Meet the Members A NEW SERIES!
Amy Westman, Our Marine Lab Technician.
Amy Westman
Good news. The coffee maker is fixed! That might not sound like a big deal, however being on a 6-week cruise, with no port of call and shift work, believe me it's a big deal! Thanks very much to the ship engineers.
I never realized what it takes to run a mission of this scale. I had no idea of the number of people and their roles that make it run so smoothly. Because of that I thought it would be fun to introduce a new series called Meet the Members. Hopefully you will get some idea about their jobs, education and what they like to do when they're not working. So here goes!
I mentioned earlier the role of the Marine Technicians and their important role to the expedition. As important as they are, they are only one of many. Some of the others include the PI's, ET's, IT's,AB's , engineers ,oilers , Captain and his Mates, MLT,MPC,MMO, Graduate students .Oh yeah then theirs me.
Let's start with Amy Westman, our Marine Lab Technician. She is a native of Chicago, Illinois and now living in Birmingham, United Kingdom. She has a M.S in Oceanography and a B.S in Marine Science.
Amy in the Biology lab. One of several labs on board.
So what does a Marine Lab Tech do? With several working labs operating during the cruise the answer is A LOT! Amy oversees the inventory, maintenance, repair and assistance with the day to day operations of the labs. When I had a chance to catch up with her she was running tubing to the folks operating the ctd machine then over to the biology lab to assist with microscopy. She makes sure the scientists are well equipped and their experiments are running smoothly.
One of several labs on board.
If you have ever been a lab assistant or worked in the supply room you might have an idea what a day might entail for Amy. She has spent 3 years working in Antarctica on both the NB Palmer and LM Gould research vessels. Before graduate school she spent a few years working on tall ships in the Great Lakes and Caribbean.
It takes an organized, knowledgeable person that can multitask to do what she does. It also helps that she has a great sense of humor who can work with anybody. Thanks Amy. Hopefully your golf game is better than mine! If you have any questions about being a Marine Lab Technician go to the ask the team link.
Heading to the Totten!
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