Ocean Currents 9/3/24
Study on Introductory Python Course
In 2020, graduate students Ethan Campbell and Katy Christensen updated and co-taught OCEAN 215 (Methods of oceanographic data analysis), a course originally established by Steve Riser in 2015. Under the mentorship of Mikelle Nuwer, they conducted a retrospective, mixed-methods study of their instructional design. Their paper titled “Cracking the code: An evidence-based approach to teaching Python in an undergraduate earth science setting” was published this month in Journal of Geoscience Education, Check out their study and consider sharing it with instructors at other institutions who are teaching or interested in developing similar courses!
ROV Attends MATE World Championship!
UWROV fished up some major wins at the MATE ROV World Championship this year! Held annually, the World Championship brings together top ROV teams from across the globe for an exhilarating week of fin-biting underwater competition! Facing off against the cream of the… reef, UWROV rose to eighth place overall, towing along numerous accolades. The team excelled in the pool, breaking the previous team record by 65 points to achieve a whopping score of 155! Other recognition included a 51/50 points for the marketing display, as well as the top score in judging group for the engineering presentation. Furthermore, the UWROV CTO (Previously Mechanical Lead) Imants Smidchens was awarded Engineering MVP for his performance in the engineering presentation!
The team is proud of its accomplishments outside of the competition as well. Major developments this year include a new modular manipulator, slimmed down surface station, and miniature float that maximize ROV performance and help it stand out from the crowd.
Entering the 2024-2025 season, UWROV is dedicated to continuing improving, iterating, and achieving! All of this would not be possible without the continued support of the UW Department of Oceanography, which has graciously provided crucial materials, mentorship, and facilities for the team. UWROV is grateful for its relationship with the Department and looks forward to utilizing its resources, including a brand-new lab space in the OTB, in further seasons to come. The team would also like to thank the Alyn and Alison Duxbury Endowed Student Support Fund for financial support.
2024 Visions Cruise
On August 8, 2024 the UW Regional Cabled Array team started its' annual operations expedition with worksites spanning the Cascadia Margin off Newport Oregon (80 m to 2900 m water depth) and 300 miles offshore to Axial Seamount, the most active submarine volcano off our coast. The expedition is using the R/V Atlantis with the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Jason. Read more about their adventures here.
Convocation, Save the Date and Nominate
This year's Oceanography Convocation will be held on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, 4:30-6:30 on the lawn west of the Ocean Science Building. Please save the date and nominate one of your community members for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award or the Mentorship Award here. The deadline is Friday, September 20.
Looking for GAMP Mentors 2024?
Hello Ocean Grads! We are officially recruiting grad students to volunteer as mentors for our Graduate Application Mentorship Program (GAMP)!!!
The grad school application process can be a barrier to entry for students without resources and guidance to navigate the process. GAMP was created to connect prospective students with current graduate students to help demystify the graduate application process and provide tips and guidance for submitting an application.
Mentors will be expected to meet with their mentee for three, 45-minute sessions between October 8th and December 1st. We’ll provide equitable mentorship training (+free lunch (: ) and a variety of resources to make sure you have the information you need to succeed.
To volunteer please fill out this form. We use the information to match you with a prospective student. Answer what you want to, skip what you don’t want to.
We already have prospective students enrolled, so we need as many volunteers as possible to keep this program running! If you were matched with a mentee last year that ghosted you… hopefully that is not going to happen again. We are now requiring a confirmation check-in from our mentees before they are matched.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out (sggarcia@uw.edu)
Thanks!!
GAMP Team
Apply for the 2024 Leo Cup
It's time to consider applying, either individually or as a group, for this year's Leo Cup, an annual UW competition for graduate and undergraduate students to follow their passions around the theme of ocean change and to create innovative solutions that address the growing issues of ocean plastics and pollution. Applicants are encouraged to speak to our past winners Georges Kanaan, Iris Kern or Morgan Palmer or to Michelle or Rick, about the application process. The prize is $40,000 toward your research. DEADLINE is September 15, 2024.
