Cara McCann:

These last three days have been beyond what I was hoping this course would be like. The first day was mostly spent getting situated and introduced, and who doesn't love a little team-building via kayaking?? It was still fun even though it poured on us! We got together in one of the dorms later that night to work on our first assignment all together and have been a close little group ever since. 

The next two days we were introduced to some of the most passionate professors and graduate assistants that were just as excited to answer our questions as we were to have some time to pick their brains! We were fortunate enough to have a wax model demonstration of how plate tectonics work. Geology has never been my forte, and seeing the model really reinforced the concepts of tectonic plate movement and the different results. Then, two great grad students explained some of the work they do with forams and sediment cores. The day wrapped up with the coolest demonstration from Dr. Greely about currents/current patterns that displayed the ways that water will interact in varying temperatures and salinity. 

The final day of class was my personal favorite because we saw a couple types of my favorite science toys - a scanning electron microscope and a transmission electron microscope!! 

                                          transmission electron microscope

Finally, we went over important adaptations of fish by examining and discussing the morphology of various fish species. 

                                                        a snook!

This is such an amazing experience that we have all been so fortunate to take part in, and we still have so much ahead of us!