Day 9: George Washington University

Submitted by Juan Martinez

 

Today we had a lot to do and my favorite was going to George Washington University. After breakfast we went to UCDC to work on our congressional meetings and then went to GWU after lunch. When we were walking out of GWU, I saw a railing and it looked awfully tempting so I decided to slide down it with a shout along the way, and then all of a sudden, I heard “JUAN” in an authoritative voice. Susan did not look pleases and so like the well behaved guy that I am I apologized and decided to behave or the rest of the tour

 



Juan and George taking a break together

The tour guy did a good job explaining and pointing out some of the best places or some of the most well-known. I have never been to GWU before so that was a new experience for me. I felt like the campus was fairly big and very different compared to other Universities. I thought that with this tour and a walk around the campus, I would be more inclined to come to this university, but it did not have as big an impact as I anticipated because it felt exactly like going to school in a city. The campus is literally the streets of Washington D.C., and that made it feel small and not very interesting to me. The reason this was one of my favorite parts of the day was because what the tour did do for me was to have me learn that I am leaning more towards a place that is not already like where I live.

Day 8: DC Here We Come!

Submitted by Susan Moerder

As our first week of research at SIO comes to a close, we packed and got ready to embark on the second week of our journey.  So no one in their right mind would be up at 4:00 in the morning to get to the airport but not only were we up at that time but so were the three RA’s who were driving us there. Sleepy and groggy we loaded the vans and said goodbye to Tioga dorm and UCSD for now. As I reflect back on the first week of the program I am thankful for Veronica Tamsitt and Bonnie Ludka for their dedication and expertise in teaching the students about data analysis and patterns to discuss. The students began preparing their first draft issue papers and their first practice run through of their Congressional meeting. We’ve got a lot of work to still do for them to be ready for Wednesday!

Veronica Tamsitt and Bonnie Ludka, SIO Researchers 

The flight was uneventful except for the fact that this was Juan’s first time EVER flying!  It was fun to see his excitement and his anxiousness with every detail that we had to cover from checking in, checking luggage, going through security, take off, landing, and not having his luggage turn up in DC. Well it did turn up, seems it was sent on an earlier flight from Austin (our stop-over) and so his apprehension about losing his stuff was calmed quickly.

Sporting our AC GELS shirts!

Juan and his "Build Your Own Plane"

After checking in to the hotel, we walked to a local pizza place. Ah- east coast Italian food- can’t beat it!

Now we are ready to take on the hill!  Well, we do need to practice more first so we are looking forward to working with Danny Richter from Citizens Climate Lobby tomorrow to learn how to handle ourselves in our congressional meetings this week.

Day 7: Issue Papers

Submitted by Jen-Li Barry

 

Today each person in our group researched their congressperson to write their own issue paper. Exploring past bills and legislation they supported, we searched for an issue to write about. Creating this issue paper was much more challenging than I had originally expected, because I learned that we each had to pick a topic that our representative would likely support and that we were passionate about.

My representative, Lois Capps is passionate about many issues, including the environment, public health, and education. After reading about her previous accomplishments and occupations, the website ontheissues.org gave me insight into how she had voted on these issues. I was excited to see that I agreed with her on many of the topics, disagreeing with offshore drilling, being pro-choice, and being pro-gun control.

I then turned to some of the environmental problems that affected my community/her district. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the majority of ideas I had were already being implemented in the area, including free mulch deliveries, rain barrel subsidies, and a renovation to make a golf course more water-efficient.

Reflecting on this past week and the different topics I learned about, I remembered a display at the Birch Aquarium. It featured two windows, comparing the amount of heat each type captured, in an effort to conserve energy. I realized I hadn’t seen or heard anything about solar windows, so I decided to investigate further. I found a few different companies that either sold or were in the process of developing solar windows, which would capture the light and generate energy for the building.

Jen Li at the Birch Aquarium

Working on issue papers

After reading what each website had to say, I figured this would be a great topic to introduce at my meeting with Rep. Capps. I am very excited now that I found a topic; however, I am still pretty nervous about presenting this paper. Our group did a mock run through with our first drafts to get an idea of how the meeting would feel. I felt immensely unprepared, I could hardly remember what I was talking about, and eventually I ended up reading off of my paper. I made some notes of specific questions I needed to be prepared to ask, but I realize that I need to be able to think on my feet, as I can never know what may occur during a meeting with a busy congresswoman. I am not very good at conversing with people of status without having everything somewhat planned out in my head, but I simply have to remember to take a breath and just say what seems appropriate to the situation.

Even though this process and the meetings are challenging, I am glad that I get the chance to experience lobbying in DC, since it will only help me learn and grow as a U.S. citizen and a human being.

Day 6 Trust Circle

Submitted by Juan Martinez

   

Today we accomplished a lot but the activity which impacted me the most was at the end of the day on the 11th floor of Tioga Dorm. We formed a circle with a rope in front of us. We trusted each other to support our weight as we planted our feet on the floor and then slowly leaned back. We were tugging the rope and eventually leaning so far back that we supported everyone else's weight. Similar to a trust fall, we were depending on each other while relying on the strength of the rope. We exercised teamwork and trust for all of the other people in the circle.

While still in the circle formation we sat down and talked freely about whatever we wanted. What we talked about was really our choice, it could have been personal or just anything we liked about the week. The rope formed a circle with a knot tying the two ends and whoever had the knot in front of him/her had the chance to talk without being interrupted. Once done that person would pass the knot to the next person and then they would have the chance to talk about whatever they wanted. This also involved trust and vulnerability as well because some people shared a part of their life that they probably had not told anyone and was very dear to their heart.

