Week one at UNF was the perfect start to this course. It put us in the field right away and while I didn't enjoy every single activity (i.e trudging through the mud on mangrove day), I did truly love getting to experience tagging sharks, taking water quality measurements from a boat, surveying for alligators at night, and touring the beaches of my hometown. Dr. Smith was and is amazing, and is truly one of my favorite professors at UNF by far.
Week two was the most physically challenging week of all. We spent it at the Keys Marine Lab. We snorkeled A LOT. Every day, 2-3 times a day for 4 days straight, they threw us in the ocean to look at various coral, seagrass beds, and fish species. Seeing the animals up close was for sure one of the highlights of the trip, but doing it as often and as intensely as we did took a toll on our bodies. That being said, nothing beats watching the sun rise and set over Florida Bay from the balcony of our apartment at KML, watching a nurse shark swim by you, or seeing the sunlight reflect off the vibrant scales of a parrotfish as it feeds from the reef.
Week three at Vester had its pros and cons. Pros: I got to share a room with Dom and Abby who are the best roommates I could ask for. Even though our toilet didn't work and everyone stole dishes from our kitchen when it was time to cook dinner, we had a lot of fun. Cons: Oyster beds hurt, filamentous algae is gross, and I like birds but not enough to sit there and count them for an hour. Black skimmers counted: 35 (inside joke).
Week four was USFSP week with Dr. Judkins. The highlight of the week was of course going on the Weatherbird II. The views from the top deck as we sailed into the gulf were beautiful. We saw dolphins and sea turtles out in the open ocean, which to me never gets old. The real work didn't truly start until about 3PM. Taking all those samples and sorting and identifying all the fish and inverts was super hectic but it was an incredible experience to get to be on a real research vessel doing real scientific work and seeing what it's like to do it for a living. Also, Dr. Judkins is one of the best professors ever. Kind of like Dr. Smith, she knows exactly what she's talking about and she wants to make sure you also know what you're talking about. She cares about you learning as much as you can.
Which brings us to this week - week five: the final stop at UWF. This was the week we took all the water quality data we've been collecting over the semester and compiling it into final presentations. Monday through Wednesday were dedicated to field trips and collecting water quality samples from all over Pensacola Bay. We took more samples this week than we had at any other location. Thursday was dedicated to analyzing data and creating our projects and Friday was for final touches and presentation day. If I had to change something about this week for future classes it would be to cut one of the field days from this week to dedicate to working on the projects. Some groups were still getting their final data Friday morning and the short notice affected the quality of their presentations. Overall tough, everyone's project came out great and the presentations were outstanding.
After presentations were over, it was time to day goodbye to the professors and the friends we made. Saying goodbye was like camp. Five week ago, we were all strangers. By the end of this course friendships were fostered that I hope last until long after this course is over. It was truly an experience that I am grateful for and will never forget.
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