Hi Megan! I guess that if the scientists wanted to keep light away from the deep sea creatures, they would just ask the pilot to turn off the exterior lights. The sub must be sitting securely on the bottom if the lights are to be turned off. You don't want to be driving around with your eyes closed! You might hit something! Most of the time, though, the lights are on, because the darkness is impenetrable down there. The lights only illuminate up to about 30 m in front of the sub, so visibility is only very good close to the sub. Most of the creatures don't seem to mind it too much. Thanks for your question!

Hi Will. Alvin is made up of LTOS of different materials! Here goes: The sphere where the divers sit is made of titanium. The outermost hull is made of fiberglass, the windows (viewports) are made of acrylic (a type of plastic), the ballast tanks are mostly type 316 stainless steel and titanium. The ballast tanks are encased in a material known as sytactic foam, which does not shrink under the pressure at the ocean floor. The foam provides added buoyancy and protects the ballast tanks. Thanks for your question! -- Kurt

Hi Kim, inside the sphere where the divers sit, it's a sealed environment. The interior is at 1 atm of pressure, just like on the surface, and the pressure remains the same for the duration of the dive. If you were on the OUTSIDE of the sphere, you'd need to equalize the pressure in your ears a few meters down. Before you even got remotely close to the bottom, you wouldn't be able to breathe (even if you had scuba gear) due to the pressure pushing on all sides of your body. So remember -- keep all limbs inside until the sub comes to a complete stop.

Hi Dave, I didn't get to see that movie, but I'm guessing that, like most movies, it has nothing to do with real life. Yeah, I know it's supposed to be based on true events, but movies have a tendency toward exaggeration. So, I hope I'm not totally bursting your bubble, but we haven't had any 50 foot swells. The hurricane that came through made for some fun rockin' and rollin' but even that wasn't too bad. Being out at sea is fun at times, trying at others. The ship is CONSTANTLY moving, so you never get a break. You bang your shins and bump into things a lot. You spill a lot when you're trying to pour. You have to aim for the toilet VERY CAREFULLY. But you get some great sunrises and sunsets, and fantastic cloud formations. If you get a chance to go out to sea, I'd say take it. Sea for yourself. -- Kurt

Hi there, Kala. That's a good question. The vents are constantly spewing fluid, but this is mostly due to their location at the sea floor. Seawater gets into cracks in the floor and gets exposed to the heat and magma underneath. This super heated water then rises, jetting out through the vents. As it hits the cooler seawater above, minerals picked up by the hot water precipitate out, forming the chimneys you are probably becoming familiar with. As far as lava flows and eruptions are concerned, those only happen periodically, like other volcanoes. I hope this answers your question. -- Kurt

Hey, A. Hm...that's a good one. No one has volunteered to do a taste test yet, but I can make the suggestion. At this point I really don't know, but there's only one way to find out. Now where's that Old Bay... -- Kurt

Another A. Seems to be a popular initial. Well, A., I like your style; lots of unrelated questions fired off in a shotgun blast hitting everything in a 120 degree radius. Seriously, this is how my brain works, so I don't mind doing it this way. Ready now? here are your answers, so pay attention:

(a) The Captain

(b) 26

(c) No

(d) Only if you ask very nicely

Hi Felecia and Brittany, I am trying to discover hidden pirate treasure. Well, not really, but I'll take it if I find it! Arrr! I am looking for viruses, specifically, viruses that infect bacteria. I am curious about the high abundance of viruses (especially compared to the abundance of bacteria) we measured at the vents last year. High viral abundance (higher than that of bacteria) has also been found in the water column, in soils, and in sediments. I think that viruses may play a role in the microbial ecology of these environments, so I am trying to get more information to find out if this is the case. Thanks for your question! -- Kurt

Hey, great question, Kevin! We're not really sure how these creatures cope with temperatures that would melt most surface-dwelling organisms. My guess is that they have some special arrangement of proteins (and possibly other molecules making up their bodies) that is stable even at high temperatures. That is one of the big reasons for this dive: to find out more about just how these organisms live at such high temperatures. Hopefully you'll hear about the findings in the news!

