28 February, 2000

Today we boarded the research vessel Laurence M. Gould. We spent the afternoon loading science gear and preparing the lab for the research to take place in the Antarctic. With hard hats on, we loaded chemicals, action packers of delicate instruments and boxes of beakers, bottles, and test tubes. It was a chance to meet the other scientists aboard and learn of their research. There will be a group studying sediments for information on geologic change. How did this part of the world differ in the thousands of years past. Another group is attempting to do some work with sea urchins. Our team will be looking at bottom sediments to determine benthic coupling. How have the nutrients of the phytoplankton (microscopic plants floating in the ocean) passed on to other organisms. The efforts of

scientists from the United States and Great Britain will be combined in the research.

The top bunk in the stateroom