Update
It was great to talk to all of you who made it to the PolarConnect event. A big thank you to PolarTREC, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, and NSF! For those of you that missed it, we’ll put a recording of the webinar up here soon.
Meet the Scientists: Eva Cougnon
Eva Cougnon in the Dry Lab of the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer.
PhD Candidate at University of Tasmania
What do they do?
Eva, originally from France, is working on her PhD at the University of Tasmania in Australia. She is modeling ocean-ice interactions and observing how ice melting impacts ocean circulation. On this research cruise she will be assisting with the sea ice observation study, using the drones. She will also be helping run the CTD, calibrating the equipment and analyzing water samples collected with the CTD.
How did they get where they are now?
Eva has always been interested in the ocean. While she used to be intrigued by cetaceans (dolphins and whales), her oceanic interests were redirected by the amazing dynamics of tides and waves as well as by oceanic volcanoes. Eva got involved with Antarctica when one of her advisors, managing a cruise, invited her to help with the research. Her strong desire to go to Antarctica prompted her to write trips into her PhD proposal. She’s currently on her second research trip to Antarctica, with hopefully many more to come.
Favorite part of the job
Something Eva loves about science is that there is always something new to learn or do, it’s never routine. Since Antarctica is somewhere she’s been fascinated with for a while, when she goes there she feels like she’s living her childhood dream.
Fun Fact
Just before the expedition left, Eva bought a harmonica to teach herself to play on the trip. She’s been making good progress and by the end of the trip she’ll know how to play a new instrument!