SEA Semester

I am in Woods Hole for the next 6 weeks learning the ropes of the sea both literally and figuratively. So far it has been three days and the only complain I have is the rain we have been getting. I imbibed my first legal beer on Tuesday, but have yet to have the chance to purchase one. I think the opportunity might come this weekend.

The learning curve has been steep but amazing. I have never been so interested in a subject (Probably because this is my first earth science class coupled with hands on experience... my type of learning). I am taking three classes on campus right now: nautical science, Oceanography, and Public Policy. Nautical Science and Oceanography are filled with those aha! Moments. Things are explained scientifically that I have always wondered about. I kind of feel like I am in the book “A Short history of Nearly Everything.” Professors and one by my captain teach two of my classes. I quickly learned after being a good sleuth, that the last ship my captain sailed was the SSV Concordia. This boat also carried students, but had the unfortunate experience of sinking off the coast of Brazil last year. I am surprisingly OK with this. First of all, it was not his fault that the last ship sank. Secondly, everyone was safe, and he did a great job of making sure of that.

Public policy class is funny because it is a social science class for science majors. On top of that, it is a public policy class. The professor made us stand up and say what we thought about public policy and the role of the government in science. Nearly 100% of us said we didn’t like public policy and that there was no role of the government in the scientific field. This reflected the head of SEA statement during orientation that “we were selected to be the future of conservation. However scientist historically can not bridge the gap between the lab and politics.” Anyway, that is why they are making us take this public policy class. It sort of makes me feel important.

Woods Hole is a really cute place. Everything is either old bricks or wind washed shingles. There are boats everywhere, and I have access to some of the best oceanographic research in the world. In fact, the best part about this program is that every Friday a new guest lecturer comes in from around the country. This program means business.