Full Circle

Four years ago, my classmate Hannah and I stood in front of the gathered crew and students of S259 and presented the results of our research project studying how seabird community composition changed as we sailed north from Tahiti to Hawaii.

Today, I was one of the faces in the audience as students shared the results to the questions they have spent the past weeks working hard to answer. As we rotated through a series of scientific posters duct taped to the port side of the lab, I had flashbacks to my time as a student spent attempting to interpret and organize data into a compelling story.

During our last class underway, the students became teachers as they shared the results of their projects. I learned that sea cucumbers impact the alkalinity of the water they live in, that deep water squid use chromatophores (color changing muscle) to manipulate their photophores (light producing organs), and the plastic pieces we have been collecting in our neuston tows reflects areas of converging currents. I enjoyed stepping back into the role of a student and learning more about the ocean and Islands we just spent four weeks sailing through.

Sailing this trip has been more sentimental for me than usual. I fist stepped aboard the Robert C. Seamans May 2015 in Papette to sail as a Stanford@Sea student. Though I grew up in the Bay Area, I had never sailed a small boat before in the San Francisco Bay, let alone a tall ship in the Pacific. As time passes I remember less and less about my time as a student but what remains is the overwhelming sense of newness and confusion, the joy of learning lines, how to gybe, shoot stars, and becoming familiar with a ship that I now call home. What I remember most of all is the burning desire to return. As I said bye to the crew and ship, any sadness I felt was eclipsed by the knowledge that if I could, I would come back. I was hooked on the purpose and satisfaction that came with shipboard routine and hard work, and I had only just scraped the surface of the seemingly endless pool of learning opportunities.

I am fortunate enough to say that after finishing my undergraduate degree at Stanford, I was able to return to SEA and sail as a sailing intern and now, scientist. I have had the pleasure of spending this trip getting to know energetic, curious, and hard working students who are excited to be here and remind me how grateful I am. I have spent quiet moments reflecting how much I have learned and grown as a person, educator, and shipmate over the past four years. As long as there is more to learn and room to grow, I am excited to keep sailing.

This afternoon was just the beginning! I look forward to learning about the rest of the student projects tomorrow afternoon, followed by some quality time together as a ship's company one final night at anchor.

-Anna Wietelmann, 2nd Assistant Scientist