Science is about getting out there and getting your hands dirty. It can be about being away from home for long stretches, being uncomfortable and working together. It’s not about useless debates and showboating for the general public. You want a little taste of science? Try this out:
ON THE BERING SEA – If the research vessel Thomas G. Thompson were the set of a reality show, the seal guys might have been voted off first.
Not that they weren’t delightful company.
But they wanted the ship to stay near the Russian border, where the ice was thick and the seals abundant.
The oceanographers and plankton biologists were grumpy because bad weather had driven them out of the areas they were most interested in. Now that conditions had improved, they argued the ship should head south and try again.
It was a power struggle of the most genteel sort.
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Every research cruise is a balancing act. The five-week trip this spring required extra juggling because so many different specialties were represented. Scientists studying water chemistry and microscopic plants and animals were vying for ship time with those looking for fish, counting birds and tagging seals.
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Scientists who boarded the Thomas during a stop at St. Paul Island midway through the cruise got a chance to let their stomachs settle and stow their gear before mustering in the main lab for the mandatory safety briefing.
The highlight was the Gumby suit drill.
Made from Neoprene, these fluorescent-orange survival garments cover every inch of skin, except a small window over the eyes. To put one on, you lie flat on the deck and tug the bulky one-piece up over your clothes, shoes and all. The arms end in oversized mittens. The feet flop like flippers.
If an alarm sounded, said chief mate Robert Symonds, everyone was supposed dash to their cabins, grab their Gumby suits and meet in the lab.
Someone asked how long the outfit would keep a person alive in the 35-degree water.
Symonds thought for a moment.
“We’ll, you’re going to swallow a lot of sea water,” he said. “I think that’ll get you first.”
