My Lasts: Conference, Lab Meeting, and Blog Post

 
Wow how the time has flown! I remember when I wrote my first blog 3 years ago and now I cannot believe I am writing my last. This Creative Inquiry has provided me with so many friendships, opportunities, and so much knowledge about ocean conservation. As I think back through my semesters in the CI I realize how amazing this experience has been and how much it has prepared me for the future.

Alright, that's enough sappy stuff. Let me tell you about this past semester.

First of all, in January I went to a conference called SICB, in Tampa, Fl. I had such a fun time getting to know some of my lab mates and presenting my project on coral transplants. However, the best part of the trip was seeing manatees for the first time! They were so cute and I was so excited to finally see them.

Throughout the semester, I worked on a project where we looked at Pacific reefs. This was really cool because we got to look at some different species of corals. I also continued working on the coral transplant study. Toward the end of the semester I did a lightning talk at CBASS. At first I was pretty nervous about talking in front of everyone, but it ended up being really fun and I loved being able to wrap up the past three years by doing a talk.

As I finish this semester and graduate, I know I will miss Clemson, especially the CI. However, I know I will carry the knowledge, friendships, and memories with me everywhere and anywhere I go.



 I love all of my mentors and labmates-past and present. Thank you for an amazing 3 years.

The End of an Era

Joining the fall of my junior year, I have been involved with the Conservation of Marine Resources lab for four semesters now. Unfortunately, I will be graduating in May, and my time in the lab will have to come to an end.

Throughout my four semesters, I have gained experience that I thought was not possible while still in college. I have learned how to think like a scientist, seen what the life of a graduate student is like, and acquired expertise in using a variety of methods to answer questions about marine ecology and animal behavior. I have presented my findings each semester and written many abstracts on new research proposals, helping me become more professional and preparing me for the "real world".

Perhaps the most enjoyable part of my time in the Childress lab was experiencing trips to the field in the middle Florida Keys over summer and fall break in 2018. Through these trips, I have been able to see the equally important side of research that has to be done outside of the lab. Many students I know in other research labs never have had the chance to participate in their own field work, so I consider myself very lucky. However, just being in a place as beautiful as the Keys is a reward in and of itself. While we are working from 8:00 to 4:00 almost every single day, it never felt like I was doing work; I enjoyed every minute of our diving, even I was hammering rebar into the substrate of the reef. By the end of my time down there over the summer, I had learned exactly how to live with other researchers in the same house for a month and memorized what everyone's daily lunch order was. On the fall break trip, the untimely appearance of a hurricane right beforehand put a hold on almost all of our research that could be done, but there is little that can be done to combat Mother Nature.

However, the most important part of my experience in Conservation of Marine Resources has been developing relationships with my labmates and mentors that would likely not have happened had I not joined. I initially simply thought of this Creative Inquiry as another class, as I WAS registered for it on iROAR and received a grade in it. However, it has proven to be much more than that. CMR is more similar to a club of friends with a common passion or even a family to me than a regular course. We frequently hang out outside of lab meetings and are all going through the college experience together. This aspect of CMR has made it so rewarding for me.


Participating in the Childress Lab has been an unforgettable event in my life, and I want to thank everyone that has made it what it is.

Sweet Home Keys

     It was 96 degrees and barely thinner than the endless mud surrounding us. It was water in Mobile Bay, AL. I started my summer pulling nets through this water searching for southern flounder as a fisheries tech for two grad students at Clemson, Meghan and Jared. We'd work long days and usually into the night pulling beam trawls and electrofishing all over the bay trying to find what we figured out to be an apparently rare species. We heard every excuse you could think of from the locals. "The oil spill killed em' all" or "It's those gigger's fault", "Wasn't like this before the storm (Katrina)", "This dredging is killing all the fish". About the only thing that didn't get blamed was Alabama football. When you ride around in a boat with "CLEMSON" written on the side in southern Alabama you find out just how much the Crimson Tide really hates us. It kind of made me happy that they hated us because it meant we were relevant enough to be hated and, if we're lucky, a little feared. Long story short, there are not very many flounder to find in Alabama.

