Worth Getting Out of Bed

By Johana Dominguez

Hello, my name is Johana Dominguez. I am a freshman at California University of Stanislaus in the process of obtaining a BS in Biology. I’m with the STEMSEAS program currently sailing on the E/V Nautilus on Expedition NA160. Today is the 30th of May, marking our 6th out of 10 days out at sea. Traveling from Honolulu, Hawaii to Sidney, Canada, mapping the ocean floor that is yet to be seen and explored by human eyes. It’s crazy to think that we are the first people to have seen this part of the ocean.

Sunsets at Sea. Photo Credit: Johana Dominguez

I am beyond grateful to have this opportunity to learn various topics about oceanography and social media outreach. The various STEMSEAS and E/V Nautilus crew members are the most amazing and kind human beings I have ever had the opportunity to meet. Just the previous day ML Park gave an inspirational PowerPoint of her life experiences. Leaving me both scared and excited to see what my life would look like with the ever changing world around me. Learning about all these amazing careers has me second guessing if I have been closed minded all my life. Believing that the only appropriate career choices were being a doctor, lawyer, or teacher. But being here on the E/V Nautilus and learning from ocean mappers, videographers, and crew members, I’ve come to the conclusion that the world has much to offer, including the ocean.

Well enough of that, let’s get to the nitty gritty of how a day of a life with Johana Dominguez on the E/V Nautilus is like. Waking up in the morning is the most difficult task I have. Something about the rocking of the vessel at sea has me sleeping for ages. However, once I am up and dressed for the day I head up for breakfast. Which is always, and I mean ALWAYS delicious, the chefs on board really know how to work their magic out at sea. After this, we had a debrief on our science comm projects with Dr. Pirlo. I discussed my progress by outlining my child’s book. I don’t think I can wrap my head around the fact that I will be writing and illustrating a child’s book! Not too long ago, my mother and sisters had been pushing me to get my artwork out there to get recognized by a book writer; and now I am most literally going to be writing and drawing a book. I’ve been working on a few sketches and title ideas to have outlines, so once I’m home I can bring my ideas to life. Dr. Pirlo, during our debrief, suggested the idea to have my book translated in different languages once it was made. I thought this was an amazing idea to have it translated, especially since I come from a Spanish-speaking household and I would love to have my parents read my book. Along with children with different cultural backgrounds that might not speak and read English.

Well, sorry, I got sidetracked with my excitement of my science comm project, but after working a bit on sketches, it’s lunch time where once again I am surprised by the amazing food that is being produced out in the middle of the Pacific. After this ravishing meal, I make my way down to the wet lab where the STEMSeas members and myself got a lesson on fossil sorting. In particular, we worked with marine sediments found in various layers of the ocean floor.

View from the Wetlab. Photo Credit: Johana Dominguez

After dinner we had a presentation from Dave, the man behind the screens. During his presentation he discussed his life out in Alaska. Talking about the beautiful land and a brief rundown on what Alaska is. Talking about his personal life in Alaska when he’s not out at sea.

Now it’s gym time, I head my way down to the cozy gym room. Where in the next 30 minutes I sweat away all the calories I’ve built up over the day. Today I had a beautiful view from the windows on the ship of the ocean looking marvelous in the evening sky. My mind races through the endless thoughts I’ve built up throughout the day. Just feeling endless gratitude for the opportunity to be on the E/V Nautilus with extraordinary human beings.

View from the treadmill in the gym. Photo Credit: Johana Dominguez

Captivated by the Deep

By: Dania Frazier

Hey fellow sea-nerds, I’m also Dani (yeah there are two of us, I’m the other one). I had to double-check my calendar before writing this, because it doesn’t feel like we’re at the halfway point in our voyage, but we are. Today (Wednesday, May 29th) marks the midpoint of our time on the Nautilus. I guess it makes sense, we’ve done so much already, but that was a bittersweet realization nonetheless. My time so far has been like the very best of educational vacations; I was the luckiest seafarer on our first day and experienced zero seasickness, so I got plenty of reading time in, mostly good vibes with a 24-hour front-row view of the waves. 

