Page 44 - EUREKA 2019_Neat

They spent every day of the field the number of scuba tanks (and the aquatic plants called macrophytes,
course on and in the water. Every projected budget) required to com- resembling fish-creatures from dank
evening featured at least three hours plete their proposed field work. lagoons. And while there were no lake
of lectures and workshops at QUBS. Waltho’s integrated approach of monsters—besides the invasive zebra
Scientific diving techniques taught in theory and application also helped mussels whose tiny shells can cut the

the classroom—such as benthic core students plan and conduct research skin—there were still several underwa-
sampling, fish surveys, habitat mapping diving in a real-world setting. ter threats.
and underwater photography—were Lobsang Wangkhang, an environ- Nitrogen narcosis, or “the martini
then applied the next day in the lake. mental toxicology student at Queen’s effect”, can occur near the 100-foot
Upon completion of the field course, University, hopes to conduct under- depths. The increased water pressure
the passing students obtained a water research in the Arctic one day. forces increased nitrogen concentra-
Canadian Association for Underwater Waltho’s field course brought her one tions to circulate through the blood.
Science (CAUS) Level 2 Scientific Diver significant step closer to that goal. This can lead to a lack of judgement—a
certification. This certification allows “The hardest part for me was diving serious issue in deep waters.
divers to conduct research underwater deep, where it was cold and dark,” “It affects different people at dif-
at depths of 100 feet. said Wangkhang. “But I overcame it by ferent depths on different dives,” said
Once the field portion ended, each becoming familiar with my gear and Waltho. “The challenge is to be vigilant
of the students had two months to de- contingency planning with my buddy and that’s where training comes in. We
velop and submit to Waltho a complete before the dive.” don’t dive deep from the get-go, but
research proposal and dive plan on an Before every dive, the students approach 100 feet after many dives of
aquatic or marine topic of their choice. paired up and checked their gear. gradually increasing depths.”
“Before conducting underwater re- One day, Frances Parry, a marine and There are also several kinds of de-
search you must first have a clearly de- freshwater biology student, partnered compression illness from which divers
veloped experimental research design,” with Floyd Pinto, a software engineer- can suffer. Dive planning, situational
said Waltho. “That includes a proposed ing student minoring in geographic awareness and control of ascent
framework for statistical analysis, other- information systems and environmental speeds—three foundational elements
wise your field efforts may be inad- analysis. Both attend Guelph University. to Waltho’s course—were key to miti-
equate or excessive. Either can lead to “Do you want to do this with your gating these risk factors.
wasted time, effort and resources.” eyes closed?” he asked, as each in- Throughout the course, the instruc-
Natasha Leclerc, an earth sciences spected the other’s weights, buoyancy tor also made sure his students were
PhD candidate at the University of compensator devices, zippers, and well-fed, hydrated and rested. On top
Toronto, came out of the course feel- breathing apparatuses. Part of their of diving safety, Waltho emphasized
ing more comfortable and confident training had included doing routine sound research practices, keeping reli-
as a diver. She had enrolled to learn to gear checks blindfolded. able diving logs, and professionalism.
manage her thesis project in which she Once they resurfaced from a dive, If there was more to worry about on
collects coralline red algae specimens Parry placed her fist on her head to his floating classroom compared to his
near Cambridge Bay and Gjoa Haven, say, “everything is okay.” During the other, more traditional teaching envi-
Nunavut. 2019 Canadian Scientific Research ronments, Waltho didn’t let it show. In
By calculating how many samples Diver field course, this was the surfac- fact, he seemed to relish it.
they need to take and their air con- ing sign 100 per cent of the time. “Such a terrible office to have to
sumption rates, Leclerc and her It was not uncommon for divers to work in,” he said with a wink.
classmates learned how to determine emerge from the depths covered in

44 science.carleton.ca