Today started off early; we were up and out of the house at 8:30! After packing our bags and piling into the van, we drove over to the Friday Harbor labs to observe Dr. Olivia Graham and her intern Katie Philipp. The dynamic duo were in the middle of an eelgrass study to determine at what points eelgrass wasting disease enters the plant. We had the fortune of arriving as they were removing and extracting their samples, and had the opportunity to help and observe the process! After helping remove the samples, we explored the tide pools along the coast of the observatory, checked out their dock, and headed back to the dorm.

After a little downtime, we headed out again to Fourth of July beach to observe eelgrass beds to take a closer look at them in their natural habitat. Along the way, we stumbled across students of the University of Washington, who were studying at Friday Harbor labs, and were taking a marine disease course. During our conversation, we learned more about the carbon cycle, and what role organisms and eelgrass plays.

After our discussion, we drove back to the dorm and continued to work on our presentations. After working on our presentations for a couple hours, we prepared the house for our guest of the night; Jessica Newley! Ms. Newley works with VR exploration and education, and films 360 degree video of her exploration in the Puget Sound and Salish Sea. With her, we had the opportunity to learn about the salmon lifecycle, and how the Salish Sea plays a huge role in the development of juvenile salmon.