Day Two on the R/V Atlantis

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Cait Goodwin

Calan Taylor is a high school teacher participating in the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program on board the R/V Atlantis. See other posts in this series using the navigation tools at right.

DAY TWO: July 15, 2019
By Calan Taylor

Stayed up too late reading. It’s easy to lose track of time on a big ship with few portholes and lots of fluorescent lights. I spoke with Melissa during breakfast. Until last year, she was a teacher and Athletic Director at Waldport High School (In the Sunset League with Bandon) and is now working on her Post Bach/Masters at Portland State. The breadth of representation onboard is impressive. The 21 folks on the science team (of which Andy and I are included) represent 5 academic institutions (UO, OSU, Portland State, Humboldt State, and UW) along with two NOAA labs, an artist from Sitka, the head of the Hatfield Marine Science Center, and the chief editor from the Newport News Times.

The day has been filled with safety/conduct meetings in the morning and scientific briefings in the afternoon. Highlights of the morning included abandon ship drills, emergency protocols, shipboard procedures and expectations, and various other general info. It was interesting to watch 20 people in various stages of sea sickness/scopolamine stupor-struggle into survival suits on a moving vessel. I felt fortunate for having had so much practice on F/V Chasina in the past.

In the afternoon we learned about the overarching goals of the research, which are to compare trophic webs in two locations. The first transect will be off of Trinity Head in Northern California where upwelling conditions are prevalent throughout the year. The second is off of Newport Oregon where upwelling conditions are seasonal, occurring mostly in the summer months. By sampling in winter and summer, they hope to address questions of how trophic relationships and spatial distributions of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and mesoplankton are affected by wind/upwelling conditions in the two locations.

One of the things that is most impressive is the amount of resources that are going into the project. To begin, it costs around $55,000 per day to operate the ship. This does not include the HOV ALVIN which is aboard, but not a part of this research. Second, each piece of equipment is a state of the art, one off, that must be handled with precision and care in potentially challenging ocean conditions. A good example is the MOCNESS (Multiple Opening and Closing Net Environmental Sampling System) which is basically a mid-water trawl similar to what you’d see in commercial fishing, but modified to catch organisms in the 100 micron range. It opens and closes five separate nets at discrete depth intervals of 20 meters, ranging from the surface to 100 meters deep.

We will work round the clock in two teams 12 hours on and 12 hours off. I have been assigned the 3am-3pm shift and we will begin tomorrow morning. I’m looking forward to seeing how this whole operation functions. First though, I’m going to head up to the weight room and get a workout.

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Calan Taylor teaches Physics, Chemistry, and Physical Science at Bandon High School and is part of the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program on the R/V Atlantis cruise taking place July 13-27, 2019. Where is the R/V Atlantis now?

Day One on the R/V Atlantis

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Cait Goodwin

Calan Taylor is a high school teacher participating in the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program on board the R/V Atlantis. See other posts in this series using the navigation tools at right.

Calan Taylor

DAY ONE: July 14, 2019
By Calan Taylor

First day on R/V Atlantis is coming to a close and I’m settled in. I showed up early and tried to check in to the wrong boat (an OSU research vessel that was docked next to the Atlantis). My wife was convinced that had to be the boat because, “The Atlantis is too nice and too big…it’s got to be the smaller one.” So I walked out the dock and introduced myself to the wrong crew who looked at me a bit bewildered… “We’re deadheading to San Diego,” they said, and pointed me in the direction of Atlantis.

R/V Atlantis

I had expected to encounter a strict set of codes/restrictions/protocols while on the boat, but the reality was much more relaxed. The crew showed me to my cabin which was nicer than I expected and then invited me to explore the ship on my own. I spent the next hour wandering around and getting lost. There are 6 levels on Atlantis and a maze of corridors that are a bit confusing. Eventually I ended up on the back deck talking to Will and Megan about their work. Will studies rockfish development and recruitment and is looking at how environmental conditions affect individuals with different growth rates. Apparently rockfish have their babies near shore but they quickly wash out to sea as larvae where they eat plankton for about a year until they are big enough to move back to the coastal regions and start preying on small fish. By counting and measuring the rings in its ear bone, he is able to see how old a juvenile fish is (in days) and how fast it is growing. Megan specializes in Ling Cod and may have some opportunities for my students and I to help her collect data from a SMURF (which is a buoy-like data collection device) that they have anchored off shore in Port Orford. Apparently she has trouble finding volunteers to work in “remote locations like Port Orford”, so we can potentially add value there. The work would involve taking a small skiff out to the offshore buoy and then free-diving on the smurf to collect samples. Sounds like some serious aquanaut stuff right? Sign me up.

