tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7118261004848484472024-03-17T20:03:05.036-07:00ICEX 2010 - NorwayThe International Computer Engineering Experience Program is an opportunity for Cal Poly students to apply their technical knowledge in an international context and to increase global citizenship across campus.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12953759143123851163noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-83269166641639023112010-07-09T23:52:00.000-07:002010-07-11T09:59:11.001-07:00Reflections after a successful tripI would like to say that the what was accomplished on this project far outweighed any issues that came about for me in travel. Even though I arrived one day after everyone else I still feel like my expectations were greatly surpassed on this project. From trouble shooting skills to Norwegian culture and education system I never expected to learn so much. On the first day I arrived we toured a ship that NTNU uses for a mobile classroom and it was amazing to see how much the university values the hands on experience and how the ship is used for educational purposes.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaId8J9zDwbyS1lm5q8ShxYOG0s0mAuWt1NkFlMk3-gTKxkSiwJi4H1UqIhKSdtuTcqvhNyqhIZy7DWnTW4gL9xUvjux6IHlReNiiRAxIkxUhS-w6V8xdP2HnvOLKF9f-DZKSHRSuidC8/s1600/IMG_0145.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaId8J9zDwbyS1lm5q8ShxYOG0s0mAuWt1NkFlMk3-gTKxkSiwJi4H1UqIhKSdtuTcqvhNyqhIZy7DWnTW4gL9xUvjux6IHlReNiiRAxIkxUhS-w6V8xdP2HnvOLKF9f-DZKSHRSuidC8/s320/IMG_0145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492180649990588978" border="0" /></a>I feel that the group that we had on the project worked so well together and each person contributed and benefited from one another.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span>Below is a picture of some of the group in the tent that we put up to stay out of the rain when we were at the field station. Even though there was rain part of the time we were still able to get all of the work done with the help of the portable shelter. There was power in the tent as well through a car battery and a generator.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaQ1IEruBWPDrqGEB1f4qxoP1vlaZETP2wlAldH2gdhBopkSqiCVClY5MC17RNirEtxdIDvAUkOsE5HOc5pI8CZPMRpflTtjdpaUHaLPLRw8ETXoiyUfh1mK4HK04QCJvub54m2JeY5k/s1600/IMG_0222.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaQ1IEruBWPDrqGEB1f4qxoP1vlaZETP2wlAldH2gdhBopkSqiCVClY5MC17RNirEtxdIDvAUkOsE5HOc5pI8CZPMRpflTtjdpaUHaLPLRw8ETXoiyUfh1mK4HK04QCJvub54m2JeY5k/s320/IMG_0222.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492182367860276930" border="0" /></a>After our first run with the IVER undulating in the fjord we made a rough graph of the data with excel and Kasper was very happy with the results. He was originally worried about the resolution of the sensor, but after the first data set came in he knew it was not a problem. This was very uplifting for everyone and made us all very motivated to get more data that could be as good as the first run. Our motivation was shown by staying late into the night at the field station adding to the number of our late night endeavors.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYw1SZseEEPsXa8rTtBtmVopg7r85Wmnj3GApOVx5osJiktYYvqKUMoGO1RDKjs9YAfWp-KN0pAtcAfJ5-_5kakqwdli9gOonYSr4Rpr2A4QELbIZiGFQfxZW2TYG4Hmn56zIBij-KpuU/s1600/IVER+first+data.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYw1SZseEEPsXa8rTtBtmVopg7r85Wmnj3GApOVx5osJiktYYvqKUMoGO1RDKjs9YAfWp-KN0pAtcAfJ5-_5kakqwdli9gOonYSr4Rpr2A4QELbIZiGFQfxZW2TYG4Hmn56zIBij-KpuU/s320/IVER+first+data.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492188635218004738" border="0" /></a>After all of the runs we had many data sets to work with and a lot of analysis to do. All of that is currently being worked on and the results will hopefully be ready shortly.<br />Lastly I would like to thank everyone that participated in the project especially our Norwegian and Danish partners because without them we would have not had such a rewarding project. I can't forget about Jane and Chris who put together this amazing project which enhanced our education immensely. I can't wait to hear about the next students and read the blog that they create.Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502079788644581102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-39652623923468946752010-07-09T22:24:00.000-07:002010-07-09T23:25:02.618-07:00Post Trip ReflectionFirst of all I'd like to thank all of the ICEX team and our Norwegian counterparts for putting together a truly special experience. Great job everyone!