Marine science...at home

By Jessie Perelman, Safina Center Launchpad Fellow

It’s no surprise that the past 1.5 months have provided a unique challenge to much of the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented societal changes as we face the most widespread disease outbreak in the past century. I have been fortunate as a scientist and graduate teaching assistant at the University of Hawaiʻi to carry on deep-sea research and course instruction—though not from a ship at sea nor in the classroom. During a time when ʻhome’ has become the office, the classroom, the lab, and many other workplace forms, I have embraced the adjustment in an effort to continue fulfilling the objectives of my work as best as possible.

Apart from work and research, the nature and scenery of Hawaiʻi has been a wonderful escape from these troubling times, from hiking the Maunawili trail along the base of the Koʻolau mountains (left), to snorkeling the reefs of Oahuʻs windward side (right). Photo: Jessie Perelman

The digital classroom

This semester, I have been teaching an undergraduate oceanography course called, ‘Science of the Sea.’ The course is meant to provide lab activities and experiments to introduce and engage students with basic principles of marine science, including physical and chemical properties of water, geology of the seafloor, and the basic ecology of a variety of marine animals. So, turning these hands-on learning experiences into an online format that meets these goals has been a great challenge. Nevertheless, through weekly online video lectures, one-on-one interactions with students to help them better understand the material, and providing maximum flexibility for students to complete their assignments, we’ve been able to overcome many of the obstacles that this quarantine has set in place to ensure the learning outcomes that we set out to provide for students.

Deep-sea research (in the living room)

How does one conduct marine research as home? The same way we do in the office, of course! Although it’s not possible to conduct lab experiments from home or go out to sea at the moment to collect samples and videos of deep-sea animals, there is plenty of data analysis and writing that can be done via computer at home to keep busy and continue pushing research forward. Regular (virtual) meetings with my collaborators and lab mates have made it easy to stay on track and work towards completing a large project investigating the behaviors of midwater animal communities in a targeted deep-sea mining region and how they may be affected by industrial mining activities. Despite the hindrance of the quarantine, we plan to have this work submitted for publication in the fall in hopes of influencing the development of mining regulations before they are set in stone.

Although our research group (The Deep-Sea Fish Ecology Lab) cannot have meetings in person, we have found joy in gathering virtually to discuss papers, listen to each other’s presentations, and just to embrace the strangeness of this new work format. Photo: Jessie Perelman

A virtual conference

During the last week of April, our department held its annual Conference of Biological Oceanography Graduate Students (CBOGS). This event is meant to allow graduate students to showcase the research they’ve been conducting over the past year and report on new progress being made. During normal years this event draws audiences from many departments across the University of Hawaiʻi and is a wonderful community building opportunity to engage faculty and students in multidisciplinary conversations. However, this year the conference was conducted online, which was a first for everyone! Regardless, the event was a success and 20 graduate students (including myself) gave fascinating and informative research talks, providing proof that science can still persist from home.

During the week of April 27th, the University of Hawaiʻi Department of Oceanography held itʻs 8th annual Conference of Biological Oceanography Graduate Students (CBOGS)- virtual edition! Though this remote conference was a new experience for all involved, the science-sharing event was a success and 20 students successfully presented their ongoing oceanographic research.