R/V Atlantis

I ate lunch and dinner on board and was really impressed with the food. I had lunch with Kelly (a University of Oregon Professor) and Andy (the other RET Teacher). At dinner I sat with Bob (who is the director of the Hatfield Marine Science Center) and Sue (who runs the lab that Will and Megan work for). I was pleasantly surprised by the warmth and cordiality I received from everyone I met today. Although I had thought the boat was leaving today, it turns out we will stay in port until 7am tomorrow. We will then run south to Trinidad California and start our first transect.

After dinner (which was served at 5pm) the boat got super quiet. Most of the scientists are local so they went home to sleep in their own beds another night. I was about to head to my cabin and get back into my book when Will asked me if I wanted to go surfing. He was nice enough to loan me a board and suit and we paddled out at South Beach for a couple hours. Small summer fun, with whales spouting just off shore.

Alvin submersible

When I returned to Atlantis, I struck up a conversation with Lance, an able-bodied seaman and deckhand. He had worked in the same Southeast Alaska Salmon fishery as I had so we found we had a lot in common. He gave me a brief tour of the ALVIN submarine. Fewer than 10,000 people have ever dove in it, and he is one of them. Lance told me some cool stories about deep sea octopus, sea pigs, and other strange creatures he had encountered at 9,000 feet. We also talked a lot about his job as a deckhand on the vessel. 3 months on 3 months off…Not a bad gig. It’s always fun to find out about careers that you hadn’t considered, or even known existed.

Looking forward to tomorrow…and the open ocean.

Calan Taylor teaches Physics, Chemistry, and Physical Science at Bandon High School and is part of the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program on the R/V Atlantis cruise taking place July 13-27, 2019.

Where is the R/V Atlantis now?

Research Experiences for Teachers

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Cait Goodwin

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to join a marine science research expedition?

For the next thirteen days the Oregon Coast STEM Hub blog will be highlighting the experience of two coastal Oregon science teachers at sea: Calan Taylor and Andy Bedingfield. Calan and Andy are part of a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal of the program is to improve science educators’ general knowledge and research skills by exposing them to research. This RET program is sponsored by the Oregon Coast STEM Hub and the Hatfield Marine Science Center.

INTRODUCTION

The Ship

R/V Atlantis

From July 13-27, 2019, two RETs from the Oregon Coast will join researchers at sea on board the Research Vessel Atlantis. The R/V Atlantis is an oceanographic research vessel owned by the US Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet. Unique to the Atlantis is the fact that it is the only ship outfitted to launch Alvin – the first deep-sea submersible capable of taking crew down to the ocean floor.

The Teachers

Calan Taylor – Bandon, OR

Mr. Calan Taylor

Calan Taylor teaches Physics, Chemistry, and Physical Science at Bandon High School and assists with his school’s Surfrider club. He has been teaching high school science for 15 years in Oregon, first at Kalapuya High School in Eugene – where he taught Ecology and Natural Resource Management – and for the past 2 years at Bandon. He has a lifelong passion for Marine Ecology that started early, growing up living on sailboats, first in Massachusetts, and later in Port Townsend, WA. When he was ten years old his family attempted to sail around the world. Although they never made it past the Society Islands, he was able to spend over two years diving, fishing and sailing in some of the richest coral ecosystems on the planet. This included a month and a half on Palmyra Atoll.

After high school Calan became a commercial fisherman and spent eight years working on salmon seiners in Southeast Alaska. His skipper had a degree in Marine Biology so he was lucky enough to learn his perspective on balancing resource management and sustainable harvests. In addition to working and living on boats, Calan spends most of his free time and money traveling to explore the surf, giving Calan first-hand experience with an array of coastal marine conservation issues.

