A summer of icebergs and mud

Geology faculty, students share insights from research trip off coasts of Canada, Greenland

By California State University, Bakersfield

September 24^th, 2025

Have you ever dreamed of escaping the hot summer weather by taking a long, all-expenses-paid cruise in a cool climate? That is what some CSUB geology undergraduate students and their professor did this summer — only this cruise was a research voyage where participants worked in rotating shifts 24 hours a day for five weeks at sea to collect seafloor research samples off the coasts of Canada and Greenland.

This research trip, funded by the National Science Foundation, is the sample collection phase of a collaborative project to study modern processes and seafloor micro-organisms for a better understanding of changes in ancient oceans and climate variability.

Principal Investigators Dr. Tony Rathburn (CSUB Professor of Geology), Dr. Sophie Hines (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute) and Dr. Chandranath Basak (University of Delaware) were joined by four CSUB undergraduate students and 26 scientists and students from 11 institutions on the research vessel Roger Revelle in the Labrador Sea and Arctic Ocean this summer. Seafloor sediments and ocean water were collected across the Labrador Sea, in water depths ranging from 100 meters (328 feet) to over 3600 meters (11,811 feet).

Students on the voyage were treated the same as every other research scientist on board and actively participated in setting up laboratories on the ship, the deployment and recovery of sampling gear, the processing and preservation of research samples and packing gear and samples for shipment.

Living and working on a research vessel for five weeks included a lot of challenges and unique opportunities to experience how a marine scientist conducts research at sea. Students worked closely with a diverse array of scientists and students at various stages in their careers and received hands-on training in oceanographic research techniques and equipment.

Students participated in several safety drills, they received tours of the engine room and the bridge and they worked and ate side-by-side with experienced scientists, geoscience graduate students, research technicians and the captain and crew.

The trip offered many memorable, first-time experiences for students. In addition to the many research techniques and shipboard activities that they were exposed to, students saw icebergs, whales and arctic scenery for the first time. One CSUB student had never previously flown on an airplane.

"It was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience with great people and plenty of skills to learn,” said student G. Trace Hicks. Learning by doing also enabled him to gain "a deeper understanding than could be reasonably attained in a classroom alone. I felt this firsthand as topics became much easier to grasp."

For Dr. Rathburn, this voyage was especially gratifying as three of his former students participated on the expedition as well as five current students.

"It was wonderful to sail again with former students, two of which are now university professors, and to watch them mentor students of their own," he said. "Participating on a long, international research voyage is transformative for students, not only in providing new skills and unique, memorable experiences, but also in building confidence and broader perspectives."

CSUB student Ryan Tengelsen said that the voyage "has increased my confidence by giving me hands-on research experience and the opportunity to be part of something that few people in the world ever get to do."

The expedition also exposed students to potential career pathways that they might not have previously considered.

"This cruise has opened my eyes to an entirely new side of geology, one I hadn’t fully considered before," said fellow student Garrett Cooper. "This experience has inspired me to further explore what oceanography has to offer. It’s made me seriously consider pursuing a master’s degree in marine geosciences."

After a very successful voyage, the ship docked in Iceland. Once gear and samples had been packed for shipment back to the United States, students were able to visit some of the many geological features of the country, including geothermal geysers, waterfalls, a volcanic crater and the boundary between two tectonic plates.

Although the month-long northern adventure of experiential learning has come to an end, the primary phase of research is just beginning. The venue of scientific discovery and hands-on learning now shifts to laboratories on land where students will analyze the samples they collected.

These activities will not only be conducted in CSUB geology laboratories, but, through internships, CSUB students will have opportunities to conduct summer research in laboratories on the East Coast as well. Microscopic and geochemical investigations of the materials that were collected will undoubtedly reveal intriguing new insights into seafloor ecology and geochemical processes of the present and the past. The impacts of the voyage will range far beyond the science produced, as the rewarding experiences and lasting memories generated during the expedition will remain for a lifetime.