Microscope

This is a picture (looking through the microscope) of one of the plankton that we found in our water samples.

Our House

Our house is the dark gray house near the center of the picture

Trip is over

We can stop counting to 12. Welcome home. 

On the ground

Landed in Charlotte

We landed in Charlotte. We are half way home. 

Phones

The girls have their phones back. Their posture has immediately gotten worse.

Chick fil a

The girls have a strange obsession with Chick-fil-A. We're almost to the airport. 

Battleship

Day 7 - Breakfast

We're grabbing breakfast before our trip to the battleship.

Day 6 - Highlight #2

Kate, Kathryn, and I are doing the bio-diesel lab. To start the lab you need some vegetable oil, KOH, gloves, magnetic stirrers, a funnel-like vessel, a hot plate, water, methanol, thermometer, a flask, a beaker, an oil lamp, a wick, and a lighter. The goal of this lab is to separate the waste (glycerol) so it is on the bottom and the bio-diesel on the top, which is the KOH, alcohol, and vegetable oil heated up. Once it separates the waste is red and it is emptied and the bio-diesel, which is a light tan is drained into the oil lamp. Then light the wick and you have a bio-diesel oil lamp, YEAH!!!!!!!

-Renee

Day 6 - Highlight #1

There are shark's teeth in our hands.

Today, we went on our kayak adventure trip to Shark's Tooth Island.  This was a first time kayaking for quite a few people, including myself.  Our adventure began on the estuary in Wilmington, and it was only a brief trip to the island.  Once we reached the island, we were given the opportunity to search for our own shark teeth that were scattered all over the island.  We all had good luck and left with quite a few teeth.  Although our group was quite wet by the time we got back to shore, our kayak adventure ended up being an awesome experience.

-Kate

Day 6 - Braiding

The daily task of braiding hair was extended to one of our fearless leaders. 

Braided hair with bobby pins is kind of painful. Mrs. Butzier watched and laughed from a distance. The week has almost come to an end.

Day 6 - Live post from the island

We made it to the dredge island. Kayaking was successful so far. 

Day 6 - Fueling up

Mr. M. introduces the group to biofuels. 

Day 5 - Highlight #2

Today we made purses out of recycled plastic bags. We learned that millions of loggerhead sea turtles die from ingesting plastic bags when they mistake them for jellyfish. We made the purses by taking layers of plastic bags and melting them together to make a fabric that we could tape and staple together into the form of a handbag. We added zippers to them and decorated them with details. We all really enjoyed learning about how we could save the sea turtles while making fashionable accessories.

The bag I made was very cute. However, it is in the van right now and it is pouring down rain. We will post a picture later.

See ya later alligators,
Emily

Day 5 - Highlight #1

Today we were assigned to come up with solutions to problems that affect our environment like the amount of trash in the ocean. My group decided to invent a a solar powered hovering bulldozer that would pick up trash but only trash and would not cause any harm to any animals or to any habitats. We also thought of putting more recycling stations that would be available and accessible to everyone on every public beach. My teammate Kelleigh came up with the idea of using biodegradable dissoluble plastic so that it can be a good replacement for all of the plastic that is poisoning our waters. It is a very big problem that is almost impossible to solve. It is important that we raise awareness for this and this experience is going to help us spread the word about these issues back home where these issues are not shared as widely to the public.
-Meg

Day 5 - Back in the lab

This morning we learned about ocean currents. About 10% of the ocean, only the top level, is moved by the wind-driven waves. The rest of the movement of the water is affected by the temperature and related density changes.

Here, we used water with food coloring to stack water of different temeperatures inside of a test tube. 

We also used circulation tubes to explore the flow of waters of different temperatures.

We used a refractometer to measure our home-made salt water. (The math teacher wanted to set up a system of linear equations to plan the mixing). 

Lastly we tried to stack salty water and fresh water solutions of varying temperatures in test tubes. This led us to our discussion of the thermohaline circulation (currents) that influence the climate. The Gulf Stream is the most important of these currents as it helps to moderate the climate of North America. 

Day 5 - Wake up

The daily braiding of hair, a post-breakfast activity. 

Day 4 - Misc

Pancakes for breakfast.

Inking fish and making prints.

Dissection was enjoyed by some.

We visited the Fort Fisher Aquarium. There were turtles.

Albino turtle.

Through the looking glass.

Dinner at Chick-Fil-A (as requested by the students)

Day 4 - Highlight #2

Today we went SCUBA diving in the Wilmington Athletic Club pool. Miss Megan and her two friends set up all of our equipment while we were briefed on safety precautions. We then suited up in the chilly pool and went through a series of tests to make sure we all felt comfortable. Finally we were ready to go and swim with our chosen buddy! It was very strange being under water and not having to worry about coming up for a breath. The calm feeling was pretty universal among the group as the silence and sounds of your own breathing filled the pool. Everyone exited the pool at different intervals and this video is of Annabel, Renee, Laurel, Lauren, Miss Megan and I who stayed in the longest. Even though the night was chilly we had a warm experience SCUBA diving for the first time. Such a great experience will last a lifetime.
-Kelleigh

Day 4 - Highlight #1

Today, we started our lab work with microbiology. We took the sponge samples we had collected at the docks on Monday and saw how they reacted to the E. coli bacteria. By the way the sponges reacted we could see if the sponge could be used as a possible antibiotic medicine. Then, we did prints of the fish we caught on Tuesday while on the research boat. To do this we painted one side of the fish and pressed paper on top. This produced detailed fish prints. We made a print with all of our fish on one sheet that we plan to hang at school. The final activity we did was fish dissections. We first learned about the external anatomy of the fish and then moved to the internal, where we discussed the placement of all of the organs.