<div><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMRFXR5axSjGqeZOVwfU9Mx4AGKKW-YReyZF8Qo5tVdi71vQENu5a2XYrEaLIBUqLTxnN0Z2gavfEzmpG6iyCL5ef1I4mte6lSpMJeNok-pvS8Z5PCRBQHcqnIyv7qNHbURrIleqPxN8/s1600/Norway+-+Day+4+047.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMRFXR5axSjGqeZOVwfU9Mx4AGKKW-YReyZF8Qo5tVdi71vQENu5a2XYrEaLIBUqLTxnN0Z2gavfEzmpG6iyCL5ef1I4mte6lSpMJeNok-pvS8Z5PCRBQHcqnIyv7qNHbURrIleqPxN8/s320/Norway+-+Day+4+047.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492157836065949362" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">View from the short hike.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Wow...what an experience. European culture, cutting-edge engineering, new friends, old friends, and robots! Who could ask for more? This trip really did have a bit of everything. First it was the sad news of Frank missing the flight, then it was the sheer beauty of Norway, and finally the great results we obtained from our experiments. When I first joined the team back at the beginning of the year there is no way I could have predicted all of the happenings of this program. Yet that is what it was all about. It was about dealing with the logistics of international collaboration. It was about learning how to problem solve and think on the fly. And most of all it was about working and growing together as a team. It is so satisfying to be able to say that we made a difference. Our team sailed into uncharted waters and emerged with an extremely successful set of data that will hopefully have international implications. </div><div><br /></div><div>The engineering side of the trip was both fun and educational. We definitely pulled some late nights getting the IVER up and running, but all things considered, the technical side of things went quite smoothly. Aside from a few hardware issues the IVER performed flawlessly, which made our lives easy. The hardest part of the testing was spotting the IVER between dives as it ran its course through the bay!</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdBjbU5hfo7vQ0PpWDUn_9006Gi3jcHClXXODM4LgPZ45ykFHsK0xhPrTU4MhEQiMIOkOYE2DEPXlgMEYb3THspCfjFWnTTvZOhAgC67FHhpk-PUTNxOCT0hhHGL9zAtQSjoR5vbhNqs/s1600/Norway+-+Day+4+087.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdBjbU5hfo7vQ0PpWDUn_9006Gi3jcHClXXODM4LgPZ45ykFHsK0xhPrTU4MhEQiMIOkOYE2DEPXlgMEYb3THspCfjFWnTTvZOhAgC67FHhpk-PUTNxOCT0hhHGL9zAtQSjoR5vbhNqs/s320/Norway+-+Day+4+087.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492157191870546962" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Going swimming!</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiir5WsN0TjOoE00LsM7YEf2o9Xs9ywVpjRNwLTMaJVlpYxbH5KydMIpKUNQRme1SOIeNFo6l2sxnGn86cpDgKP-mq4baxlqmWwSq7A4ZYy_hs8rlBRpT31HzFrjgqZUgEN7Sw5bJQAVow/s1600/Norway+-+Day+4+063.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiir5WsN0TjOoE00LsM7YEf2o9Xs9ywVpjRNwLTMaJVlpYxbH5KydMIpKUNQRme1SOIeNFo6l2sxnGn86cpDgKP-mq4baxlqmWwSq7A4ZYy_hs8rlBRpT31HzFrjgqZUgEN7Sw5bJQAVow/s320/Norway+-+Day+4+063.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492158400072334930" /></a><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Shot with the IVER.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></div></span><div>From the cultural side of the trip, Norway was truly amazing. Having never been to Europe, there was definitely a culture shock. Whether it was the layout of the cities, the sheer quantity of round abouts, or the personalities of locals, it was definitely a change. But a good one! I loved every bit of it. All of the people we met were extremely helpful and nice, the country itself was absolutely beautiful, and the city life seemed fun and lively. I definitely foresee a vacation to Norway in my immediate future to further explore the beautiful country and maybe learn a thing or two about cross-country skiing. </div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7KAAYxppvM6hlwDJ2CTE-beH-aAAjs6ZKPnpMZ8FhB3mMzUPs6EKNTsnezeE76z5XvD6eyANlX7UqVu3vRhqpdEgELVb4CYgpGlcNnxzj-z_9HCPxQmtJBei6mj6O5L9NlMKeP-rn1k/s1600/Sletvik+Field+Station+(Saturday)+093.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7KAAYxppvM6hlwDJ2CTE-beH-aAAjs6ZKPnpMZ8FhB3mMzUPs6EKNTsnezeE76z5XvD6eyANlX7UqVu3vRhqpdEgELVb4CYgpGlcNnxzj-z_9HCPxQmtJBei6mj6O5L9NlMKeP-rn1k/s320/Sletvik+Field+Station+(Saturday)+093.