Andy Bedingfield – Lincoln City, OR

Mr. Andy Bedingfield

Andy Bedingfield has two master’s degrees: One in chemistry, and one in education. Andy worked as a research and development chemist at the Willamette Valley Company for seven years before serving four years as the Director of Outreach, Education, and Diversity for the Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry. Since 2014, he has taught high school science at Taft High School in Lincoln City.

What you may not know about Andy is that he was a professional freestyle whitewater kayaker from 1998-2003, winning the Whitewater Freestyle World Championships in Taupo, New Zealand in 1999 and in Sort, Spain in Squirt Boating in 2001.

Can you find Mr. Bedingfield in the kayak?

Coming up next…

Stay tuned for a post about the first day of the cruise… from a teacher’s perspective!

Snow Doesn’t Stop Motivated Teachers

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Cait Goodwin

By Jaime Belanger

Snow doesn’t stop motivated teachers from heading to the estuary!

What kinds of science can you study during the winter on the Oregon coast? Nine teachers braved the heavy gray skies, icy passes and a assortment of precipitation to find out. In mid-February the group of educators spent three days immersed in learning about ocean acidification and climate science at the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in Charleston. Elementary, middle and high school teachers of science, social studies, library and media and environmental education attended a Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE) workshop. The Reserve used the phenomenon of ocean acidification as an anchor to explore causes and effects of changing atmosphere on estuaries and oceans.

During the workshop, teachers participated in classroom activities and field work to tackle the complexities of climate change and ocean acidification. Understanding the science behind these issues is difficult, and educators often face additional challenges when teaching about climate change due to external factors that influence student thinking like political polarization, media bias or personal values. Workshop participants learned ways to make ocean acidification, the carbon cycle and pH more tangible and relevant to their students. In addition, they had opportunities to discuss obstacles they face in their teaching, and methods to help address some of those problems.

The teachers examined water quality trends from South Slough with Ali Helms, the Reserve’s Estuarine and Monitoring coordinator. They discussed anomalies in estuarine pH as well as recent issues with eel grass declines.

The Reserve’s Education Coordinator, Jaime Belanger, believes the best way to understand and connect with a place is full immersion, so she took the teachers out on a research cruise with Captain Knute, aboard the UO Oregon Institute of Marine Biology’s R/V Pluteus. Teachers collected plankton, measured water quality, examined benthic samples and observed the diverse wildlife that call the estuary home.

The group also had a unique opportunity to hear from Oregon State University PhD candidate Brian Erickson, who has reviewed an immense collection of ocean acidification resources, taught in classrooms and developed a curriculum for classroom teachers.

Finally, they spent a morning working through some exercises with artist and ocean historian Samm Newton. Samm asked the teachers to dig into the questions “what do we know,” “how do we know it,” and “why do we care.” Then they worked as a group to identify ways that environmental arts and humanities could strengthen ocean acidification lessons.

Teachers on the Estuary (TOTEs) are professional development workshops offered by National Estuarine Research Reserves designed to provide hands-on experience in estuary science concepts that can be applied in the classroom. Participating in a TOTE allows educators to explore coastal habitats and conduct field investigations, learn from local scientists and experienced coastal educators.

“It truly felt like a deep dive and it will definitely impact my teaching significantly.”

“There was a lot of variety; lectures, speakers, activities, field trip, boat excursion, group work and art. Which kept the pacing lively and engaging.”

The next climate TOTE workshop at South Slough will be held Jun 19-22. For more information and to register, visit the Eventbrite site

Jaime Belanger is the Education Coordinator for the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in Charleston, OR. In addition to providing professional development workshops for educators, she develops and leads students on field experiences at the Reserve throughout the year, and also works with teachers and students at their schools. South Slough NERR and UO’s Oregon Institute of Marine Biology are partners in the Oregon Coast STEM Hub.

