Hello Friends and Family!
You’ve all been wondering, who are these outreach people? Are they scientists or crew members? Their mission on this cruise doesn’t fit into either category, they’re oddballs. Theresa is a middle school science and math teacher and Mike is a university geology and geophysics teacher and researcher. OK, yes, he’s obviously a scientist, but that’s not his title role on this cruise. Mike’s the Outreach Officer and Theresa is the Teacher at Sea.
Theresa & Juergen
Mike got this gig as a result of the excellent outreach of his Pito Deep cruise. He was the chief scientist for that cruise and brought Theresa and Lucas (videographer, photographer, computer wiz) as the outreach team. Henry was impressed and asked Mike to lead outreach on this cruise. Also, Mike’s expertise in structural geology makes him a great resource for the science team. Theresa got the gig because Mike asked her to come along for broadcasts and bring me (Slackjaw Sally) to write the blogs.
I asked Mike what it’s like being in an outreach position instead of a lead scientist. Life on the ship is fun for Mike no matter what role he fills. He enjoys writing the science updates and creating and managing the website, but the super slow internet connection makes it challenging. Being here without the pressure of being in charge gives Mike more time to puzzle over the bathymetric maps as they are created. That’s his favorite part!
Daniele & Mike
It was weird asking Theresa about being onboard since she’s my alter-ego. I do appreciate the way she types all of my blogs since I’m digitally challenged. She likes the broadcasts and writing my blogs and talking to the people on the ship. Her goal is to share what it’s like to live on a ship, provide information about different jobs, and help people understand the basics of the science.
A finny fan,
Sally