Photo Credit: Dania Frazier

From day one, I parked up on the cozy benches overlooking the starboard flank of the ship, watching the water glimmer and change colors under open skies. It’s almost magical watching the hues of the water shift from vibrant blues under sunny Hawaiian skies to muted, cool greys that blend in with the darkening clouds overhead, blending until you have to squint to find the horizon. As I’m writing this, I’m watching the sun’s reflection skip towards us on the crests of the glassy waves, never quite reaching the port flank of our temporary home but offering a glimpse of warm golden starlight hiding behind translucent clouds on its path to the horizon’s edge. A few silhouetted seabirds skim the surface of the Pacific, the only visible beings apart from the inhabitants of the vessel for miles around. We’re seemingly alone on this endless plane of water… but of course, there are tons of life fathoms deep below. 

Photo Credit: Dania Frazier

On this leg of the trip, the boat is only mapping and we aren’t deploying any ROVs. However, the crew of the Nautilus often explores murky oceanic depths to survey the diverse fauna and take images of otherwise invisible landforms. From towering underwater mountains to vibrant colonies of organisms that inhabit sulfurous hydrothermal vents, they have a state-of-the-art system that takes highly detailed video and images of the seafloor. To even make it possible to see in otherwise impassible environments, they launch the dynamic duo of Atalantis and Hercules (lovingly nicknamed Big Herc), two ROVS that work together to record and broadcast footage of the ocean’s bed. Hercules is a 6,000+ lb feat of engineering specially crafted to bring as much of what we couldn’t otherwise reach to the surface for scientific analysis. One of its specialized arms, the Predator, is capable of grabbing onto a variety of tools that can take samples, from a vacuum hose that slurps up starfish and seawater to a suction tube it jams into substrates for samples. The video and engineering crews are working together to add more cameras and record footage that will translate into VR experiences so you can feel like you’re there, in the depths of the ocean, instead of watching secondhand through a lens (though, it’s a VERY nice lens and both ways of viewing showcase the beauty down below). 

Photo Credit: Dania Frazier

If you’re here you probably already know, but in case you don’t, you should check out NautilusLive on their website or YouTube to know what I’m talking about. And hey, on Friday (May 31st) the STEMSeas students will be live on the website to answer your questions and talk more about our experience! Come check us out 🙂 (and if you can’t, look up the Googly-Eyed Stubby Squid on their YouTube page- I promise, it’s worth it!). 

Sunsets at Sea

By Danika Villanueva

My name is Danika Villanueva. I’m a student at San Diego City College studying Biology. My interest in the STEMSeas program stems from a passion for learning about how research works and learning about conservation, whether it be on land or in the ocean. I am currently onboard the E/V Nautilus sailing on Expedition NA160, which focuses on seafloor mapping, mainly in areas of the ocean that haven’t been mapped yet. Our journey started in Hawaii, and we are now headed to Canada. This is day 4 of our expedition: The day started off with a great breakfast followed by an equally great presentation on Pacific marine biogeography by Dr.Pirlo, where we learned the study of the distribution of species in geographic space through an assignment in which we focused on the evolutionary distribution of an animal of our choice.

After that, a fellow STEMSeas student, Marisol Gonzales, and I went into the telecommunication area for a Ship-to-Shore interaction with fifth graders, who greeted us with so much enthusiasm and questions it was contagious. In the Ship-to-Shore activity, I realized how important science communication is in inspiring other people, especially little kids who are just being introduced to the many possibilities that come with studying science. Science communication is an amazing way to promote and encourage the imagination and possibilities of science to kids worldwide. I also realized how much I still had to learn about the ship, its missions, and all the capabilities onboard. The Ship-to-Shore interaction was definitely a challenge for me as it was my first time doing it. Still, the smiles and energy the kids demonstrated throughout the Zoom video call made the experience one I will always remember.

From left to right: Dani, Emily, & Mari

After our Zoom call, we had lunch and waited for our next lecture by our mentor, Alondra Infante. Alondra focused the presentation on teaching us the methods and strategies we should follow to have a clear vision of who we want to become in our careers. Alondra’s presentation stayed with me as I thought about my goals, what I wanted to achieve, and what I had already achieved. Our next lecture after lunch was on digital media and strategies. Our science communicator, Larkin Bohn, gave us a presentation on the different social media apps we could use to communicate the science we are doing and to find connections to other people in science. Larkin also gave us a great lesson on how to edit short videos to post on these platforms. We then had dinner, and our final activity of the day was an amazing presentation, introducing us to all of the technology on board the E/V Nautilus.

