From January to March, we awaited our cruise departure by learning about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2011.  We were given lectures from our very own professors, Greg Brooks, Rebekka Larson, and Patrick Schwing, as well as lectures from guest speakers from Tampa Bay Watch; Julie Richey and Caitlin Reynolds from USGS; Dave Murawski from NOAA and now FSU; Paul Knorr with BOEM; and Matt Garrett from FWRI.  These speakers presented on topics of sedimentology, radio-isotopes, benthic communities, nutrient management, fisheries, paleoceanography, and harmful algal blooms, all current studies in the Gulf of Mexico, and some in response to Deepwater Horizon. 

In April and May, we began creating our field plan for the cruise.  Students worked together to create field plan proposals, including information about cruise objectives, equipment requests, proposed sampling sites, and ship route.  We also received important training in the specialties of our choosing: sedimentology, radioisotopes, x-ray fluorescence, and foraminifera.