Wow, even thousands of miles away I am haunted by my ties to Newark! Just kidding. Well, Bob, I shall do my best on getting you the tubeworm sample. I should tell you that they're not nearly as impressive when they come up as they look on the bottom, but I'll get you one if it's within my power. As for the viruses, yes, they're really down there. Last year was our first, exploratory try at isolating viruses from the vents, but we came up with a pretty good haul. Even for first-timers. So, we're trying to get even more out of this cruise; attempting to isolate a phage-host system from the vents, in addition to collecting lots of viruses for molecular work. We also hope to try extracting viruses from the chimney material...we'll see what happens. I'm glad that this expedition is stirring up interest! Science is the best way to find out the answers for yourself. Thanks for writing in! -- Kurt

Skyla-Rae, wow, what a beautiful name! You asked about how much stuff can go on Alvin...like instrumentation on the outside? It depends. Th basket on the front of Alvin has a weight limit, so it really depends on how much your equipment weighs. It also depends on the pilot, as they tend to be picky about what's on the sub and where it's placed. Our typical dives have had about five or six different sampling devices/containers on the basket at any one time. I haven't been selected for a dive yet, but I was inside Alvin for my initial orientation. I thought it was fun! But my opinion might change after 8 hours of being inside, with three other people! -- Kurt

Good question. Actually, while the design of Alvin has changed VERY little over the last 25 years since its construction in 1964, the equipment and systems have been CONSTANTLY upgraded as new technology becomes available. As new composite materials are made, some parts of the hull have also been replaced. So, higher tech versions of Alvin are constantly being tried out. It's just a gradual, ongoing process. -- Kurt

Hey Tucker! You bet! If the fishing is good, there might be 20 lines off the ship at once as the crew jockeys for a good spot. There hasn't been too much caught this trip, but some squid were caught about two nights ago. We also came into possession of some fresh tuna and mahi-mahi by trading toilet paper to some pirates. Really!! O.K., it was a Costa Rican fishing boat, but they DID trade us fish for toilet paper and some refried beans! No lie! -- Kurt

Hi there, David. The microorganisms we find at the vents are highly specialized to live there. Because there is no oxygen at the bottom of the sea, the bacteria that live there do not need oxygen to survive (they are called anaerobic) In fact, oxygen is deadly toxic to many of them! Most of us surface dwellers use oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor (we make our energy by shuffling electrons from the food we eat don a chain of events that ends at oxygen). But, since oxygen is in short supply at the vents, the microorganisms use different molecules as terminal electron acceptors, like sulfide, which is abundant at the vents. As you may have guessed, many of the bacteria are heat tolerant (thermophiles). But because there is a wide range of temperatures (from 300°C to 2°C) depending on how close you are to the vents, many different bacteria with different temperature preferences can thrive there. These are just a FEW of the special adaptations these bacteria have made...I'll leave it to you to find out more! --Kurt

Hello, Crystal. Actually, yes, we have found a creature and named it! The Pompeii worm (Alvinella pompeijana) was discovered and named in honor of Alvin. Pompeijana refers to the city of Pompeii which was destroyed in a volcano eruption, so it's a fitting name for a worm that was discovered on undersea volcanoes by Alvin. As for eating in the dark, my guess is that these creatures aren't too picky about what they eat. If it fits in their mouths or if they can subdue what they catch, they'll eat it. While the vents are teeming with life, the colder ocean floor just outside is much more sparsely populated, so you have to eat when you can. Thanks for your questions! -- Kurt

Hmm. I wonder the same thing about people on Wall Street: how do they live under all that pressure? Well, the animals living on the sea floor are adapted to their environment, just as we are adapted to ours. We're comfy breathing air, living under 1 atm of pressure, and sunlight is quite a pleasant thing to behold. For deep sea animals, 200 or so atm of pressure is nothing: they're fine with that. It's normal. If the deep sea animals cared what we were up to, they might wonder how WE live under so LITTLE pressure....so, what is normal depends on where you come from. I haven't been attacked...yet. But I am still hoping! Please please please! -- Kurt

Hey, Alex. I suppose that if oxygen had always been present at the bottom of the sea, the animals there might well have used it as a terminal electron acceptor, much like we do. (In overly simple terms, we make our energy by taking electrons from the foods we eat and shuffling them down a transport chain. To get rid of the electrons at the end of the chain and make way for new ones to keep the chain going, we stick the electrons onto oxygen molecules and add a few hydrogen ions to make water! pretty neat, huh?) But these bugs never had oxygen, so they use different terminal electron acceptors, like sulfide. Using oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor can be a dangerous business, because oxygen easily forms free radicals: highly reactive molecules which can damage tissues. Because we have been using oxygen for a long time, we (and other terrestrial animals) have adapted mans of controlling and eliminating oxygen free radicals. So, if you were to just blast a bunch of oxygen into the vents, you would probably end up killing a lot of the organisms because they are not equipped to deal with oxygen or its nasty free radicals. You should probably see if you can find out more about this from another source, because I really gave you the short version, but it's a start! -- Kurt

