is the amazing group of people on this ship, from the seasoned sailors to those doing fisheries work for the first time, that come together to mentor and support one another. They all make the work not seem like “work” but instead a really enjoyable and exciting time, knowing our efforts are making a difference for sustainable fisheries.
TAS Laura Guertin in the Gulf of Alaska
Final topic – what comes next
My time on Oscar Dyson has provided me an amazing opportunity and wealth of information about a field where I have had no training. Now that Leg 1 of the 2023 Summer Survey has wrapped up, I’m reminded of a popular saying from one of my graduate school faculty members – “so what?”
“So what?” stands for a family of questions or an attitude that leads to consideration of the broader significance of specific studies. These kinds of questions are particularly useful in descriptive research because, often, one can get so absorbed in collecting, organizing, and analyzing observations one forgets to consider the implications of the results. — Ginsburg (1982), Seeking Answers; suggestions for students
This “so what” piece is something I will spend even more time in the future thinking about. The “so what” of the survey is clear – NOAA does an excellent job explaining what sustainable fisheries are and why it matters (see my previous blog posts). But I still need to do a better job of figuring out how to connect the dots – the endpoints being what we do on the water (and the data we collect) to the production of the annual Status of Stocks and other products NOAA uses to inform the ecosystem management. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the primary law that governs marine fisheries management in federal waters, is also something I want to get up to speed on.
In addition, I need to think about defining the “so what” for the various audiences I will be sharing my at-sea experience. I have more NOAA resources to explore, such as The NOAA Fisheries Distribution Mapping and Analysis Portal (DisMAP) and The Fisheries One Stop Shop (FOSS) Public Data Portal. I will certainly be looking for other resources to pull in to my materials for students and presentations to the public, ranging from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to episodes of The Fisheries Podcast. I also look forward to exploring more resources on diversity and representation in fisheries science, with articles catching my eye: Women Leaders Are Essential for Tackling Ocean Sustainability Challenges (Fisheries Magazine, 2023) and Examining Diversity Inequities in Fisheries Science: A Call to Action (BioScience, 2016).
So my learning is not done! The sharing of my adventure and new knowledge is only beginning, and I look forward to sharing my pollock survey stories to not only positively impact the ocean literacy of my audiences, but to show how NOAA’s fishery work helps us address the Ocean Decade Challenges (part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development).
As a teacher, I am constantly involved in professional development activities which could take the form of a presentation, workshop, seminar, book study or immersive educator experiences such as NOAA Teacher at Sea. At the end of each offering, whether I am required to or not, I take it upon myself to consider its impact on me as an educator and reflect upon how the take-home messages will impact my students. Because of the wide-ranging facets and extensive learning opportunities provided by the Teacher at Sea cruise, I took particular interest in drafting my reflections. It was an experience that I spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about and an activity that I looked forward to reflecting upon. However, just to be clear, reflections in my definition is not a concise and cogent summary of the activities that occurred while on cruise. This is what was presented in each prior post of my blog. Rather, my reflection represents a “30,000-foot overview” of my interpretation and evaluation of the experience.
As I prepared the text for the reflections of my Teacher at Sea cruise, I opted to adapt the words to photos of scenic views taken from onboard the R/V Tommy Munro and threaded the images together in a video presentation.
Reflections of my Teacher at Sea Experience
Reflections of a Teacher at Sea George Hademenos SEAMAP Groundfish Survey
As I gaze in any direction at the seemingly endless volumes of ocean, I see questions… questions to be answered and answers to be questioned, questions to be formed and questions to be researched, questions that will inspire one to learn beyond imagination… with answers that will foster an understanding deep within… of the unexplored frontier of marine life below the water’s surface. Questions to me present an opportunity… to celebrate what we know and to stimulate our quest to discover what we don’t. As a NOAA Teacher at Sea, I will return to the classroom with… questions waiting to be answered, answers waiting to be investigated, and hopefully career paths in ocean sciences waiting to be pursued.