Sun and Wind in the STEM Forecast

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Cait Goodwin

By Cait Goodwin

More than 170 elementary and middle school students converged on OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center on March 5th to compete in the 7^th annual Oregon Coast Renewable Energy Challenge hosted by Oregon Sea Grant and the Oregon Coast STEM Hub. For weeks leading up to the event, students from Lincoln City, Newport, Waldport, and Florence researched renewable energy, explored existing and emerging technologies, and worked in teams building their own model devices. At the competition, students put their wind and solar energy devices to the test to see how their devices performed.

More than 40 teams designed wind turbines and tested them in a wind tunnel to determine which device produced the most energy. Students made their turbines from materials ranging from cardboard to 3-D printed plastic; their models varied in the number, size, shape, and angle of turbine blades. In addition, 22 teams tested solar boats in outdoors water tanks to see which model traveled the fastest. A variety of boat shapes and materials were represented, with designs using everything from plastic water bottles, duct tape and cork, to cardboard.

In all, 40 science and engineering professionals volunteered at the event, helping with judging, scoring, and operating testing stations. Each student team was interviewed by a pair of Engineering Judges. Points were awarded based on student responses to questions about how the team’s device worked and their design process. The judges were impressed with the students, their designs, and their ability to explain the reasons why their device performed as it did.

Employment in the Renewable Energy sector provides high wage jobs for those with strong Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) skills. By engaging students in hands-on STEM activities with real-world connections, the Oregon Coast Renewable Energy Challenge aims to get young people excited about STEM and STEM careers.

Winners of this year’s Oregon Coast Renewable Energy Challenge are listed below. Top wind teams are invited to participate in the National KidWind Challenge in Houston, Texas in May.

2019 Oregon Coast Renewable Energy Winners:

WIND ENERGY

1^st Place Ms. Kilduff’s team #10 “Keelah & Sugar”, Crestview Heights School – Waldport

2^nd Place Ms. Saxton’s team #6 “Windwalkers” from Crestview Heights School – Waldport

3^rd Place Ms. Hill’s team #4 “Tornado Turbines” from Crestview Heights School – Waldport

SOLAR ENERGY

1^st Place Ms. LaMarche’s team #5 “Famous Four” from Taft Elementary – Lincoln City

2^nd Place Ms. LaMarche’s team #1 “The Monsters” from Taft Elementary – Lincoln City

3^rd Place Ms. McDermott’s team #3 “Orange Team” from Sam Case School – Newport

Cait Goodwin is the Communications Coordinator for the Oregon Coast STEM Hub. If you would like to share your Oregon Coast STEM education story on this blog, contact her at cait.goodwin@oregonstate.edu.

North Bend SeaPerch Competition

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Cait Goodwin

By Guest Contributor: Darren Sinko

On Saturday December 1st, the North Bend Middle School Science Club competed at the North Bend Pool in a SeaPerch Competition against a group of science students from North Bend High School.

SeaPerch is a program in which students build and operate a simple Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) which can perform tasks underwater. At a SeaPerch Competition, students maneuver their ROVs through an obstacle course or use it to retrieve objects. In the past year, three SeaPerch competitions have been held in North Bend.

SeaPerch is one of two programs on the Oregon Coast that engage students in building and competing with underwater robots. In contrast to the MATE ROV program, SeaPerch involves simpler materials and competition requirements, which makes it an attractive option for middle school educators and students.

At Saturday’s SeaPerch competition, several middle school club members distinguished themselves by winning medals in multiple events.

RESULTS

Scavenger Hunt Event

1st Place – 7th graders Orion Sinko and Beau Parrott
2nd Place – 8^th graders Payten Henderson and Gillian Baxter
3rd Place – 6^th grader Jackson Allen

Obstacle Course

1st Place – 9th grader Johnny Flanagan and Madden Robertson
2nd Place – 7th graders Orion Sinko and Beau Parrott
3rd Place – 9th grader Sadie Wolfe

Coat Hanger Scavenger Hunt

1st Place – 7^th graders Orion Sinko and Beau Parrott
2nd Place – 8^th graders Payten Henderson and Gillian Baxter
3rd Place – 6^th grader Jackson Allen

The North Bend Science Club will be hosting another SeaPerch competition in early May at the North Bend Pool. Teachers who are interested in entering their students in this competition should contact Mr. Darren Sinko at North Bend Middle School.

