Ahoy there, I’m Kirsty Edgar, one of the micropaleontologists on IODP Exp. 369. I live in the small market town of Rugby, in the UK (it’s where the game originates!) and currently work as a Lecturer at the University of Birmingham. Being onboard the ship is great. I have a two-minute commute to work everyday and I don’t have to do any household chores so I just get to do science for twelve hours everyday!...…

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After almost two months at sea, we have reached the last week of our research cruise here on the JR. While we’ve all had a great time meeting new people, coring interesting sediments, and doing some fantastic science, most of us are a little tired of being so isolated and are ready to go back home so we can sleep in our own beds, binge-watch Netflix shows, talk to family and friends in person, and...…

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The JOIDES Resolution in Hobart How does one sum up two months on the JOIDES Resolution? A song, a painting or maybe a poem? How about a lightly amusing blog? Let’s give it a try! A good place to start reminiscing on my adventures on the high seas was when I first arrived in Hobart, Tasmania on September 26th and saw the imposing JOIDES Resolution berthed in the docks from the taxi window. The only...…

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Microfossils are exactly what they sound like – tiny fossils! There are several different subcategories: foraminifera, radiolaria, and nannofossils. Micropaleonologists find these microfossils in the core the JOIDES Resolution collects from the Earth’s crust. Micro means small so most of the microfossils must be seen through a microscope. Although the fossilized shells show up as white now, they used to be all kinds of colours when the organisms were still living. We have a new...…

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Welcome everyone to the ring! We’ve got some of our favourite stars of the of the Geo-wrestling world with is here tonight! Introducing…  

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Alyssa is the publications specialist for Expedition 369. She is responsible for collecting and organizing the publications as well as creating visual core descriptions (graphical representations) of the described core data. When she is not sailing on the JR, she works in the IODP offices at Texas A&M. Here’s what she had to say about the book she’s been reading: “I’ve just finished reading The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins- a book written in the...…

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Geological time is hard to get your head around if you are not used to studying it. The Earth has been around for 4.6 billion years and modern humans have only been here for less than a million years. With lifetimes of less than 100 years its hard to fathom the extent of geological time but when you start to look at the different geological time intervals and the things that happened during them it...…

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Tracy Quan, a scientist sailing on Expedition 369, had this to say about the how and why to becoming a geoscientist… Several times a year, I get the chance to participate in a few outreach programs designed to introduce secondary school students and their teachers to the geosciences. One of the questions that frequently gets asked is what type of classes or skills would be useful for someone who might want to become a geologist....…

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Does the idea of having to explain your research to anyone under the age of 18 give you nightmares? Does the image of a classroom of 30 children cause you to hyperventilate? Does your brain go blank when confronted with youthful faces looking expectantly at you to tell them how science is done? Never fear! Talking to students (elementary to high school) can be easy-peasy if you remember the following: Keep it short and simple. Try to…

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Does the idea of having to explain your research to anyone under the age of 18 give you nightmares? Does the image of a classroom of 30 children cause you to hyperventilate? Does your brain go blank when confronted with youthful faces looking expectantly at you to tell them how science is done? Never fear! Talking to students (elementary to high school) can be easy-peasy if you remember the following: Keep it short and simple. Try to...…

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