Stacy writing...

In the middle of our flight somewhere, we crossed the international date line. Thus, this year we all missed the first of October (see http://www.aspire.mlml.calstate.edu/aspire2/oct11.htm for an explanation of why this was). I get to write about this day that didn't happen, but it would be pretty boring to be reading about nothing, so I thought I would tell you tiny bit more about each of the people on the team from my perspective, and what they are contributing to the group.

The B 010 M team in their matching team bathrobes (while waiting for our laundry to dry).

First off, everyone IS a character, and each has a great sense of humor. People who laugh easily at their surroundings and themselves are much more fun to be with, and less likely to be stressed even in difficult situations. Everybody is a scientific diver, a skill we need for the research we are doing. Some have been to the Antarctic before, and some are "fingees", an Antarctic slang term for people who have not been to "the Ice" before.

Dan is my left hand man (both of us are lefties). Without him, we would not be able to accomplish one tenth of all that we get done. For much of our work this season, we will be splitting into two groups, and Dan will be leading one.

Jim is the talent in our group. He is astute, entertaining, and I owe him a huge debt of gratitude for keeping me going in science when funding was tight. Jim is our computer guru and webmaster for the season.

Jennifer is my graduate student, and so has to suffer more than the rest of us. Jennifer will be responsible for our efforts to relocate experiments started by Dr. Paul Dayton in the 1960s and 1970s, and collect new data on sponge growth.

Craig and I survived graduate school together. He will be collecting preliminary data on the currents and water characteristics around McMurdo for a grant proposal we will submit next year.

Jonna Engel is a colleague and also a good buddy. She will be responsible for collecting sediment and tissue samples for chemical analysis by a collaborator, Dr. Rob Hale at VIMS.

Miss Whinnie is not an official member of our team, but she does enjoy sharing our bread and cheese and even fruit at lunch.