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492159558114975570" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Delicious Salmon prepared at the Sletvik Field Station</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Overall, this trip was great. It not only gave me a new international experience but also motivated me to pursue the push to apply robotics to new fields. Thanks to everyone! </div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCb31lUu193zRtDS2idBOvks1MxD0-9q1vtKLOQgasX2Ioxf2Xp05RhW3I9tqqkEr3_y738nJxSNIPvW3-0TkFpXKaF8DDxMTBy37xGeWkq3UhseJIzhqBj5Gp7wYbr4I3JoM9no797s/s1600/Norway+-+Day+4+135.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCb31lUu193zRtDS2idBOvks1MxD0-9q1vtKLOQgasX2Ioxf2Xp05RhW3I9tqqkEr3_y738nJxSNIPvW3-0TkFpXKaF8DDxMTBy37xGeWkq3UhseJIzhqBj5Gp7wYbr4I3JoM9no797s/s320/Norway+-+Day+4+135.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492159089693802178" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">ICEX team (minus Chris) at TBS</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Kevin H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15381376789555260028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-35581656539699288252010-07-03T14:32:00.000-07:002010-07-06T16:22:17.074-07:00My Reflection on the TripAfter such an intense trip it takes awhile to decompress and process everything that happened in that short amount of time. As my first international engineering experience, I would call it an unquestionable success. Not only did we far exceed the expectations of the Norwegians and our own Cal Poly professors, we were able to gather an exciting data set.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV27ky0MzOrmwwTp34_Q2Zs2pEzNsVy_CqJUJdJkyJCc6G0lpvdXKez5hXGc-rNjk-VWST-YDHK8BzBGFVvbhEtMxtiW4DZC5weWszJljF4U61cOEIRFxzVERbrCslgW1AG6EDs-Pais0/s1600/DSCN1169.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV27ky0MzOrmwwTp34_Q2Zs2pEzNsVy_CqJUJdJkyJCc6G0lpvdXKez5hXGc-rNjk-VWST-YDHK8BzBGFVvbhEtMxtiW4DZC5weWszJljF4U61cOEIRFxzVERbrCslgW1AG6EDs-Pais0/s320/DSCN1169.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489799519618119186" /></a><br /></div>Not only did we perform some amazing feats of engineering, we also were given a great introduction to Norwegian culture and the country itself. Every time I had Norwegian food I absolutely loved it, from the Bacalhau (a Norwegian take on a Portuguese dish) of the first dinner to the reindeer meat of the last.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskUgwOhGxY3zaNzlyv_n2xJtzrDPvtPzj4G3tQD_NacFVi5ODxGxQS7ALOqNHqDmlxRVQViwutblfqPqPETsZY8v496ScCePsAd38572Sd0-B7NTYNEOilm2UU9yG0uVGY98_K19LCLE/s1600/reindeer_meal.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskUgwOhGxY3zaNzlyv_n2xJtzrDPvtPzj4G3tQD_NacFVi5ODxGxQS7ALOqNHqDmlxRVQViwutblfqPqPETsZY8v496ScCePsAd38572Sd0-B7NTYNEOilm2UU9yG0uVGY98_K19LCLE/s320/reindeer_meal.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490936233776903682" /></a><br /></div><div>The country itself was amazingly pretty and Hopavagen Bay reminded us of the High Sierras. It was so beautiful I would love to be able to visit again and go backpacking through some of the areas surrounding the fjords. Here's a look on Hopavagen Bay after a 10 minute hike to the top of one of the surrounding hills, you can see the field station in the right side of the picture:</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWO1zIH5nWEaOX1I5l6c0OeRcQapZJUV1sr7mnSR_2Mfq7o86GRlOziG801JojalHNPWS8v3nNsQtOL2QgPSV0mJT09H9t-mOUSNtAwRW_3HLCzYvgGchIQrU2emQjTSa2ssBthuEkTp0/s1600/DSCN1187.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWO1zIH5nWEaOX1I5l6c0OeRcQapZJUV1sr7mnSR_2Mfq7o86GRlOziG801JojalHNPWS8v3nNsQtOL2QgPSV0mJT09H9t-mOUSNtAwRW_3HLCzYvgGchIQrU2emQjTSa2ssBthuEkTp0/s320/DSCN1187.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489802490356700082" /></a></div>Alex Xydeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753265248899521887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-25650875159243611992010-06-29T21:19:00.000-07:002010-07-06T09:37:22.594-07:00My look back at the tripAfter 3 flights from Norway, a midnight drive from LAX to San Luis Obispo, a 3:00am bedtime, and a 9:00am lecture, I wonder why I set such crazy schedules. Is all the effort for such a program worth it?<br /><br />The reality is that the ICEX team accomplished everything we hoped. Despite volcano eruptions, lost travel funds, and unreliable airline employees, the team not only arrived in Trondheim, Norway but exceeded both Kasper's (lead biologist) and my expectations. Jane's leadership in cultural training proved invaluable in forming intelligent discussions regarding Norwegian history, culture, economics, and education. The students demonstrated technical skills and the ability to adapt to unforeseen circumstances.