10 June 2004

Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 87

June 10, 2004 Thursday
1:00 PM Alaska time

We held a second, half-hour teleconference this morning at 7:30 AM ship time. Instead of a conversation with just my own students, TREC provided technology allowing the Healy to conference simultaneously with students from three separate schools: Dr. Eileen Reilich’s and my students in Yelm, Washington, Kathy Rafferty’s students at St. Michael School, Olympia, Washington, and Amy Clapp’s students at Salisbury Community School, Salisbury, Vermont. (Amy is also in the Arctic this spring. She has been working in Russia on the Lena River.)

It was my first time teleconferencing between schools, and it surprised me how nervous I became. My voice was shaky and I forgot to make proper introductions. Getting use to talking with a satellite delay took a bit of time. As the conference progressed, I calmed down and the conversation flowed better.

The students were eager to talk. They came prepared with many questions about the ice, our daily life aboard ship, and the wildlife in the area. Captain Oliver, LTCD Peloquin, Dr. Jackie Grebmeier, Dr. Lee Cooper, Susan Schonberg and Craig Aumack answered each question thoroughly and our thirty minutes ended all too soon.

The conference room on the Healy.