The students were able to see first-hand how deep-sea exploration happens, and even ask questions of the team controlling the vessel’s remote operated vehicle (ROV), Hercules, as it dove 3,000 meters into sea. They saw the sea urchins, red shrimp, deep-sea eel, and watched as the pilot of the ROV took a sample of a sea star. Girguis has led multiple cruises as a chief scientist with on the research vessel Nautilus, as well as onboard the Schmidt Ocean’s research vessel Falkor. He reached out to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and colleagues at the NOAA funded Ocean Exploration Trust, which operates the Nautilus, to connect with about having his students sit in on a mission. “A lot of it is really introducing students to the largest habitat on Earth,” Girguis said.
