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FLORIDA FRONTIERS Exploring Unknown Deep-Sea Biomedical Resources MISSION DISPATCH 9 • June 2, 2004 Dispatch by Mark Schrope - @Sea Photo-Journalist At about 9:45 this morning, the Seward Johnson made its way into Ft. Pierce inlet on the high tide to dock back at Harbor Branch at 10:45 a.m. By all accounts the expedition was a complete success, and the weather really couldn't have been much better -- completely calm seas, sometimes so flat we could have water skied, and skies almost always sunny. 
All told we collected about 300 samples including sponges, corals, and cone snails. Preliminary ship testing revealed new biomedical
potential in some of the samples, but the scientists will not have a clear picture of how promising anything is until they have the
chance to run more tests in their labs at Harbor Branch and FAU. The team was also able to re-collect several samples of animals
collected on previous Florida missions that have already shown cancer fighting potential in the more involved land-based tests. This
is a critical step in the drug development process because new material is generally needed to allow further study once potential
is revealed based on an initial sample.
As with anything, there are drawbacks to being at sea, but there are always some incredible experiences involved. In the case of this expedition, the work itself was a powerful attraction. The scientists and students involved are passionate about what they do, and excited about the possibility of finding something new-- a new species of animal, or a new chemical. And, while the process of making a new drug or treatment available to people would likely take more than a decade from the time a chemical was discovered during this expedition, the very real possibility that something done during the mission could lead to saved lives in the future is awe-inspiring. 
Though other thoughts about going to sea may pale in comparison to that ultimate life-saving potential of the biomedical research, and though thoughts now are far more focused on appreciating being off the ship rather than on it, there are nonetheless some alluring features to spending time at sea. For starters, as busy as everyone is, it is a simple life. Email is only uploaded and downloaded via satellite twice per day, there is no internet, and we are out of cell phone range most of the time. And you cannot go anywhere but the ship, so no errands to run (not even if you left a download cable for one of the digital cameras...). All that is to say, we are free for a while from many of the things, as important as they may be at times, that tend to overfill our days on land. The associated drawback, of course, is that these same technological and geographical restrictions that simplify our life out here separate us from friends and family, which is of course a major part of why everyone is now glad to be back. But there's far more to it than any of that, so, to give a better glimpse, I've asked a few shipmates to explain what they like about going to sea. So their answers wouldn't be tainted by the fatigue that comes at the end of the journey, I asked them about it a few days back... Q: What is attractive about going to sea on research expeditions? "I like being out on the boats, I like the diving, and I like the teamwork that goes into it. We all work together out here, but back at Harbor Branch we are all working in our separate labs. You get to know people when you live with them and eat with them and work with them for two weeks or a month at a time. I also like the excitement of seeing the samples as they come up and all the different varieties. Even though they're long days, it really doesn't seem that long. By the end of the day you realize you've been up and working for 12 or 14 hours and it's like, 'wow.'" --- Kathleen Janda , Harbor Branch Research Specialist, 19 years going to sea "Generally cruises are a lot of hard work and this one is by no means an exception. I think the most interesting part of the cruise is the excitement about the research everyone is doing, watching people excited about the samples that are brought up, seeing everyone working as a team, those are the things that are most exciting. It's nice to be on the water, but it's the science, really, seeing it firsthand that's exciting" ---Lyndon West, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, FAU, 3 years going to sea "The ocean is something I'm drawn to, and seeing the cutting edge science that's going on keeps it interesting. It's like I was watching the Discovery Channel, basically. And you meet a lot of interesting people out here from all walks of life. I always liked diving as a hobby, and being out in nature--whether in the woods, out in the ocean, around a pond or lake or river,--and being at sea sort of gives you that. Harbor Branch has great people and excellent support -- from the engineering and marine ops divisions, and from the scientists, and those are all parts of the whole that make a great system." ---Phil Santos, Harbor Branch submersible pilot, 20 years at sea I like all aspects of being on the ocean, not just chefing. I don't have to drive on the freeway, there's no traffic; I get out of bed and go to work. I think working on a research vessel is very interesting --I love being able to see what the scientists are doing, what they're up to. It's much more interesting than working for a billionaire, a bottom line guy. I've had dinner with plenty of them, and I think I'd rather sit across the table from a scientist any day -- science is creative too, like chefing, writing, or any other endeavor like that. So, it feels natural to be here in this environment." --Judy Caper, Steward for the R/V Seward Johnson. Left a job as a computer consultant and went to work as a mega-yacht sea chef on before joining Harbor Branch one year ago "I think one neat thing is that I lose complete track of time and current events. What's going on in the world is totally forgotten because I never watch TV, I never watch the movies, and after the first four or five days I really don't know what day it is. It's pretty nice not to worry about all that. One of the best things to me is the exploration, being able to dive in the sub or scuba and just exploring, seeing new places never seen before. Every cruise is some new experience. You always learn something new." --- John Reed , Harbor Branch Senior Scientist and Expedition Co-leader, 28 years going to sea Center of Excellence in Biomedical and Marine Biotechnology The Center of Excellence was created with $10 million in state funding in 2003. It is based at FAU and combines the expertise of Harbor Branch, Florida International University, Nova Southeastern University, the Smithsonian Marine Station at Ft. Pierce, and several private companies. The overall goal for the Center of Excellence is to promote the discovery, development, and commercialization in Florida of new medicines and other products. Center funding is intended as seed money to further expand Florida's emerging marine biotechnology industry over the next two years with the goal of attracting longer-term funding from federal and commercial sources. Besides funding one expedition per year, Center of Excellence money is being used to:
2) design and build a high-definition camera system that can be carried on an AUV to map new seafloor sites 3) to purchase equipment that will greatly enhance member institutions' ability to rapidly and accurately analyze the pharmaceutical potential of new chemical compounds.  |  |
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