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J3Svx1cOeNw/TCrBIq2xi0I/AAAAAAAAAGs/skIoTTKKPhc/s1600/jessie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img ru="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J3Svx1cOeNw/TCrBIq2xi0I/AAAAAAAAAGs/skIoTTKKPhc/s320/jessie.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br />The team's efforts led to the first ever 4D (time and space) dissolved oxygen data measurements of a true underwater environment. These results will likely be published in respected journals, demonstrating the value of the students' work.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J3Svx1cOeNw/TCrC4N2Ev5I/AAAAAAAAAHE/Vv_NycMuh5Y/s1600/iver2Launch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img ru="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J3Svx1cOeNw/TCrC4N2Ev5I/AAAAAAAAAHE/Vv_NycMuh5Y/s320/iver2Launch.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /> </div>Given all we learned and accomplished, I feel this year's ICEX trip was a true success. I hope the ICEX participants will use the skills they have learned in future projects, and look back fondly on missed flights, trying new beverages, pop star sightings, and swimming in Hopavagen.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J3Svx1cOeNw/TCrBWXOiz9I/AAAAAAAAAG0/IIgu9rvTTb4/s1600/swimming.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img ru="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J3Svx1cOeNw/TCrBWXOiz9I/AAAAAAAAAG0/IIgu9rvTTb4/s320/swimming.JPG" border="0" /></a></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13484306781827246109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-36117838226300954142010-06-23T20:47:00.000-07:002010-07-10T00:15:39.812-07:00Day 5 - IVER Mission Planning<div style="text-align: left;">After the experiments of the day before, including a full grid run at the surface, we decided to make the mission grid a little smaller. This was done to keep the IVER farther away from the shore and minimize the risk to the IVER. We set the IVER to undulate between the surface and 10 meters (30 feet) or 12.192 meters (40 feet) in order to gather dissolved oxygen data as deep as possible. This was the most ambitious mission that our IVER has been sent on yet in terms of depth! And it performed admirably each time! The OceanServer software predicted that the mission would last 50 minutes, but it turned out to last about 65 minutes each time it was completed.</div><div style="text-align:center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjSctVq2hqYh0jvdANHaovfphzVvVV6Zq6jKSV5BhSEvDvP04nrfxOZWB3EMj1vBXpO_LchHPUSYvy3Om_lMU4CsFhxoTfkq_9jFQrrCqtiq1fKJUy8_THk1qjMQf8H3hsKrgx4l-xvI/s1600/IVER_undulating_path_GE.png"><img style="display:block; margin:10px auto; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjSctVq2hqYh0jvdANHaovfphzVvVV6Zq6jKSV5BhSEvDvP04nrfxOZWB3EMj1vBXpO_LchHPUSYvy3Om_lMU4CsFhxoTfkq_9jFQrrCqtiq1fKJUy8_THk1qjMQf8H3hsKrgx4l-xvI/s320/IVER_undulating_path_GE.png" border="0" alt="IVER Undulating Mission" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486187890236705122" /></a>Map of IVER's Undulating Mission<br /></div><div style="text-align:center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Today's testing was very successful, but didn't come without a little excitement. In the middle of a mission the head of the field station came speeding down in his car to our test site and shouted to Kasper in Norwegian. While none of us understood what was being communicated, Kasper definitely did, as he took off running towards the field station. As we came to find out later, Kasper's lab experiment unfortunately got a little hot, as the projector being used to provide light to the water samples overheated and began smoking. This was an unfortunate setback but KAsper, as usual, carried on with his cheerful and kind attitude. Below is a picture of the experiment...before the accident.</div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6OaxkmJj7Md4Jb9PKfe6CA9WzJulGMVDO2VYiHDFOfEHf2ohcqSQ1wSVHUzrsuVWuua2k5MqT3jCINJhDvKw1CffmM9iLhgaRJq_LUqa1rEE1J9XbxMgPzJ0PqnpIXc_LvmWFO89MS8/s1600/Norway+-+Day+4+027.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6OaxkmJj7Md4Jb9PKfe6CA9WzJulGMVDO2VYiHDFOfEHf2ohcqSQ1wSVHUzrsuVWuua2k5MqT3jCINJhDvKw1CffmM9iLhgaRJq_LUqa1rEE1J9XbxMgPzJ0PqnpIXc_LvmWFO89MS8/s320/Norway+-+Day+4+027.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492162078069180946" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Kasper in the lab taking O2 readings. Projector is on the left.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">During the next mission we were able to escape for quick hike up the closest mountain. All of us had been eager to hike, and we finally got the change. Fifteen minutes later we found ourselves at the top with a spectacular view of the bay and the Trondheim fjord. Below are some of the pictures taken.