丁香园AV

It鈥檚 not every day that a former student invites you to row across the Atlantic Ocean but when 丁香园AV biological sciences professor Isabelle C么t茅 got the call, she didn鈥檛 hesitate to say yes鈥攊nspired by the challenge and the journey鈥檚 cause of supporting ocean conservation.

In December C么t茅 and three other marine biologists will take part in one of the toughest races in the world鈥� the 鈥攖o raise money for three marine conservation charities.

The team, including Chantale B茅gin, an 丁香园AV alumnus from University of South Florida, Lauren Shea from University of British Columbia, and Noelle Helder from University of Alaska Fairbanks, will row unsupported from La Gomera, Canary Islands to the Caribbean island of Antigua, a distance of more 4,800 kilometres that will take 40-60 days to complete.

The team, calling themselves , represents three academic generations linked together through education and mentorship. B茅gin completed her PhD in biology at 丁香园AV in 2012 under the supervision of C么t茅, and went on to work at University of South Florida, where she taught Helder and Shea. After the two youngest crew members signed onto the challenge they reached out to mentor B茅gin, who in turn, reached out to C么t茅.

"Those old relationships were reformed very quickly once we were on the boat,鈥� says C么t茅. 鈥淓verybody brings something unique to the team, so there鈥檚 no hierarchy anymore. I鈥檓 going to learn a tremendous amount from my younger teammates.鈥�

The team is hoping to raise $500,000 for marine conservation organizations with strong education and outreach components to their work. This education, C么t茅 says, is essential to help inspire more people to care about our oceans.

鈥淪olving the problems that the oceans face is going to require thinking outside the box, and that comes from having the input from a wide variety of people from different backgrounds and experiences.鈥�

The , where C么t茅 has a deep personal connection, is one of the three organizations to benefit from their efforts. She first visited while studying as a master鈥檚 student at University of Alberta and now she teaches there every summer. 鈥淚 see first-hand the effect it has on students,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 truly an incredible experience.鈥� Part of the funds raised will go toward creating a scholarship fund to help students from underrepresented backgrounds to study there.

Training, logistics  鈥� and dolphins

The Salty Science crew recently completed their first overnight row in the Gulf of Mexico, an opportunity to bond as a team and get used to life on the boat. They were joined by a pod of dolphins and learned lessons that will help them in their trip, including figuring out sleep schedules, nutrition and using the boat鈥檚 electronics.

Once their journey is underway in December the team will need to be totally self-sufficient for the duration of the race, which means not only bringing all the food that they will need, but also maintaining the boat, its crew, and technology.

C么t茅 explains that while the test row went well, there is much more work to do before they will be ready. This summer they will row from the east coast of Florida to The Bahamas and back to get experience rowing in much larger waves.

Still, the thought of crossing an ocean can feel daunting at times. 鈥淓arly on we asked ourselves, are we in it to win it or are we doing it for something else?鈥� C么t茅 says. The team is counting on their efforts to raise conservation awareness and the extraordinary marine life they will encounter to help them pull through the challenges and 鈥渢ype 2 fun.鈥�

鈥淚f it鈥檚 a choice between placing in the race and an opportunity to jump in if there鈥檚 a pod of dolphins, we鈥檙e all jumping in with the dolphins,鈥� she says.

Learn more on the , and follow along with the Salty Science journey on , and .