Read more about the North Bend SeaPerch Competition in The World Link.

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Darren Sinko teaches science at North Bend Middle School, mentors the North Bend Science Club, and coordinates the SeaPerch competition in North Bend, OR. He can be reached at dsinko@nbend.k12.or.us

North Bend School District is a partner in the Oregon Coast STEM Hub.

Students Demonstrate Power

Posted on October 18, 2018 by Cait Goodwin

By Tracy Crews

How can wind, waves, and sunlight provide coastal communities with electricity? To demonstrate the answer, Oregon coast students are invited to design models of wind, wave, and solar energy devices and bring them to the 6^th annual Oregon Coast Renewable Energy Challenge in March.

Oregon Sea Grant hosts the annual Oregon Coast Renewable Energy Challenge at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, and this year’s competition will be held on March 5, 2019. The event provides students in grades 3-12 opportunities to learn about renewable energy options that are currently being investigated along the Oregon Coast, and provides support and context for teachers seeking to integrate real-world science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in their classrooms.

At last year’s Challenge sponsored by the Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund and the Oregon Coast STEM Hub, more than 170 students brought their renewable energy devices to the HMSC Visitor Center to test in wave tanks, a wind tunnel, or under high-powered lights to see which designs produced the greatest amount of energy. In addition, 25 volunteer judges from research and industry were on site to interact with students, assess student designs, and provide feedback.

In preparation for the Challenge, students researched renewable energy, practiced the engineering design process as they developed, built and tested their prototypes, and created a marketing poster detailing the strengths and benefits of their design. At the event, students further communicated their learning by interacting with other students and adults at the competition, as well as providing an engineering presentation to a panel of volunteer judges.

According to an engineering judge who volunteered at the 2018 competition, “One strength of the Oregon Coast Renewable Energy Challenge is students’ involvement with the scientific, problem solving, and engineering design processes. And, seeing the enthusiasm and pride the students had in their work was fun!”

One teacher who brought students to last year’s competition reflected, “I appreciated the high interest and developing curiosity that purposely connects to this challenge. It touched my heart to hear youngsters using scientific vocabulary and investigations in their explanations about their engineer designs.”

Upper grade level student teams that win at the Oregon Coast Renewable Energy Challenge are invited to participate in the KidWind National Challenge, providing them the opportunity to face top wind and solar energy teams from across the US.

The Oregon Coast STEM Hub will be scheduling educator workshops for teachers and mentors along the Oregon Coast who are interested in bringing students to this year’s competition. Keep an eye on the Professional Development page of the Oregon Coast STEM Hub website for announcements of these opportunities. For more information, contact tracy.crews@oregonstate.edu.

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Tracy Crews is the Marine Education Program Manager for Oregon Sea Grant, the Student STEM Experiences Coordinator for the Oregon Coast STEM Hub, and the coordinator for the Oregon Coast Renewable Energy Challenge.

Mission Earth! Summer Camp

Posted on October 4, 2018 by Cait Goodwin

By Kama Almasi and Kara Allan

What activities make middle school students excited about learning? What topics will engage their attention? What kinds of tasks will be appreciated as both fun and meaningful? For one week last summer, we were challenged to tackle these very questions for 25 middle school students from Lincoln County School District and beyond. Our answers included: A mystery involving death and our local area, lots of hands-on activities, a couple of field trips, and a few silly games thrown in. We named our camp: Mission Earth!

Our Program

We began camp with a fictional situation in which scientists discovered a massive die-off of juvenile salmon along the Yaquina River. Oh NO! The kids brainstormed possible causes and designed tests. Their hypotheses included death from warm water temperature, disease, parasites, pollution, and much more. We then embarked on a journey of investigation and exploration with the kids. They spent the week:

Learning techniques of sampling
- biosphere (living organisms)
- atmosphere
- pedosphere (soils)
- hydrosphere (water)
Using analog and digital tools
Dissecting salmonids
Collecting data from Brian Booth State Park, two sites in Toledo, and Hatfield Marine Science Center
Learning to use a GPS (geographic positioning system)
Geocaching
Listening to a guest speaker talk about parasites and invasive species
Creating art/science journals, and made
Making fish prints
Creating barometers
Conducting experiments on pH and ocean acidification

Our goals were that students would engage in science in a fun way and experience deepened learning by making local connections with the content that were relevant to their everyday experiences. With the help of our four high school/college counselors, students were able to work in small groups throughout the week allowing for lots of active learning and close interactions with instructors and peers.