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAfA6KDOxd5m2VnQN0eOtAEcSCnYFzdGkUK4xHjiaEv_LwqoeYDUaanw4cXI29YLy9m6Nixpp38DkvrJvAKypBiAYUkEfjTumxKTaFmr9JTS9pimEgOBE2wu5Fsfxtc7UOa5YZ1yapPQ/s1600/Norway+-+Day+4+041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAfA6KDOxd5m2VnQN0eOtAEcSCnYFzdGkUK4xHjiaEv_LwqoeYDUaanw4cXI29YLy9m6Nixpp38DkvrJvAKypBiAYUkEfjTumxKTaFmr9JTS9pimEgOBE2wu5Fsfxtc7UOa5YZ1yapPQ/s320/Norway+-+Day+4+041.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492163126482063922" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Part of the group making their way to the top.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuAelRrFE0MqKDBSfT5hUC5Q028mjSfdpfBBrGGshnLVQWzm-4tlJNLnHqpsl_tibusBqiOO3TMS9GWUZPjjxGJWxRO3ID5RJmbcopKFZZw5hSOwG15VhMxYWN_r8gWJecSspix1KJSM/s1600/Norway+-+Day+4+049.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuAelRrFE0MqKDBSfT5hUC5Q028mjSfdpfBBrGGshnLVQWzm-4tlJNLnHqpsl_tibusBqiOO3TMS9GWUZPjjxGJWxRO3ID5RJmbcopKFZZw5hSOwG15VhMxYWN_r8gWJecSspix1KJSM/s320/Norway+-+Day+4+049.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492163344154547906" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">View from above of the dock, tent, Jane, and field station.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>When we returned we found Jane looking comfy on our local rock. A good book, beautiful view, and comfortable rock....who could ask for more!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgus5aXQnOzy8vEskpFNIY_w4oN0MxFdvzRNzjlqlCuerS5-gSfbCnCJpRqzS8bFEgLpnAMhITl7pAuVMVZaIVJPxvL8OmappdUyG0ptz77Mbx2potYu0O9-bF3RIRrDd4OJac1jLWVEv8/s1600/Norway+-+Day+4+057.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgus5aXQnOzy8vEskpFNIY_w4oN0MxFdvzRNzjlqlCuerS5-gSfbCnCJpRqzS8bFEgLpnAMhITl7pAuVMVZaIVJPxvL8OmappdUyG0ptz77Mbx2potYu0O9-bF3RIRrDd4OJac1jLWVEv8/s320/Norway+-+Day+4+057.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492164028925566482" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After Jane...thats right Jane.... sent the IVER out on its last mission we finally decided to walk the walk after talking the talk....and go for a swim. We knew it would be cold, but as we said "How many times to you get the chance to swim in Norwegian fjord!?" It ended up being Jesse, Kevin, and Frank in the initial group. We made it look so good that Chris couldn't help but follow our lead minutes later. The water was definitely a bit chilly, but once you got used to it (AKA body went numb), all of the chill went away and the fun began. We had swim races, did flips and dives off the dock, and provided our best impersonations of the IVER itself.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nVrEqZauskfelDg-Fz1OsQ8gV6wubd4o_MU8JGbAZ2OhZkoQza-caWr7A5lAkkbWDOkfRyKZuh2jQCGTPzI_lkJZm7rbuIMZklBMMdsJVxylUXid8zDgYr9OLe-6hmwfPx18v6n_ocM/s1600/Norway+-+Day+4+066.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nVrEqZauskfelDg-Fz1OsQ8gV6wubd4o_MU8JGbAZ2OhZkoQza-caWr7A5lAkkbWDOkfRyKZuh2jQCGTPzI_lkJZm7rbuIMZklBMMdsJVxylUXid8zDgYr9OLe-6hmwfPx18v6n_ocM/s320/Norway+-+Day+4+066.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492171702277015746" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Jane showing off her technical side.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcdykOQSGSR08LwS1bQhTf2JTJ4jXg5lHJfhLIgl-7EPyVtKmT9cMLh6P4kj7GJvGu2zIiRNsmOqSyZ04RJ3TIQWlmfsP_vDg3O_BbH9x3vlcPtVKxUj7FvwIH-rsvGIVvnL8DP0Hu8Y/s1600/Norway+-+Day+4+083.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcdykOQSGSR08LwS1bQhTf2JTJ4jXg5lHJfhLIgl-7EPyVtKmT9cMLh6P4kj7GJvGu2zIiRNsmOqSyZ04RJ3TIQWlmfsP_vDg3O_BbH9x3vlcPtVKxUj7FvwIH-rsvGIVvnL8DP0Hu8Y/s320/Norway+-+Day+4+083.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492171915588547666" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Jessie leading the charge to retrieve the IVER as it made it's in to dock.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRkcH5J2tct7bmKuLztI7rqSy78mC6WYtLuhh_B4DzYpkwpV1zOU2XAgfKcwj_j9M3TrSfD1WWynoq3fw08vuvYZjisddYn8bTqhK-TEX5Cl5pVG6TJrLi2BHQjdHAJ9hvH03OeHX4ao/s1600/Norway+-+Day+4+097.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRkcH5J2tct7bmKuLztI7rqSy78mC6WYtLuhh_B4DzYpkwpV1zOU2XAgfKcwj_j9M3TrSfD1WWynoq3fw08vuvYZjisddYn8bTqhK-TEX5Cl5pVG6TJrLi2BHQjdHAJ9hvH03OeHX4ao/s320/Norway+-+Day+4+097.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492172133461942898" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Retrieving the IVER.