Dear Alisha,
I hope you won't feel I'm avoiding the subject, but I just finished answering a very similar question from Austin at Royal Palm beach High. You can check out the answer to his question if you'd like. The short version is: I haven't discovered any new organisms personally (at least not that I know of yet...) but I think that tube worms are pretty neat-o. Thanks for your question. -- Kurt

Hello Sarah, thanks for sending in your question. The crew currently working on this cruise didn't just make Alvin this month by any means! Alvin's maiden voyage was in 1964 and it has been used on many, many dives and investigations prior to this cruise. I don't have any definite information on how long it took to build, but I know that the contract bid for construction was $500,000. Of course, systems have been updated and replaced as new technology has become available over the years, but Alvin's design is still the same as it was in 1964. For each dive, Alvin can be outfitted with specific equipment on the basket (for sucking up water samples, storing organisms or rocks, etc.) It takes our crew about an hour or so to install and check the equipment for a dive. I hope this answers your question! -- Kurt

Hi Kefirah! Thanks for being my new friend. Wow, what a unique and slightly morbid question! I asked the Alvin pilots about this and they told me that some years ago there was a pilot who went into explore an area, not realizing that there were rock overhangs (that is, the sub was basically in a cave). It's very difficult to see what's happening all around the sub, so it's easy to get yourself into a bad situation if you are not extremely vigilant. So, this pilot started to move the sub upward and crashed into the rock overhangs. The sub was stuck! It couldn't get free! After blasting the jets for a little while, he finally did get the sub loose and back to the surface. But I've been told that this particular pilot never dove again. And why should he, that HAD to be scary! I wouldn't want to repeat that experience. -- Kurt

Dear Andrey,
Another fine question. The simple answer is: yes. It takes many months and many dives in order to become familiar with all the systems on board. Besides merely steering the sub and controlling the manipulator arms, the pilot also has to guard against electrical grounding, monitor all electronics and life support systems, control cameras, deploy sampling equipment, and probably a few other things I am forgetting. So, it's a lot of work, and highly stressful. It takes a lot of practice before a pilot can go on a solo dive. I hope that answers it for you! -- Kurt

Hi Emilia! Yes I have. They actually look just like the pictures on the web site! They look like fat earthworms with little red jester's caps and fleece sweaters. It's pretty cool! -- Kurt

Dear Andrey,
Another fine question. The simple answer is: yes. It takes many months and many dives in order to become familiar with all the systems on board. Besides merely steering the sub and controlling the manipulator arms, the pilot also has to guard against electrical grounding, monitor all electronics and life support systems, control cameras, deploy sampling equipment, and probably a few other things I am forgetting. So, it's a lot of work, and highly stressful. It takes a lot of practice before a pilot can go on a solo dive. I hope that answers it for you! -- Kurt

Hello Lauren, being in a submersible is much different than SCUBA diving. and though you're underwater and at very deep depths, the submersible maintains pressures similar to that at sea level. this way the high pressure caused by the weight of the water above you when you're at the ocean floor doesn't effect the people in the sub. it's a lot like how they maintain pressure in an airplane, that way people aren't affected by the change in altitude like they would be otherwise. so it's just like how you feel and think when you're on land, but a little less comfortable because you have less room to stretch out in the sub. people who SCUBA dive have problems with pressure and so they feel and think different at depths, but we don't have these problems because the sub keeps normal pressures. -- Answers courtesy of Julie Robidart.