In the end, students determined that both the Yaquina River and Beaver Creek are clean, but conditions during the fictional die-off were unusually warm. The students concluded that, likely due to climate change, the water became very warm too early in the season for juvenile salmon. This either would have caused their deaths outright, or weakened them and made them susceptible to disease or parasites.

The Takeaway

There’s nothing more satisfying to a teacher than seeing her students excited and engaged in learning. Thanks to support from our sponsors, we were able to do just that for our campers. We received very positive feedback from students and parents alike, and were extremely gratified to see our kids excited about working in their local environments. They had fun and learned valuable skills that will someday allow them to contribute to their communities.

Our Partners

Mission Earth! Camp was made possible through outreach, training, and supplies from Northwest Earth and Space Sciences Pipeline (NESSP) and considerable logistical aid from the Oregon Coast STEM Hub. In addition, we received generous donations from the Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund and Thermo Fisher Scientific. NESSP is an offshoot of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that serves communities in the Pacific Northwest. In particular, they aim to strengthen STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education and interest in careers by giving educators and students access to innovative materials that will excite and engage student interest in STEM. The Confederated Tribes of Siletz created a charitable fund in 1999, and since then, has donated millions of dollars to charitable funds for education, natural resources, and much more. Thermo Fisher Scientific Corporation also has a philanthropic fund through which they help to strengthen STEM education with the goal of increasing the STEM workforce in the United States. All of this generous support enabled us to offer a free environmental camp to improve equity and access for local students and parents.

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Kama Almasi and Kara Allan are Community Curriculum Resource Liaisons (CCRLs) for Lincoln County School District, and they are also the Central Coast Coordinators for the Oregon Coast STEM Hub.

What is it like to be part of a science party?

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Cait Goodwin

By Tracy Crews

The R/V Oceanus is a 177-foot research vessel owned by the National Science Foundation and run by Oregon State University. She can carry a crew of 24 which consists of 11 crew members of the ship and 13 members of the science party. The science party on the recent STEM research cruise was composed of two high school students, three high school teachers, two community college students, two graduate students, and four OSU researchers. Most of these cruise participants were complete strangers to one another prior to boarding the ship.

What is it like to be part of a science party at sea?

Although we are at sea to conduct marine science, each cruise is a social science experiment in and of itself. When a group of individuals with diverse backgrounds are living and working together in a confined space, they quickly learn how to get along and what skill sets each bring to the table. During this cruise, it was amazing to see how quickly friendships formed, how everyone encouraged and supported one another, and how the team functioned like a well-oiled machine to deploy and retrieve equipment, collect data, and troubleshoot problems.

Below are a few thoughts about the relationships formed on this cruise. It was written by Oregon Coast Community College student Jason Miranda, a recent graduate of the Drone Academy at Career Tech High School in Lincoln City, and the official drone operator for this cruise.

Aboard the Oceanus is one trip I will never forget. The memories started when I first boarded the ship and met the people I would spend the next six days with. It was an awkward experience, meeting new people, but as time passed these people became close friends. We all worked, ate, and relaxed as a team.

It was an amazing experience to see all the sights I saw, like a pod of dolphins, two killer whales, countless humpbacks, and the beautiful views of downtown Portland. It would not have been the same without any of them aboard this ship. As we all started to leave I felt sad because I knew I would not be able to see many of them ever again, but I guess that’s what makes our memories together so special.

The R/V Oceanus is back in Newport, and the teachers and students who participated in the cruise are back to their normal lives on land (although at least one participant reports that it feels like the floor is still rocking). Many thanks to all who participated and to to those who made this STEM experience possible!

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Tracy Crews is the Marine Education Program Manager for Oregon Sea Grant, the Student STEM Experiences Coordinator for the Oregon Coast STEM Hub, and the Principal Investigator for the STEM research cruise which took place last week on the R/V Oceanus.

