OCEAN STUDY PROGRAM
Kaitlin R. Perkins, a junior majoring in biology at Washington State University Vancouver, is enrolled in SEA Semester: The Global Ocean, a study abroad program. She completed five weeks of shore studies in oceanography, nautical science and maritime studies and embarked on a research assignment aboard the SSV Robert C. Seamans, a 134-foot sailing ship, on a 2,000-mile journey lasting five weeks at sea with stops around New Zealand. Perkins and her shipmates are examining the environmental issues faced by communities in New Zealand, including fisheries, seaports, trade and tourism. She helps provide weather observations to a national database, charts the course of the vessel using celestial navigations, serves as a junior watch officer, and also collects data for an independent research project. The progress and current location of the vessel, and students’ experiences, can be read at www.sea.edu. She is a 2006 graduate of Woodland High School and is the daughter of Valerie and Bruce Perkins of La Center.
