Mail Buoy
June 4, 2003
As a student sitting at a desk
at a school somewhere listening to teachers teach, did you ever
dream that you'd be where you are today, doing this exciting adventure?
How did your schooling lead you to this point today?
Thanks,
Sheila at ePALS
Sheila,
I have spent a lot of time at desks listening to teachers
(learning among many other things that the desks get
smaller the farther one goes in school). I am pretty
sure I never imagined myself having this sort of adventure.
I WAS always interested in science however.
In high school and college I chose classes, and the
way I spent my summers, based on my interest in science.
There were a lot of opportunities that I was luckily
able to take advantage of and that I credit for leading
me to this cruise. I think one of the more influential
experiences was a program between my high school and
the local university that allowed high school juniors
to work doing real research.
Junior year in high school probably seems a bit long
to wait if you are interested in the sort of excitement
that science has to offer-Now. I had some of my best
science teachers in junior high. I can remember specific
times when the material I learned during 8th grade
helped me pass college exams. You are learning real
science now and have the opportunity to continue to
learn and explore science (and with it the world) for
the rest of your life.
If you are interested in science, follow that interest.
You don't have to do perfectly on every assignment;
but on a few that really catch your imagination, think
of the next questions, the ones the teacher didn't
ask. Explore! Read up on things that interest you.
There are a lot of books out there. Even when I didn't
understand most things in a book it made me want to
figure those things out and to ask questions. If you
follow your interest I guarantee you will surprise
yourself with the things you do and the places you
go. I sure have. Best of luck,
Alex Gagnon
Cruise scientist and graduate student in chemistry
How does one become a member of a Dive and Discover
Expedition? How do the people on the Atlantis get chosen?
Good weather!
Sincerely,
Mr. Collins' Third Grade class
Dunkirk, New York
Well, the answer is different for
different roles on the ship. For the scientists, the
members are chosen by the Chief Scientist, who is the
first one to propose any Dive and Discover expedition.
Once an expedition is approved (this can take years),
the Chief Scientist considers who of the scientists
she or he knows would benefit the most from coming
on the cruise. And: how will what they know help
reach the goals of the cruise? In other words:
What skills do they have? What are they trying
to find out in their work?
Crew members are chosen by how much experience they
have working on a research vessel. These people are
chosen by the organization that runs the ship.
Alvin pilots are mostly engineers. They go through
a very long training before they become certified pilots.
That's a relatively short answer to a complicated question,
but I hope it helps.
Joe Appel
Dive and Discover writer
Hi. My name is Kyle Churchill and I live in Lexington
Mass. I just wanted to know how long do the crew-members
of the RV usually stay on the ship at one time without
getting off.
Hi Kyle,
Thanks for your email. Crew members generally stay
on board for 3 or 4 months at a time, and then take
a vacation. We don't actually stay on board that whole
time, since the ship usually goes into port about every
2 or 3 weeks. We go into some really nice ports and
occasionally have a few days off for some rest and
relaxation, while the ship gets ready for the next
science cruise. Our next port of call is St. George's,
Bermuda and we're due to arrive on June 17th. We can't
wait.
Very best regards,
Captain Gary Chiljean
Hi! My name is Jenni and I go to school at Longview
Christian School in Longview, WA. My teacher showed
us a rock she got when she was aboard Atlantis with
scientists on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. I was wondering
if the seafloor is just rock or does it have sand on
it? Have a fun expedition!
Hi Jenni,
In fact, it is often hard to collect rocks on the
ocean floor because here is so much sediment. Plankton,
such as diatoms and forams, sediment from the continents,
etc are constantly raining down on the ocean floor.
As a rule of thumb, the younger the oceanic plate,
the less sediment one will encounter. The Juan de Fuca
Ridge is a location where oceanic plate is young and
actively forming, so there is less sediment there than,
say, the W. Pacific where the oceanic plate is old
(up to 200 million years). Sediment there (among other
localities) can surpass 1 km in thickness!
Take care,
Matt Jackson
Cruise scientist
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