Jenna Fairchild (UR) - From Midwest Girl to Surfer Girl

Going right at Ponce Inlet

Here it comes. The peak of the wave is heading in my direction. I paddle in and I paddle right at the same time to line up with the part of the wave that has the most energy. I paddle once, paddle twice, then I push up on the rails of my hand shaped board to stand as the wave pushes me forward. I lean back to keep my balance and glide down the face of the glassy blue wave. I use my back foot to snake my board back and forth with the energy of the whitewash. There is nothing like dancing with a wave right before it crashes and ceases to exist. It is an intimate experience to be part of the last moment of that wave's life.

I grew up surrounded by corn fields and woods, persevering through long, dark, and cold winters. When I moved to Florida at 15 years old, I was fascinated by anything to do with the ocean. I picked up hobbies that immediately helped me understand the nature of its character even more. Surfing taught me that the ocean can be peaceful and calm, inviting and therapeutic. On other days, surfing forced me to recognize the oceans strength, unpredictability, unforgiving nature and more than anything - its mystery. I am intrigued by the contradiction of the ocean, the mystery behind its character, and also its ability to humbly control everything on land. With humility, and hidden beneath the salty water, the ocean controls climate, plant life on land, and also temperature and storms. Fascinating! And everything in life depends on this reservoir of mystery. I chose Oceanography/marine science as my field because there is a lifetime of research, learning, and protecting to do with the ocean. I am eager to learn for the rest of life and use that knowledge to protect the ocean, which gives me life - literally.

Welcoming the ocean's strength and mystery on the Ponce Jetty

More specifically, I am inspired by the perfect activities that innately happen under water for life to happen on Earth. For example, the balance of the chemistry in the water, the photosynthetic organisms zooxanthellae in coral, and the symbiotic relationship between coral and that algal component zooxanthellae. The ocean is 71% of our Earth! Don't you want to know what is going on down there? I do. With this being said, I think my research topic will be the local coral, Oculina varicosa. This coral is special because it can live with or without zooxanthellae. I want to focus my research on that interesting characteristic of this coral, and possibly use in vitro fertilization to experiment with the genes of less resistant coral from climate change. Ultimately, I would be helping the coral to adapt at a faster rate by forcing it to.

Sincerely,
Jenna Fairchild