What am I doing here?

While you all were on vacation last week and on Monday, I was working hard and learning, learning, learning. On Sunday, our workshop began at 11:00 and we spent the day learning about the NPRB (North Pacific Research Board) history, and wealth of resources from the many scientists it funds. We reviewed a lot of online resources, began to collaborate on integrating Bering Sea Science into a cohesive whole.

There are teachers here from small villages that border the Bering Sea including Mrs. Tonia Kushin, the science teacher that I have been working with for the past three years. We met and picked up exactly where we had left off. Our remote controlled underwater sampler is ready, but now it is time to set up an exchange of data and problem solve ways the vehicle is going to sample the ocean.

We are lucky to have this collaboration and an idea of where we want to explore in these next few days. There is so much that has been discovered since I was on the Healy 3 years ago!

On Monday, we teachers presented what we had done with our research experience from the Bering Sea. Really excellent teachers from Maryland, to Arizona shared lessons and experiences of teaching others about global climate change in the Bering Sea. We also had researchers and scientists from the Bering Sea share their latest research with us. My head was spinning there was so much to think about.

We learned about sea ice melting, and melt water. Diatoms and cotton candy phosphates. Murre eggs symmetry and uniqueness and krill. Earth workshops and FEAST, BEST, BSERP, NSF, NMML, MATE, GLOBE, and a kazillion other letters that spell out special scientific research missions or education programs. We learned from climatologists, and physicists, biologists and program managers.

My job is going to use these wonderful resource people, combine them with what I already do and know, to help you learn better, so that you will be prepared to take over the world and solve all these major environmental problems that are affecting the Earth.

Got it? Good!