This section of the SEAS Project will let you experience what our student is experiencing.  Remember, the first step in the Scientific Method is 

OBSERVATION

Let our Student be your eyes and ears. She has been instructed by the  scientists on board to develop her observational skills and to record EVERYTHING she possibly can.  She has been told to NOT HOLD BACK on her descriptions. Why? Because observation can be, at times, very exciting or very routine -- both extremes are important. Another reason is that oceanography is often not as glamorous as it may seem. Working at sea means many long working hours with very little sleep under some pretty rough conditions. After all, this IS the Gulf of Mexico during the height of hurricane season!

To read the student's science journal while at sea, click one of the above dates.

Consider these to be your observations, and use these data to formulate your own questions and hypotheses.  You can find more information about this process at Interactive Curriculum.