Departure and telepresence

Colleen Durkin

This morning we set sail, heading for the Rhode Island continental shelf break.  We are sailing on the R/V Endeavor:

R/V Endeavor
R/V Endeavor

Unfortunately, Melissa, the chief scientist had to stay on the dock, because she is beyond the pregnancy threshold for sailing on a cruise.

Melissa had to stay behind.
Melissa had to stay behind.

Instead, Melissa will be acting as chief scientist from shore and will stay connected with the ship through the University of Rhode Island’s “telepresence” capabilities.  Camera and microphones connect Melissa on shore with the ship.  Meg Estapa is acting as the on-ship chief scientist.

Meg coordinating the sailing plan with Melissa over the video connection.
Meg coordinating the sailing plan with Melissa over the video connection.

Video from our cruise is streaming live on Youtube, and at this link:

http://innerspacecenter.org/en572