When the Sky is Grey

Hey Team!

So the title of this post is a little misleading - we don't just to office work when the skies are grey and cloudy, that would mean a lot of office days! In fact, cloudy days are some of the best days to get out on the water, because there's no sun for that horrible glare!

But on days were it's too windy, too foggy or too rainy to be out on the water, we head over for a day in the station.

There are a bunch of things I've gotten a chance to work on here, and I'm going to try to explain them.

First, data:

The work here has been going on for a long time, and there is a lot of data. Data from the boats, data from the biopsies - a lot. So as often as possible, a couple people sit down and put all the data that was recorded on the water, which has already been transcribed into logbooks for the shelves, into digital data to be stored electronically. I don't think I've ever known a project to be up-to-date with data entry, and this one is no different - we would like to finish 2008 before the end of the season.

Second, photos:

This one is has multiple parts. First there is always matching. Always. I explained in this post what sort of photos we try to take, and while time individuals are known straight away on the water, there are lots that aren't, and we have to figure out if we already have them in the catalogue or if they are new individuals. It's rather a subtle art, one that I am in no way perfect at, but once and a while I get it totally right (like here). Which means I'm learning!

Second, up until about 2007, most of the photos taken here were film. Which means that they had to be developed and stored. Now with all our fancy-schmancy technology, they are scanning in the negatives from decades past and storing them digitally, so we can actually try to use them for matching.

I need to say though, that some of these photos are just horrible to look at, I don't know how anyone could see the small details that differentiate one whale from another, but they do and they did for decades before I cam around. Those are the true artists, my friends, true artists.

Back on topic though. So negatives have to be scanned and labelled, and all the information about the photos have to also be stored on the computer. Which means sitting with the negatives and the logbooks and making sure everything lines up pretty. It takes a lot of concentration and a lot of time to make sure you don't miss information, but once it's done, it's done!

Usually one of the main jobs of interns here is to do interpretations of the museum that they also have here. It's an awesome place, I'll try to write about it next week (I want to take pictures for the post!), but because it can't get any more French then where I am now, I have been practically useless in the museum. Interns also usually work in the boutique and help set up day trips (people who come out on the boats for one day, and get to watch us do our research. Sort of like whale watching, but with more science!). But again, as a very deeply rooted Anglophone, I am useless. Plus it's the end of the season, so the day trips have ended anyway.

The others here, sometimes interns included, usually have other projects that they are working on as well, so that fills their time. As someone with a very unstable future and limited means of figuring things out, I have had a bit more spare time around the lab to do personal things, like write this blog!

So the station days aren't the most exciting or most interesting, and sometimes I am so happy for the invention of the internet and all it's means of procrastinating. But it comes with the territory of scientific research, and at least I can look forward to the day I'm back on the water again.

When I try to explain to people why I do what I do, one of the things I say is I can't imagine life at a desk job. But then I have to remind myself that 80-90% of this job is a desk job. But I think in part it's what we get to do at our desks that can make it so cool - learn and discover new things. And then of course there's the big wall calendar (or the countdown that a calendar would symbolize) that let's us count down the days until we are back in the field again. The adrenaline of being out on the water helps carry you through the desk days.

Speak Loud!