I hope you enjoy the video and for my educator colleagues, please consider taking advantage of this “once in a lifetime” opportunity for you and your students.
In wrapping up the final post for this blog, I would like to continue with the final installment of my exercise of the Ocean Literacy Framework and ask you to respond to three questions about the seventh essential principle (The ocean is largely unexplored), presented in a Padlet accessed by the following link:
Remember, there are no right or wrong answers – the questions serve not as an opportunity to answer yes or no, or to get answers right or wrong; rather, these questions serve as an opportunity not only to assess what you know or think about the scope of the principle but also to learn, explore, and investigate the demonstrated principle. If you have any questions or would like to discuss further, please indicate so in the blog and I would be glad to answer your questions and initiate a discussion.
72.5 North latitude: This past week we had 3-4 days of below freezing temperatures (27) with snow showers
Nome, Alaska: (8/25/18) Departing temperature 51 and cloudy
Contoocook/Hopkinton, NH: First day of school Tuesday (8/28/18)- Forecast 94 degrees Mostly Sunny (did I mention we don’t have air conditioning in New Hampshire?)
Ashore and I am headed back to NH
After completing our work in our most Northern point stop, we steamed back to Nome with just one more set of measurements on the way back, then had one final day of travel. It was sunny on the first day back but rougher seas than we had experienced thus far.
Rough Seas
There were estimated 8-12 ft waves and some even larger that crashed over the Healy. To the right is a picture that I captured of the bow during this portion of our trip and the rocky seas. Keep in mind that for most of the day we were lucky enough to be on the front deck of the boat! After the waves calmed we were in the fog for most of the way home so spotting more whales and seals was difficult.
Cruise Summary
In short, the trip was a success with the tremendous amount of data collected. This data will now be analyzed by scientists and students and I hope to see some scientific papers on this research in the future. Here is a list of what was done on this trip:
31 mooring deployments and 24 mooring recoveries
(To review what the work involved in this see my blog: Moorings all day
In addition to the above, there were many (I don’t have the exact count) Van Veen Grabs. I did not get to explain these in a blog so here is a quick overview. Scientists that study the sea floor, including the top layer of soil called the benthic zone, use a VanVeen Grab Sampler pictured below. It is lowered to the sea floor and then the scissor-like arms close the catch capturing a hunk of the sea floor and everything that was living on it. Once on shore the catch is rinsed through a sieve until all the clay is rinsed away leaving just the organisms that were living there (such as mollusks, clams, starfish, worms and more) and a few stones.
Van Veen Grab Sampler process
The scientists on the team also took HAPS core samples. I did not get to explain these in a blog so here is a quick overview. The HAPS corer, pictured below, is a gravity corer. This is a device that is lowered to the sea floor and then the weight of the device settles into the sea floor. When the HAPS corer is lifted, the bottom of the tube containing the cut into sediment closes, trapping the sample. These samples are then stored in clear tubes as shown in the picture. Scientists can examine sentiment layers to gain a better understanding of the sea floor at that location by studying the sedimentary layers.
HAPS corer
HAPS core samples stored in tubes
All this above data has been copied and specimens are stored. The primary focus of this trip was to gather data and now the long process of analyzing and communicating the results will begin.
Cruise Reflections
This was such a great opportunity for me to meet so many different scientists and to both observe and assist the varied scientific studies occurring all at once. I needed all three weeks to get a handle on it all. I am looking forward to sharing what I have learned with my Maple Street School students back in New Hampshire and following the scientific studies as they move forward. Thanks to NOAA, Maple Street School, everyone else that allowed this learning opportunity to happen. It was a summer I will not forget experiencing a ship crash through ice in August! I leave you with some of the reflections of the birds I captured on those calmer days at sea.
The tufted puffin is not all that graceful at taking off. (below)
The tufted puffin is not all that graceful at taking off.