Sunset off the Nautilus on Day 4. Photo Credit: Dani Villanueva

As the sunset started to show its beautiful colors, I went outside and encountered a group that included STEMSeas participants and some of the crew from the Nautilus. They were all chatting and taking pictures whilst watching the sunset. It was great to see all of them connecting through the various and very funny life experiences they shared. I find it beautiful that small moments like these stay with you for a lifetime. As the sunlight started to fade, we were found bathing in the light of the night stars. We went up the stairs to watch the stars more clearly. I was not expecting to see as many stars as we were going up the stairs, and I was stunned by the beauty of the night sky. We stayed watching the stars, and as I listened to the conversations, I again felt deeply grateful for this wonderful experience. Not only do I get to learn so much, but I also get to make these wonderful memories that I will forever cherish. I’m so grateful to have learned so much today from all the various activities that took place. But I am by far even more grateful to have had a wonderful night watching the stars.

Photo Credit: Dani Villanueva

Ship to Shore

By: Jesus Hernandez Valencia

Today I participated in a Ship-to-Shore interaction with Swazi and Emily. On this particular Ship-to-Shore, we were on a call with students from Fuji. When planning to go into the interaction, I had a state of excitement but at the same time a panic of being in the center of a camera ,and talking to several kids all at once. To be honest I have never been someone who goes up to the front of a room and speaks but today I somehow decided that I would and that I would be excited for it. When arriving at the control room and seeing all the fancy camera screens and everything ready to go live I had a second of realization that I am about to go live to several students who are fascinated by what we do and how we do it.  When I went to sit down, I was shown the computer that has access to multiple videos and photos to be able to not only talk about but show what E/V Nautilus has to offer.  When we first went live, we originally had technical issues which made us have to improvise. Instead of Emily taking the lead , Swazi and I had to get out of our comfort zone and not only talk to but inspire the class we spoke to and give them the opportunity to see into the world of mapping. Throughout the experience several of the kids asked amazing questions, some that I knew and others that I had to truly think about in order to give a good and detailed response.  The main role that I had during my first Ship-to-Shore was that of the video and photo finder. With this task, I had to go into the Nautilus database and retrieve desired video clips and photos that allow us to better show and inform the student of what we are doing during the expedition.

From Left to Right: Jesus Hernandez Valencia, Emily Jones, and Swazi Gurnell

Arriving on the E/V Nautilus

By: Nayeli Ramos

Hey there! My name is Nayeli Ramos and I am currently a fifth year undergraduate student at California State University Stanislaus studying Biological Sciences. As a first generation Latina in STEM I was extremely delighted to have the opportunity to participate in this expedition. This far in my college career, I have found it difficult to navigate college. Questions like what opportunities do I have as an undergrad student? What can I do to be involved in research? What can I do with my degree in biology? So many questions that I’ve had over the last few years which I’ve learned are normal and okay to do. I decided to talk to my Biogeography professor Dr.Pirlo and she suggested I apply to STEMSEAS. Quickly, I went home to submit my application. I can’t say it was the easiest process. I didn’t have my passport so I had to go to the San Francisco Passport Agency. I was anxious, feeling uncertain about getting it. However, it all worked out because now I am here, feeling grateful and excited.I am currently sailing on Expedition NA160. Here’s a little bit about my experience so far:

Today, May 24th, marked our first day on the E/V Nautilus where we were given a rundown of what the next 10 days of our lives will look like. Upon arrival, the STEMSEAS students got the opportunity to meet many of the team members on board. Right away you can see how passionate and dedicated they are about their work. Their passion for the field of marine science truly set an inspiring tone for the exciting journey ahead. My first feelings about being on the ship were a combination of nervousness and excitement. The Nautilus itself has so much to offer marine scientists. After we settled into our rooms, we were able to enjoy the chef’s dinner which was amazing. Shortly after we had a meeting in the Social Lounge. Being able to get to know students and the STEMSEAS mentors with many of the same passions has made me feel so comfortable and welcoming. As I am sitting here writing this in the lounge, the boat is all started and getting ready to leave in about 15 minutes. I am looking forward to learning more about science communication, seafloor mapping, and many more science opportunities. Participating in the STEMSEAS program aboard the nautilus is an exciting opportunity for professional and personal growth. I hope this experience enhances my understanding of different fields in marine science while also improving my skills in science communication and teamwork.

