There are a lot of different types of sponges here in Antarctica. But, why in the world would anyone want to study sponges, right? Well, sponges have developed some interesting ways to keep from being eaten or attacked. In the biochemical world this is referred to as being defended. It turns out
This week I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to Solomons Island, MD to visit the Chesapeake Biological Lab which is part of University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. There I met Hongsheng Bi and [Mary Beth Decker](https://eeb.yale
This lesson plan was created by after being a part of the Arctic Glacial Lakes PolarTREC Expedition. I was inspired by the massive amount of data collected over the course of the research project and the complexity of hydrology in glaciated and non-glaciated basins in the Brooks Range of Alaska. Students will work together to make hypotheses about patterns
How do you make diving safe when the water is below freezing? It takes a lot of coordination and planning to ensure that the divers will have safe trips in the temperatures we experience in Antarctica. Just to be able to dive in Antarctica you must obtain a wide variety of certifications. Drysuit
Imagine walking around and being able to taste everything you walk across or everything you touch with your hands…Yuck! Well that is exactly what happens with all star fish or what researchers now call sea stars. All of their appendages are called arms and they can regrow them, which usually takes a
Dive Tending 101: One of my favorite jobs so far here at Palmer Station has been dive tending for a trip to East Litchfield Island. My dive tending career started with a dock dive, where Chuck and Maggie wanted to test out some repairs to diving equipment and dry suites, also this would allow them
Today was my first day of helping out in the lab. I worked with Maggie Amsler to get ready for a bioassay using the amphipod species called Gondogenia antarctica. First we had to create a substrate that the amphipods would eat. This consisted of heating up a mixture of Alginate and mixing it with
As a child growing up, your entire world may exist as only a house, street, or neighborhood, this was no different for me. I grew up in North Olmsted, a western suburb of Cleveland, going to the east side was an adventure for me when I was a child. Somewhere in my early twenties, I caught the
Palmer Station is quite unique in many ways; one of them is that the only way to get to the station is by boat. That job usually falls on the sturdy shoulders of the Laurence M. Gould (LMG). This is the boat that I am taking to Palmer Station. The LMG was first commissioned in 1997. Its hull is
What does someone pack for a 30 plus day journey to Antarctica? I have always prided myself on being a good packer, weighing my pack for each trip abroad, always determined to bring down the weight in my pack for each succeeding trip. Most people when I tell I am going to Antarctica think