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Overall we had a great last day of testing. We took some great data that demonstrated fluctuating O2 levels based on the reading. Also the sun came out, the rain stopped, and we were blessed with a truly gorgeous Norwegian day.</div></div></div>Alex Xydeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753265248899521887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-73118775963043389092010-06-20T15:08:00.000-07:002010-07-06T09:40:30.090-07:00Day 4: Sletvik StationToday was a big success, but its 2 am and we are tired! Enjoy some of many pictures of our adventure, more to come soon!<br /><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJt0DQXrTftvE32JQM2NMwiPdeNdceleaRf1Jsja_Ue5YWUxhUiqYu5iNBiv0FMUlUMqYr_7muV4La_YGTgxNCLrBx95H4JFc-_3seakTobU0agdWloAfdML1U1HYyDASrYsBRDeuLhQ/s1600/075.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px; display: block; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484634164174083266" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJt0DQXrTftvE32JQM2NMwiPdeNdceleaRf1Jsja_Ue5YWUxhUiqYu5iNBiv0FMUlUMqYr_7muV4La_YGTgxNCLrBx95H4JFc-_3seakTobU0agdWloAfdML1U1HYyDASrYsBRDeuLhQ/s320/075.JPG" border="0" /></a>Kevin protects his computer from the rain as others hide in the tent!<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px; display: block; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484633705104172722" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdG9k_xQVhumlEZsTqNBJLSA2BG6c3YH38wDgeuCTxFjMKuJAPQmP-NWulc6C604AB0FK41H1rCwsltEOV7fd3w4-3SXua2SOu0DW8yJ6lI5Vys9eTPYe6TWGUb8mjfXjz1kUeNR6x-A/s320/059.JPG" border="0" />Kasper keeping a watchful eye<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ZCKNYCS20bGTYmC-I0TTcdEJLHAQOTVntOD2qxco_u3mGjbNK0WFWANbR7NKtTEDHzKB_XwM-45F-e9og92CYC0EkrgWWQFuDSOhGT7a-BOVRMxsZimq0D2i5IYOB-eiZ2_ER6LoYI4/s1600/068.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px; display: block; height: 320px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484633830476014546" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ZCKNYCS20bGTYmC-I0TTcdEJLHAQOTVntOD2qxco_u3mGjbNK0WFWANbR7NKtTEDHzKB_XwM-45F-e9og92CYC0EkrgWWQFuDSOhGT7a-BOVRMxsZimq0D2i5IYOB-eiZ2_ER6LoYI4/s320/068.JPG" border="0" /></a>Frank and the IVER with the bubble wrap still wrapped around the front of it. This was before we realized that it would not be able to dive under the water with the bubble wrap on it. After we removed the bubble wrap it had enough buoyant force to bring it to the surface in the Hopvagen fjord<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOdjO_H9VgQ4T5xMVa53w3V6BZx0dPq9n_opff0YHldP7UQQ02NIMyOfZw1sRoLiRJ1kldrQMIykME75Wlx3Qzcxy2qI5s6egEQVLodygVzbUv07EwxfmgNRB-lt55O9ROxb8m3hl36o/s1600/054.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px; display: block; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484633593963096802" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOdjO_H9VgQ4T5xMVa53w3V6BZx0dPq9n_opff0YHldP7UQQ02NIMyOfZw1sRoLiRJ1kldrQMIykME75Wlx3Qzcxy2qI5s6egEQVLodygVzbUv07EwxfmgNRB-lt55O9ROxb8m3hl36o/s320/054.JPG" border="0" /></a> Coiling rope<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWB1FBbnUnWNDUp6S3mx-gQFr7__Tvlr_bbCGOsGiMLUVlMndDcxDejZVqHvmDRh2SsdbcNNIGBDJC84dN0nAoF7W-IOHaG5Y32XSaDSYV1IvRL1jVDm9QhWMmgo40AOPWTLr_TfW2jbg/s1600/110.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px; display: block; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484633394448279090" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWB1FBbnUnWNDUp6S3mx-gQFr7__Tvlr_bbCGOsGiMLUVlMndDcxDejZVqHvmDRh2SsdbcNNIGBDJC84dN0nAoF7W-IOHaG5Y32XSaDSYV1IvRL1jVDm9QhWMmgo40AOPWTLr_TfW2jbg/s320/110.JPG" border="0" /></a> Driving the IVER<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil88hYb42K6-cEu9sBJL4grKQ5mi4Ahl-Pos3gZHSvZ32TGJqrw9l2OVg3bAluCW5zRcRb98JLZ95r8EcQjHREzF0C8iZy055UnZZ32t19XixjH66QpLAYJSsgb-ioSUCSaGKNdANu9aE/s1600/108.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px; display: block; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484633208944463810" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil88hYb42K6-cEu9sBJL4grKQ5mi4Ahl-Pos3gZHSvZ32TGJqrw9l2OVg3bAluCW5zRcRb98JLZ95r8EcQjHREzF0C8iZy055UnZZ32t19XixjH66QpLAYJSsgb-ioSUCSaGKNdANu9aE/s320/108.JPG" border="0" /></a>Checking that the epoxy kept all the water out<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px; display: block; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484636622710727714" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_hLQJ6nrvoeKZvUQ94henCxO_96spOKhgVHKonpJw12oHvz-c76YCoAdqevNiFaPlfTSAeLEB2vjRnt81Vq77wO4XfgbLP4_QHsqx_GdqNDg0bNsBh3WMWCMlXLZG7NJqmW3GSYKPqg/s320/094.JPG" border="0" />Jane helping Kasper with some tests that will record the amount of light penetrating the water at increasing depths.