Oh, boy. How many creatures...as many as we can get, really. Because we're on a ship with the limited materials we brought with us, most of the work can't be done on the ship and has to wait until we get back to our labs on land. But once we're back home, there's no way to just run out to the corner store to pick up more Alvinella if it turns out you don't have enough to do your analyses. So, we generally collect as many creatures as we can in hopes of having enough to do our studies.
-- Kurt

Hello students of Mr. Conley's 2A Class. Well, that's sort of a tough question since I really come from the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at University of Delaware. The short version goes like this: I have always been interested in science, in general. I have also been interested in how we learn new things for quite some time. After I finished undergrad, I knew I wanted to continue schooling and become a professor, teaching science at the collegiate level. SO, I began my Ph.D. work on the ecology of bacteriophage in soils. Then Dr. Eric Wommack became a faculty member at UD. His Ph.D. work was on virus ecology in marine environments. Naturally, I had a lot of questions and he has been extremely helpful in advancing my research. I am increasing his knowledge and interest in soils and he has been increasing my knowledge and interest in marine environments. So, the marine studies thing is still relatively new to me, but I am enjoying it immensely. I think the moral of this story is to keep your curiosity -- you never know where it'll lead you!
-- Kurt

Hi Marissa, Well, have you been checking out the web site? There are some really great pictures posted there! Most of it is almost beyond description, like miniature monsters! I'll try a few, but you should really check the pictures online. There are mussels, which look like ordinary musssels except they're yellow. There are spider crabs, which really look like spiders with their long, spindly legs, and they're ghostly white. The Pompeii worm looks like a really fat red earthworm, about 3 inches long, with a white fleecy sweater and a red jester's cap. Of course there are more creatures than that, but see what YOU can find out! -- Kurt

Hello students of Mr. Conley's 2A Class. Well, that's sort of a tough question since I really come from the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at University of Delaware. The short version goes like this: I have always been interested in science, in general. I have also been interested in how we learn new things for quite some time. After I finished undergrad, I knew I wanted to continue schooling and become a professor, teaching science at the collegiate level. SO, I began my Ph.D. work on the ecology of bacteriophage in soils. Then Dr. Eric Wommack became a faculty member at UD. His Ph.D. work was on virus ecology in marine environments. Naturally, I had a lot of questions and he has been extremely helpful in advancing my research. I am increasing his knowledge and interest in soils and he has been increasing my knowledge and interest in marine environments. So, the marine studies thing is still relatively new to me, but I am enjoying it immensely. I think the moral of this story is to keep your curiosity -- you never know where it'll lead you! -- Kurt

Hey there, czapf....I'm guessing that's some sort of nickname? Anyway, I went to school at Newark High School. I did my undergrad at University of Delaware. Now I am doing my Ph. D at U. Delaware....I can't escape, so I've stopped trying to fight it. As far as I know, the vent creatures can be found in the 2000-3000 m deep range. The vents we are working at are about 2500-2600 m down. Someone will probably prove me wrong on this, but that's what I know about it...-- Kurt

Hi cconover! Another strange name, although I am guessing you're a C. Conover? Well, the worms I am familiar with (tube worms and Pompeii worms) get their food in completely different ways. Tube worms transport bacteria floating in the water and living on vent surfaces close-by into their bodies. The bacteria then produce (basically) food for the worm. There's no digestion, the worm simply absorbs it! The Pompeii seems to filter bacteria and debris from the water, which it digests in a simple gut. To my knowledge, these worms have been found up to 2800 m below the surface of the ocean. And as far as I know, none of them live underground...although the life cycle of the Pompeii worm is still not clearly understood. It may spend some stages of its life cycle in different locations. Hopefully more information will come from these dives! -- Kurt

Hi Marion, we haven't actually tried this with a piece of cloth, but lot of ropes have been to the bottom and back. Unfortunately, I don't have any exciting results to report. The ropes come back up looking pretty much the same, just wet. We also have a mesh bag which we use for sending down styrofoam cups to shrink. The bag doesn't seem to be any worse for wear, just wet, too. Thanks for your question.
-- Kurt

Hi Kim, what a great question! The first thing we need is to identify where oxygen comes from: photosynthetic plants. We have lots of grasses, trees, bushes, leafy greens, and so on to provide plenty of oxygen to our atmosphere. There are also aquatic plants which photosynthesize and produce oxygen in the water. However, photosynthesis requires sunlight, and sunlight only penetrates into the first few hundred meters of water from the surface. After that, it gets dark very quickly. So, no photosynthesis on the ocean floor, no oxygen. Another piece of the puzzle has to do with solubility. Oxygen is WAY more soluble in air than in water. Even if you bubbled pure oxygen through a tank of water, the water would only be about 0.0012% oxygen, while the air contains about 20%. So, oxygen from the atmosphere does not easily dissolve into water at the surface, let alone, make it down to the bottom. Alvin is made of thoroughly tested, highly rigorous materials. The sphere where the divers sit is made out of titanium, one of the strongest metals available, and the sphere shape means that equal pressure is exerted of all sides, making it very difficult to crush. Try this: grab a raw egg and make sure you can fit the whole thing in your hand (do this over a sink to be safe!) Try to exert pressure around the egg as evenly as possible. Now SQUEEZE! In most cases, the egg won't break because you are spreading out the pressure over the entire surface of the shell. The oval shape is almost as good as a sphere at dispersing pressure. So part of it is materials, and part of it is smart design. Thanks for your questions! -- Kurt