This cruise was funded by Oregon Legislative funds with additional support from Oregon Sea Grant and Oregon State University.

Drones, Plankton, and Orcas: Day Four on the Oceanus

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Cait Goodwin

By Sara Pursel
Science Teacher at Taft High School in Lincoln City, OR

This post is part of a series about the 2018 STEM research cruise taking place this week on board the R/V Oceanus. Other posts in this series include a report from PI Tracy Crews on Day One and Day Three, and a post from high school student Alishia Keller from Day Two.

Drone footage captures data about whales

Wednesday was our fourth and final day conducting the research portion of the Oceanus STEM cruise. We began in the morning off the coast of Washington, surveying for marine mammals as both the wind and weather were cooperating for visibility. The goal of the day was to get additional drone footage of the Humpback whales as they surfaced. Fairly early in the day we encountered a group of at least five individual whales and were able to successfully complete two drone flights to obtain footage of the animals. Our drone operator recently graduated from the Drone Academy at Career Tech High School with his pilot’s license and has been collaborating with the chief scientist onboard, Dr. Leigh Torres, to capture overflight video of whale for photogrammetry analysis, which helps assess body condition or overall health.

During one early whale sighting, we also had a solitary sea lion and a sea turtle right in front of the bow of the ship. The sea bird activity picked up as well, demonstrating how cold Pacific Northwest waters provide a favorable habitat for many types of marine animals.

Before lunch we conducted another plankton tow in order to obtain some samples to help with the education outreach effort that will be happening once we dock in Portland. While we didn’t catch as much in volume compared with the night tows, one of the students on board did attach a camera to view the organisms entering the tow net. The tow brought up a jelly with a bell size of approximately 18 cm (7 inches) in diameter as well as more krill, copepods (tiny crustaceans), a ctenophore (comb jelly), amphipods (more tiny crustaceans), a siphonophore (also related to jellies), and several other species. The video footage of the tow captured the jelly, ctenophore, and many other interesting images, including the flow meter stopping and starting as the ship moved over the ocean swells.

As we made our way south towards Oregon waters, three Orcas (killer whales) crossed our path and we diverted our trip to observe the animals for a while. I was working on this blog post when the boat stopped suddenly and several of us raced outside after putting on our PFDs (personal flotation devices – safety first) to get a glimpse of the animals. The head marine mammal researcher identified one adult male and hypothesized the other two were possibly juvenile males given their size. Most of the rest of the day was spent cleaning up, sharing files of data, pictures, and videos, and preparing for the next two days in Portland.

Marine education has been a passion of mine since I was a kid, and this experience has given me a new perspective and appreciation of what researchers do to gather data. While on the ship I have been sharing brief stories and a few pictures and videos with my students back home and have had a chance to answer some of their questions regarding equipment and marine life. I’ve learned so much on this research cruise that I can share with my students for years to come, and I will be able to connect them with researchers and opportunities in the future thanks to my time here.

Orcas

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Sara Pursel teaches science at Lincoln County School District’s Taft High School in Lincoln City, Oregon. She holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology with Chemistry minor, and a Masters of Education degree. In addition to joining this STEM research cruise, Sara has participated Oregon Coast STEM Hub professional development trainings and has checked out materials from the STEM Hub resource trailer.

Calan Taylor is a high school teacher participating in the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program on board the R/V Atlantis. See other posts in this series using the navigation tools at right.

DAY TWO: July 15, 2019 By Calan Taylor

Calan Taylor is a high school teacher participating in the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program on board the R/V Atlantis. See other posts in this series using the navigation tools at right.

DAY ONE: July 14, 2019 By Calan Taylor

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to join a marine science research expedition?

INTRODUCTION

The Ship

R/V Atlantis

The Teachers

Calan Taylor – Bandon, OR

Andy Bedingfield – Lincoln City, OR

Coming up next…

2019 Oregon Coast Renewable Energy Winners:

RESULTS

DAY TWO: July 15, 2019
By Calan Taylor

DAY ONE: July 14, 2019
By Calan Taylor