<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px; display: block; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484635325989244994" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvd_OQxQDkNcWznY49Z8BI7pbGRvSeNMrdSniq04wJbd4KqXGYegY1SLH1hx0nqDuSKx6i3WVLdG2_pLaAp4x_lHFGAdNFO8RIKQj_8YdijCs-bgMAv5AerBjcrJZoyFXMQb18HWqGb-c/s320/072.JPG" border="0" />IVER passing by on missions <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYef6zuHf6D9g5wOG3CNXv4SApS4u7OYZRtw07PuC_trOJIoTDyYljPotdNwvSWxc6IoVoVvLmLZIVWQg-pUSyPAfqYKL07FEBzoKyg_noEgHfvuXKMPW99W3CzSH0MFozoICh_YyKIY/s1600/089.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px; display: block; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484633079955300130" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYef6zuHf6D9g5wOG3CNXv4SApS4u7OYZRtw07PuC_trOJIoTDyYljPotdNwvSWxc6IoVoVvLmLZIVWQg-pUSyPAfqYKL07FEBzoKyg_noEgHfvuXKMPW99W3CzSH0MFozoICh_YyKIY/s320/089.JPG" border="0" /></a>Biology stuff! Preparing to test oxygen levels in a controlled enviornment<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTw4_RYx0ZWUfdSmR_PuA3y6oL9a8fYrfVln4m1Jc_24Fzs8dbrH6DxOXW8O23sAofbcdw416A2j-YjIch_4HbQjWki5W7awkv-gLZEQMBqYaif8AYtOudXUJekxmpM5SZ6GlJ6sqf1GQ/s1600/081.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px; display: block; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484632938559002786" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTw4_RYx0ZWUfdSmR_PuA3y6oL9a8fYrfVln4m1Jc_24Fzs8dbrH6DxOXW8O23sAofbcdw416A2j-YjIch_4HbQjWki5W7awkv-gLZEQMBqYaif8AYtOudXUJekxmpM5SZ6GlJ6sqf1GQ/s320/081.JPG" border="0" /></a></div>Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502079788644581102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-65708778399689047142010-06-20T15:04:00.000-07:002010-07-06T09:39:31.355-07:00Day 3 - IVER ProgressToday we fixed the problems that we were having yesterday by soldering the serial connector to the secondary processor board. We discovered that the pins that we had re-soldered toward the end of the night, about 3:00 AM, had become bent, some broken when we were assembling the IVER. When we arrived at the Trondheim Biological Station in the morning we decided that the best way to fix the problem with the pins was to solder wires directly to the board onto the surface mount pads. This would be a temporary fix that should hold for all of the testing that we need to do here in Norway. After working with that we had lunch at TBS with a large group of people some celebrating there PhD exams finishing and other around to greet us. The food we had was pizza with some unusual flavors. One flavor that stuck out was the Mexican Pizza which had jalapenos and other spices similar to Mexican food. Another was was a pizza similar to Thai food that had peanuts and curry sauce.<br />After lunch we took the IVER down to the water and ballasted it before deploying it. There was some trouble when we first placed the IVER in the water because of the extra weight of the oxygen sensor it made the entire robot want to sink instead of being neutrally buoyant. To correct for this we make the IVER a life jacket out of bubble wrap which made it float to the surface. It was necessary that the IVER have a slight buoyant force upward so when the mission was over it would stay at the surface of the water. With the IVER at the correct buoyancy we ran a couple of missions at the surface of the water to see if everything was working correctly with the sensor and if the GPS locations were correct. After it was all done we packed everything up so we could go to Sletvik the next day.Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502079788644581102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-44408703897043495152010-06-19T23:39:00.001-07:002010-06-20T15:27:26.667-07:00Day 3 - Microbrewery Dinner<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhik44eE-RnaPz4kgoliiF0BoXM3ThBK7XbZWyISKnQRdbuT_E7WzR1qCFlxlHmd5AG0Ot9RqnYR_6-4o41pAXLY4913_0ewNoEEeCZI5_BaTZNCKoerEPs1s_HnLMnLQLXgalTnIOgMpI/s1600/microbrewery.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhik44eE-RnaPz4kgoliiF0BoXM3ThBK7XbZWyISKnQRdbuT_E7WzR1qCFlxlHmd5AG0Ot9RqnYR_6-4o41pAXLY4913_0ewNoEEeCZI5_BaTZNCKoerEPs1s_HnLMnLQLXgalTnIOgMpI/s320/microbrewery.