Me with not a flounder in Mobile

     That's okay though, because I got to spend some time after that in the Florida Keys with this lab doing work a little different. The keys had cooler water, friendlier locals, and most importantly, more fish. I was there while we were following the stoplight parrotfish around the reef and marking their territory with flags. It was my first time working on SCUBA and I loved the experience. However, I did find out that I might belong inshore rather than offshore, as my stomach doesn't handle the uninterrupted roll of everything very well. And unlike Alabama, the keys wasn't all work. I actually had time to fish. For fun. Something I hadn't done all summer. Rob and I got to go out and optimistically target bonefish, but ended up catching mangrove snappers, and getting our line constantly nipped off by the baby barracuda. But, the highlight of the trip for me was getting to hook into a tarpon on my fly rod. Just being able to fish in the same water with tarpon has been a dream of mine since I was 12. Hooking one hasn't ever been an expectation so getting that was something I'll never forget. It's less like hooking a fish and more like hooking a deer as it runs away at full speed. Except that tarpon was bigger than most deer. And when I tell this story again the fish is going to get even bigger. The best way to catch the biggest fish is to let it get away.

     This summer was filled with hard work, fun work, good memories, and good people. I got to fall in love with the keys and realize why I never loved Alabama. It's left a lot to live up, so future summers better watch out because I'll be trying to top this one for a long time.

Summer Up North

My whole life I have always sought out adventure. From studying abroad in Australia and New Zealand, to vacationing in Costa Rica, my love for travel and my curiosity for nature has taken me around the globe. So this past summer when I was given the opportunity to explore I went to, wait for it, Michigan! But what seemed like an ordinary place was actually a hidden gem, full of giant sand dunes and crystal-clear lakes. I spent 3 months hiking, kayaking, boating, and even trying my luck at mountain biking. Although I was only working at a souvenir shop, I gained some valuable insight about trying new things and meeting different people. 

One really interesting thing I learned while in Michigan was a movement to shut down the Line 5 Pipeline, an oil line that runs under the straits of Mackinac (connects lower Michigan to the Upper Peninsula). This pipeline, built in 1953, was not built to last 60 years and is at risk of bursting any day, sending millions of gallons of oil into the Great Lakes. 

I am thankful to have joined the Conservation of Marine Resources Creative Inquiry team because it has fueled my passion to save the environment, both our salt and freshwater ecosystems. In the past month I earned my SCUBA certification, something I hope will enable me to dive (literally) into more research. Exciting things are coming this way!

Summer in the Marshalls

Most of my life growing up was in the Marshall Islands, so it is only fitting that my last summer in college I got spend time there, working on a project centered on communicating climate change. The island I grew up on has amazing reefs but climate change threatens their health. These impacts will be devastating to not only the reefs but the people that depend on them. To promote student engagement with this issue, I collected 360 reef imagery at spots throughout the summer. These will then be used to create interactive websites and 360 timelapse videos.

Putting these images into a 360 VR experience will enable people to explore the reef they otherwise are unlikely to visit. One of my spots can be seen here: https://www.thinglink.com/mediacard/1107752829767909378 

These snorkels were long, but often featured amazing marine life such as turtles or an occasional manta ray.

And even on days without any animal sightings, the reef itself is a great sight.

This same spot can be viewed in 360: https://www.thinglink.com/video/1108543111568556034

Connecting these images to each other or viewing locations through time creates an immersive experience that engages a user more than the regular image. This way students can feel more connected to the location, which encourages learning about its relevant issues- like climate change. 

Toward the end of the summer I was also able to visit a summer camp on Guegeegue, another island within the Marshall Islands, and share VR experiences and an activity with middle/high school students. They were able to run through observations of various reefs and compare them to images taken locally in the Marshalls, which turned to discussion on the role coral reefs play in their lives and geologically in the Marshall Islands. 

Photo of 360 activity brought to Guegeegue. This included 360 reef
print-outs as well as google cardboard headsets to view the images in VR.

Overall, this summer was great- I got to spend a ton of time in the water, exploring reefs, and most of it with a lot of cameras!