Week 5: UNF and final goodbyes

The final week of my awesome journey was spent at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL. Our main focus this week was estuarine ecology and the coast. We did a 24 hour study where we took water quality samples and seine nets and observed how these changed over time. It was surprising how much the different parameters changed. We got to watch the tide come in and out and I was amazed with how far down it got. It was very interesting to see the different organisms we caught during the day versus at night. Many of the organisms only came out at night and many of them only were out during the day. There was also a huge tidal influence on them which I was not expecting to see. The 24 hour study was very long but it was great to see the outcome. I think it would be interesting to do it for a longer period of time to observe long term changes. I'm pretty sure I was the smelliest one when it was time to leave. Sorry guys...

This class taught me a lot about Florida and opened up so many different opportunities for my future. I am still new to the area so I don't know a lot about what is offered for marine biology. This class showed me so many different areas that I can focus my studies on and also showed me the different areas of Florida that I had never been. I almost don't feel like a Minnesotan anymore! This class showed me that I made the right decision in moving down to Florida to do something I love.

I had a great week at UNF. It was fun to start and end in the same place. I met some amazing people on this trip. I wasn't expecting to get so close to so many other students. The relationships that I made with the other students will last forever. Being in such close quarters with everybody really brought us closer together. I am honored to have spent 5 weeks with such smart and awesome people. Without them this trip would not have been as enjoyable. I made so many good friendships through this class. I already miss waking up to 11 other people every morning! I miss you all so much!!