I arrived in Bermuda about a week ago. A beautiful island with gorgeous clear aqua blue water and the most beautiful flowers and plants. It is truly paradise. When I arrived at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences I was blown away at how beautiful the institute is. The buildings are structured in a way to collect rain water as that is their main source of drinking water and used for showers. It makes you appreciate and conserve as much water as you can. When I arrived the ship was gone for the night so I was able to stay in Wright Hall which was very comfortable and surrounded by nice people. There are many different programs, research, and classes that are taking place here and people from all over the world. I am lucky to be here and be surrounded by people from all over the world and learn from their experiences. BIOS is unique where everyone becomes friends instantly and hangs out all together. I have only been here for a week and I have made so many friends. I moved aboard on Saturday July 6th and we left on Monday for a research cruise with BIOS-SCOPE (Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences – Simons Collaboration on Ocean Processes and Ecology). They focus their research on the ocean’s smallest life forms. There were scientists from all over the world studying microbes and zooplankton. We used Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) rosette to document the environmental conditions of the sampling site and had 24 niskin bottles attached collecting seawater to be studied at various depths. Other gear was used such as WTS-LV (Large Volume Pump) which collects suspended and dissolved particulate samples in situ into a membrane filter which is used to sample a number of things including phytoplankton. We attempted to deploy a MOCNESS (Multiple Opening and Closing Net, with an Environmental Sensing System) but unfortunately it did not work properly but after hard work we were able to get it working again and ready to be deployed on the next cruise. Being aboard this vessel is such a great opportunity to further my marine technology skills. I am learning a lot more about marine electronics and how to assess and fix electrical issues aboard the vessel. The crew and everyone aboard the vessel is absolutely amazing, welcoming, and funny. The food is some of the best food I have ever had. It has only been a week and I am having such a great time and learning so much I cannot wait to see what the future holds. I am glad to be in Bermuda for so long because it is definitely going to be a hard place to leave. We are leaving again today July 14th and will be gone offshore until Friday July 19th. This upcoming trip will be for the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series Study.
