In January 2024, I traveled to Queensland, Australia to participate in the ANZIC Marine Geoscience Masterclass! This awesome course was organized by the Australia and New Zealand International Ocean Discovery Program Consortium and I received a travel scholarship from the U.S. Science Support Program.
The course curriculum focused on the future of ocean drilling as well as coral reef environments. For the first half of the course, we were based in Brisbane and attended lectures/lab activities at the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology. One of my favorite practicals was searching for preserved microbes in Great Barrier Reef beachrock using a scanning electron microscope. Another fun activity was assessing the effectiveness of AI in counting and identifying microfossils.
During the second half of the course, we traveled to North Stradbroke Island at the mouth of the Brisbane River. Here we got to snorkel in a reef ecosystem, swim in the Pacific Ocean, and explore the island. I'll never forget the snorkeling experience, where I got to see corals, sponges, sea slugs, sea urchins, giant clams, fish, and more!
One of the best parts of the course was connecting with students and faculty from the other side of the world. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to attend the course, learn new skills, observe a modern coral reef environment, and foster lifelong friendships.
The course curriculum focused on the future of ocean drilling as well as coral reef environments. For the first half of the course, we were based in Brisbane and attended lectures/lab activities at the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology. One of my favorite practicals was searching for preserved microbes in Great Barrier Reef beachrock using a scanning electron microscope. Another fun activity was assessing the effectiveness of AI in counting and identifying microfossils.
During the second half of the course, we traveled to North Stradbroke Island at the mouth of the Brisbane River. Here we got to snorkel in a reef ecosystem, swim in the Pacific Ocean, and explore the island. I'll never forget the snorkeling experience, where I got to see corals, sponges, sea slugs, sea urchins, giant clams, fish, and more!
One of the best parts of the course was connecting with students and faculty from the other side of the world. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to attend the course, learn new skills, observe a modern coral reef environment, and foster lifelong friendships.