-Lauren

Day 3 - Videos

While we waited for our lab, we watched a few minutes of a Frontline documentary.

Day 3 - Highlight #1

Lauren and I on the hull of the boat, sitting with our
legs on top of Victoria.

Here is a video of the shark we caught in our trawling net today.

A trawling net runs across the bottom of the ocean and picks up fish, and we caught this shark. We got to feel its smooth skin, and then we threw it back. We caught a variety of fish, including hake, croakers, and black sea bass, for a dissection tomorrow. Once we got back to the Center for Marine Science at UNC-W, we looked at the fish that we caught and saw that one of them had a parasitic worm living off of it.

We are working very hard towards our goal of intellectual growth and making quite a lot of progress, too. We are all quite eager for tomorrow when we get to dissect our catch from today.

Day 3 - Highlight #3

Before dinner a few of us decided to attend evening mass at St. Therese Catholic Church, a small church nearby our house. We arrived, albeit five minutes late, and along with half a dozen other people had a lovely mass. Afterwards we spoke with one of the churchgoers, getting the opportunity to share what Project Term was about. We walked along the beach back to the house for hamburgers and hot dogs, rounding off our evening.  

- Faye

Day 3 - Highlight #2

Today we went out on a boat and learned about the different aspects of water. Some of the things that we learned about were the temperature of the water, sediment, turbidity, salinity, etc. While on the boat we went trawling and caught fish in the nets. These fished will be dissected in a few days. In addition to catching fish, we caught two tiny sharks. One of the best parts of the day was seeing dolphins swim alongside the boat in the intracoastal waterway.
- Kathryn

Day 3 - Wake me up before you go go

The Cheez-it's are not for breakfast. They're just on the table.

Day 2 - Let there be Science

Today we started Project Term in earnest at the Center for Marine Science. We spent the first part of the day getting an overview of the week. We saw how underwater remotely operating vehicles are controlled in preparation for the robots we'll build later in the week.

In the afternoon, after a delicious chicken lunch, we headed out to do real world science. We started off at the local marina and collected samples. We found all sorts of life growing and competing in plain sight.

Later on, we headed to the salt marsh where we tried to catch local fish (see Annabel's post).

In the evening, after cleaning up from our trip through the marshes, we enjoyed the hospitality of the locals with dinner and a movie.

Day 2 - Highlight #2

Today, one of the highlights of our day was our evening at Katie's and Emily's grandparent's house. They welcomed all of us in happily, and at the house, we ate dinner, watched 'The Theory of Everything,' and had multiple photo shoots in the back lawn. We were able to bond as friends and as a PT group because we all took pictures with each other and were incredibly inclusive as a group.

~ Victoria

Day 2 - Highlight #1

One of the main highlights of today with UNCW was going to marsh lands to catch fish that we can study. We all had to wear rain boots or water shoes so that we could walk in the freezing water. To catch the fish we had take a seine net and extend it to both sides of the marsh. We then dragged it slowly towards the shore and eventually took all the fish that were in the net out. This type of fishing with the seine net has been used for centuries. We were some what successful with the fish we caught as we caught many fish but only of two species. Later we identified these species and set them free.

- Annabel

Marine quest

Orientation at the Center for Marine Science.

Breakfast

Yogurt for breakfast (fruit snacks for snacks).

Monday morning

Trust me, the sunrise over the ocean is prettier in real life. Not bad for a Monday morning.

Today, we begin our work at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington. There will be more to come as the day goes.

Sunshine and Sunset

The day started before the sun rose and ended after the sun set. We began our journey in the early hours as we gathered together at the airport. After a layover in Charlotte, we arrived in Wilmington. We collected our belongs, including one suitcase that was neatly gift wrapped with duct tape courtesy of TSA. From there, we sought out our most basic needs, first transportation, then good music to listen to while in the van and then a quick meal. Next we sought out shelter as we picked up the keys to our beachfront home. From there, we settled in. We made a trip to the grocery store and found a new way of checking out; it's odd that there are places in the world where they don't have conveyors at the grocery store. With our van full of food, we set down to making our first meal together (A Mexican festive of sorts). After a brief chat, we headed off for a few moments of reflection before the day ended.

The Beige Team.

Walking down to the beach

The view from our porch

The girls were actually brave enough to go into the water, albeit briefly.

Girls at the stove.

Tacos!

Enjoying the fruits of our labors.

Relaxing on our hammock