E/V Nautilus sailing out of Honolulu Harbor. Image Credit: Nayeli Ramos

Happy Birthday at Sea

By: Marisol Gonzalez Flores

My name is Marisol Gonzalez Flores and I am a second year student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania working on a dual degree in Geology and Criminology with the hopes of one day pursuing a career in Environmental Law and Justice. I am currently on board the E/V Nautilus with a wonderful team of STEMSEAS students, educators, and E/V Nautilus crew and professionals. Today marked day 2 of our journey from Honolulu, Hawaii to Sydney, BC. Today also marked my 20th birthday!

From Left to Right: Dani, Mari, & Johana

Since being on the ship, I have felt drained, sleepy (I think I have napped on every comfy chair here), and overall outside my comfort zone. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, but I hate not feeling myself in situations like these when I want to give it my all (but physically can’t). I have learned that it is okay to listen to my body! Adjusting to a 6-hour difference in time zone all while getting use to mother nature rocking me 24/7, isn’t so easy. Luckily, I am not alone and everyone has been super flexible. This morning felt no different. I had mentally prepared myself to spend my birthday away from my family and friends and I tried to keep a positive mindset in and avoid feeling homesick. My bunk mates, however, had a different plan. They greeted me in the morning with a happy birthday and somehow managed to ask me what my friends always seem to ask… the classic ”do you feel any older yet”?

If you would’ve told me 2 months ago that I would be spending my 20th birthday somewhere in the middle of the pacific ocean I would’ve thought you were crazy. Yet, somehow, after a nice load of pancakes for breakfast…that’s exactly where I found myself. Pondering how exactly I got so blessed to be admiring views like these for my 20th birthday. All while simultaneously asking myself, Marisol, what are you doing here? Do you really belong? Feelings like these linger for me when I am a part of something bigger than myself. Sea floor mapping, for example, is much of a larger project than my physical body. Yet, I’m here. After pondering some more, napping (again), lunch, and finally our first STEMSEAS class, I was reminded why I am here and not celebrating my birthday at home. Bigger projects like this, projects that make us question our existence, is part of what makes us human. How far are we willing to stretch our curiosity and put it to the test? Where do we draw the line in asking questions, seeking solutions, etc? Is there such line? Questions like these are why and what I love about science in general. Everyday, we are challenged and forced to think. In just one class on science communication, I was reminded of this again.

It was hard not being home today. I was dealing with birthday wishes, wishing I was home, calling my parents and family, etc. At the same time I found myself forever grateful that I got to spend a monumental day for me working on a piece of a monumental project for marine science (I mean, how cool is that!). Our next class on goal setting, was a refreshing way to apply a (very) useful tool to our everyday lives. Outside of the E/V Nautilus, outside of our STEMSEAS projects, we are dreamers at heart. How can we set smart goals to achieve those dreams? With so many bright minds in a room, it is hard not to leave the space feeling inspired. I found myself jotting down ideas for the legacy I want to leave on my first expedition. I think creating a documentary that highlights the crew of the ship and who exactly they are is an amazing way to thank them for their hard work all while fulfilling our goal of science communication. Working with others from the STEMSEAS team would be amazing for this so we can combine our strong suits…science isn’t always individual.

Mari blowing out the candles on her birthday cake prepared by galley crew, Oleksandr (holding cake) and Jorge (in background).

After more brainstorming came dinner, and the end of my birthday back home as it hit midnight in Kennett. I was surprised by everyone on board with a cake and so many birthday wishes! I was not expecting it at all and by this time I felt myself again. That action of love reassured me that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. After winning a competitive UNO game and stuffing our faces with cake, some of the STEMSEAS students and I ended on top of the hot tub watching the sunset. We talked about previous terrible managers at work, our different ways of cooking, some of our favorite shows, and most importantly we laughed…a lot. I end today by writing this, and with all the confidence in the world I can say that my 20th birthday was perfect. So far, we are only in the beginning of our journey. We have a lot more mapping and learning to do, and a lot more bonding to accomplish. Despite only knowing and seeing these faces for the past two days, they made every single bit of today worth it. I look forward to the rest of my 20s, and I look forward to the rest of this trip! I am hoping for no more seasickness, and working on learning as much as I can for others. Hopefully, we continue in calm waters and a positive attitude the rest of the trip! Thank you mother nature (and everyone on board) for the best 20th birthday!

Sunset at sea. Photo credit: Marisol Gonzalez Flores