April 30, 2015
This year's National Ocean Science Bowl finalists (nosb.org) got a treat at the end of the April 2015 competition held in Ocean Springs, MS. ECOGIG co-principal investigator Dr. Vernon Asper of the University of Southern Mississippi hosted the finalists for an afternoon aboard the research vessel Point Sur, which was just returning from its six-day research cruise in the Gulf of Mexico.
The students were able to spend several hours at sea on the ship experiencing life as oceanographers - they deployed several pieces of oceanographic equipment such as the CTD (which measures connectivity, temperature, and depth for water samples), sediment corer and plankton nets. The students had a great time learning about life as an oceanographer! Thanks to Dr. Vernon Asper and other ECOGIG personnel for hosting such a great event.