Category Archives: Adventures

HERA XVII – NASA Mission Prep

Leave a reply

Well, this is my last full week at the University of Massachusetts before I take a 2 month leave-of-absence to participate in the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) mission at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX.  I will be living with 3 others in the HERA habitat for 45 days, during which time we will have very limited contact with the outside world, eat delicious freeze-dried foods, shower in a ‘hygiene module’, and simulate flying a spaceship. Weird? Exciting! Continue reading →

Blood Moon Pictures

I recently moved into a house on Transit St. in Providence. Legend has it that the house was built by the aunt of composer George Cohan (this was a big selling point for me, no doubt). But, that is only kind of cool in comparison to the etymology of the street name itself. Transit Street was so named because in the 18th century, it was considered one of the prime locations in the world to view the Transit of Venus (the passage of Venus between Earth and the sun) and astronomers from New England gathered there to watch the event in 1769.

The pictures below are not the Transit of Venus, but they do represent a planetary transit that I captured earlier this fall. It is the blood moon – a combination supermoon and complete lunar eclipse. I took pictures at 30x optical zoom with my Nikon point-and-shoot camera mounted on a tripod. I was pleased with the outcome from such a small camera. Enjoy.

The start of the lunar eclipse

Just about fully eclipsed

The Blood Moon.

ASLO 2015 – Granada, Spain

In March of 2015 I had the pleasure of attending a scientific conference for the Association for the Science of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO). This year the meeting was held in Granada, Spain. So much great science! I gave a talk on past temperature changes in Alaska and what impact that had on lake ecosystems. Lake E5 is such a wonderful model lake!

I didn’t take many pictures within the conference, but want to share these pictures from beautiful Grenada and the surrounding area. Enjoy.

Winter Break Pics

Hi, I wanted to share the awesome winter sport of snow mini-golf with everyone. This is a sport introduced to me by my uncle over X-mas break. If you’ve been trying to make the best of this snow-filled New England winter, consider adding this to your list of activities. Continue reading →

Orienteering Meet – May 31 – Lincoln Woods

Keep May 31 open on your calendars! On that day I will be directing an orienteering meet on behalf of the New England Orienteering Club.  If you’ve never orienteered and are interested, this will be a beautiful venue for a first time. Details below:

Location:  Lincoln Woods State Park outside of Providence.

Date and Time: May 31, 10-12 am

What to bring: Sturdy shoes, $5 or $10 depending on the course you do. Also, if it’s a nice day, bring a swim suit for the beach.

More details at: http://www.newenglandorienteering.org/events-schedule/eventdetail/473/-/lincoln-woods