Intro teambuilding before the rope

This activity affected me in an emotional way because I opened myself up and addressed a topic that was very sad and brought back bad memories. The activity also made me feel safe because I knew I could trust my peers and speak freely about whatever, whether it was an embarrassing moment in my life or a very joyful moment of my life. I truly liked this activity and enjoyed it quite a lot.



Not the trust circle but definitely trusting when the captain let Juan drive the boat!

Day 5 Presentation Do’s and Don’ts

 Submitted by Annie Yu

 

Being a very independent person by heart while having a natural fear of public speaking, I was somewhat anxious about the team presentation we would do today. After an ordinary morning, of breakfast at Pines, and the 7 minute ride to SIO, we entered the Vaughan building being greeted by our instructors Veronica and Bonnie. We were separated into our “Hot” and “Extreme” groups and while the “Hot” group left to work on ocean warming in another room, I was left with Susan, our program coordinator, Bonnie, our instructor, and Daven and Trae, my two other classmates-and team members for the day to examine decade long data regarding rainfall in Bakersfield, CA.

Quickly, I was immersed in a land of numbers, spreadsheets, and silence while my teammates were indulged in their own work. Bonnie, was very efficient in walking us through the techniques used to get standard values and soon I was calculating means, maximums, and standard deviations like it was basic math. After three hours of analyzing data, and a short but much needed break, we were on to working on the presentation. Working on our power-point, required more communication to be organized. My group divided up the work in a way in with each person addressed a different part of the power-point. One was calculating the means, while another was typing text, and the third was finding images. Quickly, I wanted to dominate the formatting of the presentation. However, I realized that my group members had inputs that invalidated those of mine, so I loosened my control and tried being more receptive towards my group mates’ ideas.

Annie and Trae

Annie practicing her presentation skills

Daven getting more comfortable speaking to the group

Our teamwork was a bit choppy at first, but we adapted and finally finished. Even though we received criticism the first time we practiced presenting, I felt that as a team, we were able to significantly improve and repair our power-point without expressing much opposition or conflict in regards to each other’s ideas. After presenting a second time, with significant improvement, we presented in front of our peers. The third time was met with more confidence and ease. Finishing the part I was supposed to present felt like a weight being lifted off my shoulders. Hearing feedback from others, despite the criticisms we received, gave me insight on the skills that I needed to improve upon. Although I’ve gotten used to being an independent worker over time, today’s activities revealed the importance of teamwork and being conscious towards the ideas of others. Additionally, it showed me that having the courage to present in front of others and being receptive towards constructive criticism makes presenting a much easier task. 

Day 4: A day aboard an SIO research vessel

Submitted by Jen-Li Barry


After a very early start and a few safety lessons, our GELS group parted from the Point Loma dock aboard the R.G. Sproul prepared to explore the ocean. After touring the ship and watching the boat gracefully skim the ocean, we were ready to begin our research experiments. There were a variety of tests we conducted, from recording water temperatures at varying depths, collecting samples with the CTD, and tossing M&M’s overboard. While every moment on the trip was filled with curiosity and a sense of peace at sea, my most memorable experience of the day was examining a mud sample retrieved from the bottom of the ocean.

The crew lowered the bottom trawl, a large metal claw-like instrument, over the stern of the boat to the bottom. Once the claw scooped up a large sample of mud from 55m deep, it was raised so everyone could explore the mud and search for creatures. The mud was smooth and soft and it made us all wonder what having a mud bath would really feel like.  We found quite a few brittle stars and a variety of worms, but then a splash was noticed in the water. We spent a good 5 minutes trying to grab what it was with our hands, but it managed to elude us. I felt the animal slide past a few times, so when Bonnie handed me a bag to try and capture it, I was able to scoop it into the bag when it appeared again.

Setting the CTD

  Mud!

Brittle Stars

Using a plastic cup with clear water from the CTD, we dropped the creature into the cup for observation. It resembled an eel, being flat and ribbon-like, and it had two clear stripes. It was trying to swim in a downwards direction, probably wanting to bury itself again, and its motions reminded me of a ribbon in the wind. After the eel paparazzi ended, we tossed it overboard, hoping it would be able to return to its home.

 Our mysterious find

 
Our day continued with examining collected plankton under microscopes, touring the ship’s bridge, and viewing the ocean from the bow of the ship. This trip really made me realize how much I truly enjoy the ocean and getting my hands dirty. I hope to gain more experience collecting data in the field and spend more time learning about life at sea. The glass-like conditions of the sea, the relaxing waves, and the engaging activities, all helped create a perfect day on the ocean.

 

Relaxing while heading back to shore

Day 3- Our Introduction to SIO

Submitted by Trae Rabago

Today was a very special day in the sense that we became a part of a mere 4% of the nation that was given access to the vertebrate collection held at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). When we arrived at SIO, we were greeted by our tour guide, Dan who led us into a room that was home to approximately 6,000 different species of fish, which makes this collection one of the largest in the nation. He showed us some of the most interesting fish they had, ranging from whale sharks, to flying fish, and stonefish, with some eels, and others I’d never heard of before.

Dan explains what each specimen is to the group from the sampling he set up on the table.

Shelves and shelves of specimens collected from as far back as 1912.

Also interesting to me was the technique they use to preserve the fish. Clearing and staining, and then storing in jars of alcohol and water, allow them to keep this large collection of fish. The preserved jars contain 50% water and 50% isopropyl alcohol so that the people at SIO limit their use of more hazardous substances like formalin. Clearing and staining, for those who are unfamiliar with the technique, is where the fish is cleared by putting the organism into ethyl alcohol and letting it soak until it becomes clear and then dying the bones and cartilage with colors to helps distinguish the parts of the fish.

This part of the day exposed me to so many new species I didn’t even know existed and helped me to realize that this is only a small taste of what our ocean has to offer.

-Trae Rabago