Ellyn Darke
Well, I got my wish! I did in fact keep snorkeling every day until Tyler made us leave. We started by snorkeling sites with Morgan Pratchett who taught us about different field techniques and proper ID for corals in the GBR. Who knew it could be so hard! The Caribbean is pretty straight forward with our limited number of species. It was amazing to see so much complexity and diversity among the morphologies. Then, we moved to learning about biogeochemistry and sediment chambers from Tyler and Brad. It was definitely out of my regular wheelhouse, but a rewarding experience to see how other research can be conducted on the reef!
For the second week, we all completed independent research projects. And I think our group took transdisciplinary coral reef science pretty seriously this year! We had projects on crown-of-thorns, biogeochemistry, fluorescent pigments, sponges, zooplankton, and foraminifera (which was mine)! It was so refreshing to work on something completely different from my day-to-day molecular biology research. I briefly worked in a foram lab during my undergraduate career, so it was fun step outside of my niche, reconnect with the reef, and explore the field as a scientist by drawing on past experience. We were challenged to instigate questions, plan methodology, execute the project, and analyze the data in a short time —all extremely valuable skills for us new graduate students to take back to our respective programs.
But it wasn’t all work all day, in addition to snorkeling and collecting data, we explored around the island! We lived a true island life: barefoot, sandy, and disconnected. We bonded with nightly card games, poker (with rocks), and movie nights. Our late-night fun caught the attention of other researchers at the station, so our game nights got pretty big! Not to mention sunset volleyball and Saturday night barbeques! We also had four boat drivers within the group, so we had the freedom to explore different sites around the island. On good weather, we made it out to the entrance bommie, attempted a true bushwalk looking for a forgotten trail to the mangroves, rock-hopped around the perimeter of the island, and hiked up to Cook’s Look. Lizard Island has so much beauty to offer beyond the reef! And a few fun friends that you can add to your daily spotting like huntsman spiders (that like to hang out in your dry bag), goannas, and flying foxes.
It was an amazing trip, and I feel so honored to have been chosen to participate in the program. I met the most accomplished group of peers that I look forward to collaborating and reconnecting with as friends over the course of my career! Incredibly sad to leave the land down under, but hoping to make my way back one day!