Expedition Team

Wendy Kordesch

Wendy Kordesch, S-214


Alum: S-214
Age: 25
Occupation: Grad Student

A Laysan Albatross riding a giant eroding block of Styrofoam bobbed past me on a cruise last spring. The sight was heartbreaking! While professionally I focus on other areas of oceanography, I personally feel very passionate about pollution in the oceans and have had the unfortunate chance to see its repercussions first hand. This summer I am excited to be back sailing with SEA and contributing to our knowledge of plastics in the ocean.

Aside from fretting about the fate of the Albatross, I spend my days as an Ocean Science graduate student in marine geology and paleoceanography at UC Santa Cruz. I enjoy both research science and sailing, particularly so when they're combined.

After SEA semester class S-214 I spent time adventuring around French Polynesia as deckhand and eventually found my way to a marine geochemistry lab back at UCSC. Between stretches of picking fossil fish teeth under a microscope in the lab I sailed on NOAA cruises focusing on bioacoustics and marine sanctuary monitoring.

I spend as much time as possible open water swimming (my third Alcatraz swim is the week before the cruise!). I enjoy reading stories by Herman Melville and feeling like we have something in common, and I can't wait for the incredible view of the night sky from the Cramer.




funding

Plastics at SEA: North Atlantic Expedition 2010 is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program. Additional funding provided by Sea Education Association and Henry L. and Grace Doherty Foundation. American Chemistry Council provided support for web-based outreach. Crew gear provided by Patagonia. This expedition is in collaboration with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Woods Hole Sea Grant.