Post by Ann Elizabeth Enova

I just returned from a research survey aboard the R/V Lake Guardian! We sampled the Great Lakes — Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, in my case. It was such a joy to be part of this cruise, as it brought to life so much of what I’ve been learning. During my Marine Science master’s, we studied thermoclines and water profiles — but always in tropical, shallow waters. Seeing deep, stratified systems like these was incredible! Watching the CTD profile drop into 4°C waters at 200m depths — amazing 😍 My dad taught me aquatic ecology (marine/seagrass), so it was a pleasure to learn how the freshwater lake folks do it. Even cooler: I was doing this on his birthday 😎 Doing all these in the field requires teamwork, and I am happy to have worked with people from EPA, Buffalo State University, and more. They were such team players, very kind and helpful. Huge thanks to my adviser, Dr. Diana Aga, and our collaborator, Dr. Nikolai Barulin, for this opportunity 😊 Thank you all — glad to have joined and be back just in time for my birthday ☺️😍🎂