Week 4: USFSP The Weather Bird II (Chad McKendrick II)

This weeks host university was University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus. During this week we were able to explore this water front university and their outstanding resources and opportunities for education and growth of a student. The highlight of this week was our 14 hour voyage on the R/V Weatherbird II. During this voyage we were able to receive rare hands on experience in data collection and being active ship hands. All to provide a better understanding of the lengths in which marine scientists will go to uncover the mysteries of the Gulf of Mexico from which they sail and the oceans world wide.

While aboard the Weatherbird we were all assigned stations in which we learned to operate different tools for data collection and analysis. The stations were the Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV), Conductivity Temperature and Depth (CTD) device, Plankton towing nets, Otter trawling, and the Cape Town dredge. I will be discussing my two favorites, the Otter trawl and the ROV. 

During this voyage we had the rare opportunity to operate a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) and see this phenomenal tool in action. The ROV was equipped with a built in camera with a live stream feeding back on the ship. Using this tool we were able to see the sea floor in a way that dreading and trawling could not show. Using this tool we were able to view the animals and other organisms in their natural setting with little disturbance and reduced stress levels. operation this piece of equipment proved to be challenging for me. It was similar to a video game controller but a tad bit more sensitive on the controls which might take more than 30 seconds to master. I personally enjoyed it and hope to use it again in the future.

The Otter trawl net was my all time favorite use of species collection. Essentially, it is a large net with 2 wooden frames, "Doors" which keep it open wide, a cod end, and Turtle Exclusion Device (TED). I enjoy this method of collection because it provides a large pool of species to work with and draw inspiration from. With every organism that is pulled up comes a plethora of questions and interesting stories of the roll in which each organism plays. This method is a bit of an adrenaline rush, as you put your hand into the water to draw out different fish and organisms, your heart is pounding for the unknown. On this trip we were stung by hydrazoans, which comes with the territory of this method and adds to the mystery ride. We hypothesize that the hydrazoans were microscopic and resting on a sponge or algae and were startled by the net pulling them up and moving them into a new water source. This caused them to release their stinging cells in defense, which in most species does not harm humans. These however, packed quite a punch; giving us a vital lesson in the trade of "Sucking it up and getting the job done". Even it was a bit painful, we were still able to identify many different species of organisms and have a blast while doing it. 

Being on this voyage opened my eyes to a new face of science that is inviting, challenging, breathtaking, and a thrill of a life time. I know now that this is something I would be thrilled to do as a researcher, pushing me one step closer to finding what I would like to master in. The major take away I received from this trip was, although life may throw something at you that stings and makes you uncomfortable it is a sign of growth. Growth and comfortably are never in the same room, so get comfortable being uncomfortable and seize what makes it so.