Good day, ladies and gentlemen!

What did we do today? Well, it was a dark and stormy night…. No. It was morning. Against our will, we were awakened at the way too early time of 6:30 am. We dragged our feet down to the breakfast, a meal of heavenly taste. Cereal. Toast with a multitude of condiments, including butter and jam. Then we set off for the day, to Deadman’s Bay, where we met with Dr. Hilary Hayford. Dr. Hayford is a UW biologist who is interested in intertidal ecology at Friday Harbor. We got to participate in a pilot study that looked at changes in snail feeding behaviours due to temperature changes and environmental stressors. We also spotted a river otter in the tide pools! After some fieldwork and a long-awaited lunch, we joined Dr. Rebecca Guenther, a phycologist (studier of algae), who taught us about algae life cycles, species identification, and even helped us press our own seaweed art! After the interesting lectures, we had an amazing dinner with Jennifer Olson. Jennifer works at the Whale Museum’s Stranding Network Program, where she coordinates rescues and research for marine mammals stranded on the shores. After dinner, we sang Happy Birthday to Evelyn’s dad Michael. All in all, it was a great and educational day.

After the first night in the dorms, we got up and enjoyed a breakfast of cereal and oatmeal. We then started the day off by going over the guidelines, expectations, and schedule for the program.

We took a walk across campus which woke us up, and we also got to see the Spring Street International School ground and the incredible laboratory. Back at Hope House (where our dorms are located), we went over the behavioral guidelines for the next few weeks, but quickly got back to the fun after we were assigned to go on a photo safari!

We were given a packet of old photos of the island and were given the task of finding the current location and taking the same photos decades after they were initially taken. This gave us a chance to tour the town and see the sights for ourselves.

We returned with an empty stomach and were excited to see that sandwiches and apples were on the menu for lunch. We then drove to the Friday Harbor Lab. The most exciting part of our day was boarding the Friday Harbor Lab’s boat, the Centennial, and collecting marine life through dredging. We had many interesting finds, from sea sponges to sea cucumbers, we even got to see a slimy sea star!

Afterward, we got a tour of the Friday Harbor Lab and learned a little bit about the history. We then headed back for a bit of exploration time where some of us relaxed while others prepped for dinner and began introducing the guest.

Our guest, Dr, Rebecca Guenther, arrived for a delicious pasta dinner. After dinner, she captured our attention with a presentation on ocean acidification and its effects on algae, which is what she specializes in.

We were all tired out from a long first day and relaxed a little bit before going to bed, excited for the next day!