I l~ N (: 1~ A 'l_, Hy norothc<' Gu 1"cie1 I Clui, c 1/e{Jh ,, Over the summer, senior biology major Taylor Smith from Greenwood, Arkansas, sailed t the Phoenix Islands Protected Area in Hawaii for SEA Semester, a Boston University affiliated program. The Sea Education Association hosted th0 eight-week accredited study abroad program to equip undergraduate students with "the tools to become environmentally literate leaders"' in oceanic environmental circles, according to the program website. Smith, along with 22 students from various universities, conducted conservation research for the Phoenix Islands, the Pacific's largest marine-protected area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Smith said she saw a poster advertising the program in the Pryor-England Center for Science and Engineering and decided to get more information. After hearing about the program, senior Kelsey Morkassel, a friend of Smith, said the internship aligned with her passions perfectly. "The trip description just screamed Taylor at me," Morkassel said. "Conservation, marine SI~ A life and ornithology all in one. It just fit." After learning about the program, Smith was quick to apply for the life-changing internship. Before the spring semester ended, Smith recieved wnrd that she had been accepted. ·'VVe started in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute is based,., Smith said. "We did two weeks of really intense studying and research since we were not going to have any internet on the ship." The two-week classes started June 17. On July 2 , the group flew to Hawaii for three days where they boarded the Robert C. Seamans, a steel sailing brigantine used to teach students how to sail, for a week-long journey to the PIPA region. Although excited for her daughter's adventure, Smith's mother Kristi Smith said the lack of communication during the program was difficult. "Once Taylor set sail from Hawaii, I knew it would be the last time we would talk until she came back," Kristi said. "It was a long six to eight weeks." During her time in the Pacific, Taylor and her team measured various oceanic elements to determine the populations of fish and other living organisms in the water. "We looked at oceanographic data, such as water temperature and pH, along with chloral egg concentration, which is a good indicator of plant life in the water," Taylor said. Along with the science and data collecting, Taylor said the students also learned how to manage a ship, collecting data, helping to strait the sails and cleaning while on deck. Others would work at the helm with the steering of the ship. The group visited four or five of the eight islands that comprised the Phoenix Islands, only one of which was inhabited. Only 20 to 30 people lived on Canton Island, most of whom were government officials and their families. The students shared meals, sang songs and performed dances with the Canton locals. The group was at sea until Aug. 14 when they sailed back to the American Samoa, where they boarded planes to head home. "This trip has solidified my desire to be a biologist," Taylor said. "It's no longer an abstract goal. It's what I want to be and who I am." Se11io1· 1°(ly /or 51111th spent t1L o weeks 11/ her '111111/l( 1· nt the l'hoenix Islancls Protected \rcu in lJ 111•ui1 llzl'ou(Jh c11n·oy1·am cul/eel SJ.;;\ Semestel' I J'lwt< by lfrccu T~iley Bethany Gorman, Tnterdisciplinary Sh1dies Jessica Gray, Middle l,evel-Math/Scie11ce Joy Green, Criminal Justice Bren Grymes. Athletic Traini11g Steph Grzenia, Management T1iformatio11 Systrms Emily Hale, Graphic Design Richard Ilale, Clinical Mental flea/th Counsel Brent Hall, BibTe and Mi11istry Corbett llall, Biochem 011d Molernlar Biology Kelly Hall, Child Life Jacy Hans, Biology SE:'\IOHS 117
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