Hi Sonia, all scientist divers take a crash course in Alvin's basic operating systems, and more importantly, how to run the scientific equipment. Training amounts to maybe 3 hours of practical time and however much time you can spare studying notes prior to your dive. The pilot does most of the work on a dive. Training for pilots is extremely extensive--it's like going to school specifically to pilot the sub. You must know each system inside and out, what to do in any emergency, how to control the arms, etc. It's a LOT! -- Kurt

Hello Royal Palm Beach High student. A very interesting question. But I think that you can probably imagine what it feels like. It's exciting! You might have a lot of hopes, but since you don't know what you'll find, you must temper your excitement with practicality and realism. And since we're dealing with such a hostile environment, safety and prudence should out-weigh any sort of "guts and glory" machismo. SO, basically, I feel hopeful and positive, but I am trying to be prepared if things don't work out as I expect. I hope that answers it for you. Good question. -- Kurt

Hi Rich, a great question: just how deep can we safely go? A sphere, identical to the one in Alvin, was tested to over 10,000 psi (at 2,500 m deep, we are at 7,000 psi max). The pressure chamber burst but the hull remained intact. In other words, the testing equipment gave out before the sphere did! So, we don't know how deep you'd have to go, but it's definitely safe for this cruise. -- Kurt

Hey dude! Wow, you have blasted me with some really hard questions. Hard to answer in any sort of short way, I mean. But I'll try. For kids interested in science: follow your curiosity! If you want to know, ask! Read! Find out for yourself! (Be safe about that last bit, though.) The world is huge and full of interesting people, strange animals, and shiny objects. I am always appalled when I hear people say that they're bored because there are so many things to do and SO little time to do them. I STILL haven't started building my helicopter yet....But the main message is to find out what you want to know, and don't be afraid to ask. The more you find out, the more you'll figure out what YOUR next step should be. Is there ever a time I wish I had a different job....honestly, yes. Sometimes. But, like I said before, there are so many things I want to do! I could be an artist (I suppose) if I wanted. Or possibly a musician. Or a science teacher at any level. I nthe end, though, I am very happy where I am right now. Maybe I will do all those other things later, but right now, being immersed in science and learning new things makes me happy. MAYBE my studies will change the world. Not many people think that viruses are something to consider in an ecological context...and maybe they're not. But there is only one way for me to find out. And until I have a definitive answer, I'll keep working at it. Thank you for your very thought-provoking and "human" questions. -- Kurt

Dear Holly,
I'm sorry, but only one question per student. I guess you blew your chance. Tough luck! -- Kurt

OK, OK! I'm just kidding! Well, I'm thinking if a non-scientist can make it to the deep sea (i.e., you have your own Alvin) then they have to have some pretty powerful financial backing. This is tricky territory... I suppose that some animals could just be taken, but this seems a little, I don't know, shady? Let's use fishing as an example: if you're running a big fishing operation, you need a permit so that governments can keep track of your take and fishing activity can be regulated. We need to make sure that our fishing activity isn't totally disrupting the food web and ecosystems in the oceans. If an individual takes a few fish here and there, unpermitted, I suppose that it doesn't do much harm. Following this analogy, a person MIGHT be able to take a few animals from the deep ocean, but great care should be taken not to destroy their environment, and keep damages to a minimum. If many people started going down and harvesting worms, the vent ecosystem could be destroyed, without even understanding how it all works. So I guess my answer is a very conditional "yes." I think that consideration and ethics are very important part of that "yes," though.
-- Kurt

We have had some power failures and mechanical problems (like moving the manipulator arms properly) but no leaks. The sphere where the divers sit is tested to about 10,000 psi (we are working at 7,000 psi) so hull integrity is fairly assured. By the way, the sub is equipped with TWO banks of batteries PLUS emergency batteries to provide power to get to the surface. SO even the few power failures were not disasters. Thanks for your question!

