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What's shaking under the sea? Teacher-at-Sea Dan Tomlin and Geophysicist Anne Sheehan are traveling to the Southern Ocean near New Zealand to install thirty earthquake-monitoring instruments on the ocean floor. Learn about the science and follow the journey at sea here. New: see the route of the Thomas G. Thompson research ship.

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About Dan

I am DT, a 7th and 8th grade science teacher at Manhattan School for the Arts and Academics in Boulder, Colorado. Geology is my undergrad degree and my master’s degree is in environmental science with an emphasis in engineering. My class at school is a lot of fun and we literally have a zoo: an iguana, three chinchillas, a rat, two dwarf hamsters (very mean), a corn snake, two ferrets, a bearded dragon baby, an African-clawed frog and two gold fish. And don’t forget, about 150 students!

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Archive for the ‘Boat Life’ Category

Shuttin’ It Down-Haikus of the Voyage 2/20/09

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

Tomorrow we berth back in Lyttleton, New Zealand and we are all off on new and exciting adventures.  I wrote some Haiku to help me reflect and remember my cruise aboard the Thomas G. Thompson. Enjoy !

 

My Room

White Fluorescent Light

Survival Suit to take Flight

Night and Day daynight…

 

My Work Station

Electrical Wires

Corner Rolly Chair Nausea

Stuck behind John C.

 

Anne Sheehan-CIRES Scientist

Jump Roper Outside

Managing the Boys Science

Fisher Star Watcher

 

John Collins-Head Scientist Woods Hole

Singing Randomly

Big Feet Small Hands Irish Lilt

Fraid of da Movie

 

Peter – CIRES Scientist

Wooly Bear of Grey

Yes, Yes, No, The Cosine of

Run to the Whale

 

Paul Scripps Electrical Tech. 

Big Big Flannel Plaid

I’m in the picture, big head

Little white fuzzy dogs

 

Southern Cross

Stars sometimes come out

Clouds in the dark cover jewels

Pointers bisectors

 

Albatross

Float glide slide up down

Wandering Royal Gooney

Following garbage

 

Tess-Cook

Glasgow Red Pirate

Bull in the kitchen proud

Grandma Kansas City-que

 

J-Chief Mate

Clipboard no hair cut

Zip he goes everywhere, who’s there?

Zip naked chest strong

 

Fear of Falling Off

Walking tipping off

Flipping off into the blue cold hold mute repose

 

OBSs

Marching thirty strong

Benthic drum earth’s pulse below

Yellow shiney toe

 

Ocean Water

Blue green grey white black

Big glassy big sassy slop

Salt

 

Repetition/Ground Hogs

Day

day day day day day

night night night nite night night night

déjà vu e tu? 

 

Music

Mine theirs classic blues

Head phones speakers and crackling

Transcend me to the

 

 

Working Out

Running Biking Push

I Look At Trees Canada

Sweat Soaked Dripping Shirt

 

Marshall-Coast Guard Guy

Adaptable guy

Chess Scrabble Crane director

Ice swim Alaska

 

India-Cook

Lost hat blown away

Spartan Salida Glow Worm

Missoula homey

 

David-Graduate Student CU-Boulder

Sleep void night troller

Feel well feel up down around

Digitize image

 

Rob-science tech

Gruffin computer

Sits in a chair chats atch ya

Pennsylvania

 

 

Alex-science tech

What did you say?  What?

night owl renaissance Wizard

observer with care

 

Captain Phil

Amiable chap

How are you?  saunter here  there

Science steward care

 

Jim-engineer

Piston puller wrench

Ping pong spinner demon flare

Tatts of Warner Bros

 

Mark-Scripps Crew

All American hardhat

Marine dad pumper of iron

El-CHEAP0 so DEEPO

 

Ernie-Scripps Crew

Fishing with hand line

South Carolina heart felt

Loves the guinea nature

 

Thompson

Pastel boat so strong

World worker freighter too

Seattle Peugeot dew

Anne’s OBS Haiku

Sail the ocean blue

Drop yellow balls randomly

Hope they all come back

 

 

Thanks to the National Science Foundation that made this possible. 

 

Sincerely,  Dan Tomlin (DT Teacher at Sea)

 

 

Gravy Train and Movie Time 2/19/09

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

The Shindig Board

Nomenclature-Mess Hall the Center of the Ship

The galley and the mess hall are words used for the kitchen and dining room respectively.  The days go by like one big slumber party or sleepover.  People appear and socialize around meals.  This is when the different tribes come together.  Tribes include the captain and chief engineer and chief mate, the engineering, “oilers” crew, the able bodied seaman, the science team and the techs.

Big Shindig

The celebratory end of cruise dinner was last night.  The music being played was arranged by Alex.  The main entrees were Beef Wellington-filet of beef tenderloin wrapped in a liver pate and puffed pastry and lobster tail stuffed with crabmeat.  Wow!  Surf and Turf

Everybody was there.  It was real nice. 

The Same Restaurant

It is like going to the same restaurant for three weeks for every meal.  It is fun and yet the same.  Snacks are abound, chips, fruit, leftovers, peanut butter, crackers, cookies, spam, oysters etc…

Choice of options was a challenge for me especially at noon or lunch.  I am not used to prepared options like soup and salad or chicken and rice. 

Vast Storage

It felt like a grocery store down below a huge freezer, dry storage and fridge.  Can you imagine the amount of food required to feed up to forty-five people for up to six weeks at a time at sea.  Amazing.  A small elevator is used to transport the food two stories up to the galley. 

Movies

Every night there is a movie, if not a couple.   Movies build community.  The various groups hang out together and chat before and after the showing.  They are fun and the movies are typically action based.  

Photo of DVDs and Videos

 

 

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