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Oscar arrived at SEA wanting a practical experience in conducting field oceanographic

research. Undergraduate research is at the core of our pedagogy, the students work on a
research project proposal through the first six-week period of shore based study and
execute the work onboard our ship during the following six weeks. From the beginning,
Oscar was a pleasure to work with, quickly conquering the first hurdle of identifying a
focal point of interest - in his case the possible mediation of zooplankton grazing by the
oxygen minimum zone on the Eastern Equatorial Pacific. He proved to be a quick,
independent mind who with minimal help could dive into primary literature and
synthesize an understanding of the complex interrelationships he was proposing to study,
and clearly benefited from the considerable background he brought with him from
relevant UW courses under his belt. Onboard the ship, these skills continued to serve him
well. However, another set of his qualities also emerged. Oscar works supremely well
with others, and with a patient, amicable, funny, witty demeanor became one of the
natural leaders of his class. He became the anchor of his seven person watch, the person
who would reliably lead and inspire his classmates through the difficult night watches
and rough weather. It is a general tendency for students to embark on ambitious projects -
indeed the hardest part of my job is to narrow the gap between the Ph.D.-scale research
students want to conduct in six weeks and the realities of oceanographic research. In
Oscar's case he and his partner did tackle a project of ambitious scope, and while that
meant that their results were not quite as clear cut as they had hoped, Oscar made the
most of that learning opportunity as well. Whereas most students struggle, Oscar was
able to see the significance of their results and gained many new insights from the data
they collected. Ultimately, that is what I wish for my students. Oscar also seemed to have
gathered some more thoughts about what kinds of work/activities are most compelling to
him, and I'm sure he'll put those personal reflections to good use in taking the next steps
in his career in ocean sciences. I am looking forward to learning about the next steps
Oscar chooses to take, he has the talent and character to make big contributions in
whatever topic/field he chooses to make his career in.