Another Hatfield adventure began for me last Monday, this time as an Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholar.  I am working at the HMSC visitor center under the mentorship of Bill Hanshumaker, a marine education specialist whose passion is free choice learning.  I forgot to post on the blog last night (oops) but now I have the unique opportunity among the other interns at the visitor center to talk about the first day of actual work on the floor.

Among the eclectic duties as a visitor center intern, by far my favorite today was showing kids the touch tank.  Some were pretty frightened of touching the urchins and the anemones and others didn’t even blink an eye and just went for it.  It was very entertaining to watch.  Last spring I took a series of classes out at HMSC all about marine biology so I thought I had pretty good grasp of the touch tanks.  I learned very quickly that people know how to ask difficult questions that my classes did not prepare me for.  All the better…I like being kept on my toes.

I am looking forward to giving estuary walks and presenting on deep sea volcanic activity in the upcoming weeks, as well as anything else that I can do to help out around HMSC.