Another 2 weeks completed in the blink of an eye! This means I am officially halfway through my land-based portion of the internship with WHOI.
Week 5 started out with operating the Forklifts, practicing for my in-person certification test. I had earned my forklift certification over 15 years ago, but since it had been so long, I opted to retake my trainings to be more up-to-date and certified through WHOI’s safety program. All the practice paid off, and by Wednesday, Nov 8th, I passed the certification test and received my updated card.
In between driving and operating the forklifts, I also spent time down at the WHOI machine shop helping paint and prep the control vans before installation of the new wood floors. This task was started the previous week, but the last coat of paint was finished by Tuesday. The rest of the time this week was dedicated to servicing and replacing JASON’s comp hoses.
The sixth week started out with attending the SOVA (Scientific Ocean Vehicle Alliance) Conference where ROV professionals get together to discuss all things ROV related….updates, successes, failures, struggles, needs, etc. It was amazing to see and hear so many people’s experiences and thoughts on how these vehicles have changed and improved over the years, but also their thoughts on future improvements and what seems to be the biggest need at this time: building new ROV systems capable of diving to 6500m or more. I really enjoyed this conference and having the chance to meet with other individuals in this field, whose knowledge and experience helps shape the future of this industry.
At the end of week 6, our building had a Thanksgiving potluck, and I was impressed with the amount of people who gathered together to celebrate the holiday. It really feels like a family here at WHOI, and you can tell they enjoy what they do, respect eachother, and care about one another. It is quite the community, and I feel grateful to be here and be a part of it.
