Day 9: Genetics working group presentation

Today Chester Sands and I presented about the work that the "genetics" team will be doing. We're a group with diverse interests ranging from population genetics to deep phylogeny of gorgonians, molluscs, ophiuroids, and ice fish. So far we make a great team and I'm looking forward to the first trawl!

I saw a couple seals go by my window today but I didn't manage to get any decent photos of any charasmatic megafauna while I was outside today.

The genetics team: Daniel, Kevin, Rebeca, Cheps, and Henrik.

Day 8: We're in the ice now

I'm really bad at this blogging thing. Here's the "letter to mom from summer camp version": There's ice and penguins and seals outside (I'll get around to taking pictures when I'm not trying to finish up a grant). The people are great and I'm really excited about my team. To help pass the time, we're playing a clue-esque game where some people are 'murderers' and some are 'victims' and victims can only be killed when they are alone. As someone who spends a lot of time alone in the lab at the computer or the microscope I have some concerns...

Just a few more days to Neumeyer Station...

Day 7: We're getting closer...

The ship is making it's way to our first stop, which is Neumeyer Station, in the Weddell Sea. We've had a bit of weather and I'm trying to regain my sea legs but this is an incredibly smooth and stable ship. To pass the time, we've begun having nightly talks about the science various groups will be doing onboard Polarstern. There is a very diverse group onboard and we've already heard talks about various aspects of oceanography, geology, and meterology.

The ship also has a blog. We'll begin taking turns making posts about what each team will be doing during the cruise. Here's a link to the ship's blog:
http://blogs.helmholtz.de/polarstern/en/

We're starting to see the first tiny chunks of ice.

Polarstern Cruise PS96 Day 3

So far so good. Everyone on board is lovely, we have great lab space, and slowly I'm reßadjusting to using a German kezboard. It will be about a week before we reach the ice, then we will drop off supplies and pick up people at Neumeyer station. More soon...

Track the ship here: http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=DBLK

Here's our current location.

Lots going on

G'day y'all,

There's a lot going on in my life lately. Yesterday was my last official day as a postodoc in Bernie Degnan's lab at UQ. Two years went by really quickly.

I just finished packing up all of my stuff and later today I'm moving away from Australia and heading to Antarctica for a research cruise onboard the R/V Polarstern in the Weddell Sea. You can follow the track of this ship here:
http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=DBLK 

I'll be in Antarctica for two months and some change sampling marine invertebrates and then my new position as an assistant professor and curator of invertebrates at The University of Alabama begins.

I'll try to be a better blogger during the cruise but I'm much better at facebook...

Cross your fingers for good weather in the Southern Ocean.
Kevin