Hi James and John, living on a ship is a bizarre mix of difficulties and fun stuff. Sometimes it's hard. The ship is constantly moving so you're always bumping into walls, tripping on stairs, spilling stuff, missing the toilet, etc. Sometimes it's hard to sleep if the ship is really rocking. Showering is fun, too. The scientists and crew are a fun bunch, though. It's always an interesting experience to talk to the crew, find out where they're from, what they do on the ship, what family they have, and so on. Most of the scientists are great people, as well. They work hard and play pretty hard, too. We have a ping pong table and foosball table, a library, and an exercise room for recreation. Running on a treadmill on a rocking ship is a fun experience, too. And seeing the Alvin launches and the stuff they bring up from the bottom is absolutely amazing! Being away from family for so long is a hard part. But if you stay at home all the time, you never have adventures like this! -- Kurt

Hi Bob! Hi Jon! Hi Sue! So, you guys found out what I was up to, eh? You have my word on lunch. Looking forward to seeing all of you again. I really miss working with you all; those were some of the best days I've had so far...and really what hooked me on science education. Keep watching the Web site, and I'll see you soon!
Love, Kurt

Hi Katie! Bored? Oh, no, my friend. I NEVER get bored. Seriously. It may look like not much is going on upstairs, but I'm always enjoying myself. Life is exciting, there's way too much to see, to do, to learn. If you are bored, you're overlooking something. There's plenty of other things to do on the ship if you don't want to work: talk to people, play ping pong or foosball, work out, read, eat, watch movies, watch the sun set, watch the Alvin launches, hang out with the crew....where should I stop? No, I don't get bored. :) -- Kurt

Aww, ain't that sweet? Thanks, Knox, it's good to be loved. Well, about that worm question: it wouldn't catch on fire. Fire needs oxygen to burn, and there's none to be found on the abyssal plain of the ocean floor. What might happen is the worm would jump out of its tube. The temperature of the water coming from the vents is not constant: it fluctuates. Sometime a burst of hotter water comes through and the Pompeii worms all jump out of their tubes and go back in when it's cool enough to tolerate. Just like if you stuck your hand into a pot of hot water and yanked it back out -- you knew it was too hot, but were probably fast enough not to get burned. Thanks for your question! Love, Kurt

I wouldn't really know quite yet. But if I were to discover a new species, my answer would be "indeed." I have so far been on 3 hydrothermal vent cruises but no new species have been discovered on any of them yet. The exciting thing is that there is the possibility of discovering new species every time we go to sea. Kevin Feilman will return home with some worm samples and identify them there, so maybe we have found a new species but don't know about it yet. What I like most about these cruises is discovering new things about the species that we already know. There are some amazing animals at vents and we just don't know how they do it- how do they manage to live in such a strange environment. That's the cool part to me. Answers courtesy of Julie Robidart.

Hey, what's goin' on, NJ? Well, to be an observer (that is, one of the scientists that goes for a dive) we get a 30 minute Alvin orientation, and about an hour or two going over how to deploy the different science apparati which take the samples, etc. Then you can study your notes as long as you like. AS for the Alvin pilots, it's basically like full-time school. You must know all systems inside and out, all emergency procedures, how to work the manipulator arms with precision, what to do in different situations, etc. You have several oral and written exams...it's quite extensive and takes at least a year to become even a crappy pilot (oops, can I say "crappy"?). But it's probably worth all that work! -- Kurt

Hi Bradley, I think that tubeworms are pretty keen. They have a white stalk with big red tops that look like tulip petals. Tube worms have no eyes, no mouths, no limbs, no brains, no stomachs, nothing. They have colonies of bacteria living inside them and these bacteria produce food which the worm lives off of. NEAT! I think that they're the most interesting creature I've seen. -- Kurt

Boy, was I! Wouldn't you be? How often does a chance like this come along? Especially if you are enrolled in the Department of PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCES? Oh, yes, I was excited. -- Kurt

Hi Laura, I blush with your flattering request! I am truly honored to have such an invitation offered to me. Well, if I can schedule transportation and time off from work (and if my wife lets me. She's SO excited that I am doing this, but also very sad because I am away for so long....she might never let me out of her sight again!). Although I would have to drive from Delaware to Montana: after the flight in to San Diego I am NOT looking forward to getting back on a plane. If you're really serious about this, we can see if it's do-able. Really! -- Kurt

Hi Megan. Well, I can't say that I am contributing such a large portion to this cruise, but I'd like to think we're all important and our work is worthwhile.