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484982077533765010" /></a><br />On June 18th we went to a microbrewery called Trondhjem Mikrobryggeri for dinner. This restaurant/brewery was suggested by Inga, a Master's student working with Kasper. She also told us to try the beer sampler so we could taste all the different beers that they brew there. The sampler included the following types of beer: their seasonal beer (a summer beer), pale ale, india pale ale, porter, stout, amber, bitter, and Trondhjemspils (Trondheim Pils in English). For dinner we had two bbq pork sandwhiches, one mikro club sandwhich (brewerys club), one blue cheese burger, and two kylling burgers (chicken) marinated in the amber beer. We also had a lot of fun reading the Norwegian menu and comparing it to the one English menu that we found. We especially liked the word for chicken: "kylling". Throughout this cultural experience we toasted to friends, the ICEX program, Kasper (our Norwegian host and colleague), and the success of the trip.Alex Xydeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753265248899521887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-53294028551335885932010-06-18T14:58:00.000-07:002010-07-08T23:36:41.959-07:00Day 3 - Marintek TourAfter a very successful morning and afternoon of testing with the IVER we, along with Kasper, visited the Norwegian Marine Technology Research Institute in Trondheim. Our guide, Frederick, was extremely accommodating by letting us push back the tour by a few hours to accommodate time for more testing back at TBS. (Tusen Takk!) This research institute is made up of NTNU facilities manned by researchers and students, as well as Marintek facilities. Marintek is a research company in the SINTEF Group, which is the largest independent research organization in all of Scandinavia. Frederick discussed how the NTNU group and Marintek are connected on many levels, yet also disconnected in their major operations. For the tour we were able to view a couple of Marintek's testing facilities including two ship model tanks and an ocean basin. Unfortunately pictures are not allowed inside the testing areas due to the cutting edge ship designs modeled within the lab, so I will try my best to describe what we saw. <div><br /></div><div>The first testing area was a massive ship model tank unlike anything any of us had seen before. The tank was first constructed in 1939 and is essentially a controlled wave pool that is used as a testing and proving grounds for scaled down models of new ship and oil rig designs. These models vary in size and are created on a 5-axis milling machine. They were very detailed and intricate to ensure accuracy and also seemed quite sturdy. The models themselves ranged from around 10-20 ft long and 3-5 feet wide. On top of the pool there was a rail system that has a testing bed attached to it outfitted with all sorts of instrumentation and video equipment for test trials. The models are attached underneath the test bay and can be pulled as fast as 10 m/s (22 MPH) to simulate movement. The generated waves can be as large as 0.9 m (2.95 ft), which, according to Frederick, are scaled to be about the largest possible wave a boat will ever see in the ocean. This pool was extremely impressive and very large. It became very clear that Norway is an absolute international leader in this field of design and testing, which was confirmed by Frederick's description of the uniqueness of this facility on an international scale.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next facility was an ocean basin . This basin is also used to test new ship and offshore structure designs. This facility allows for total environmental simulation including wind, waves, and current. The ocean basin is used more for the testing of offshore platforms and ships when multiple environmental simulated conditions are desired. With a depth of 10m, the basin is also very well suited for deep water structure testing. The entire pool is surrounded by media equipment and sensors to provide the data to analyze what exactly happens to these models. This testing basin only furthered our feeling that this facility was really...really cool! I couldn't help but visualize the IVER propelling around in those pools. </div><div><br /></div><div>After the ocean basin, we went to see the lab Frederick performs his research in. Again we found ourselves shocked to see the "smaller" testing pool was still a quite massive ship model tank used mainly for testing automated control systems for dynamic stabilization of ships. After a "short" walk down to the end of the pool we were told about the Cavitation Tunnel facility that is used to test new propeller designs for ships. </div><div><br /></div><div>This led to the end of an extremely impressive tour. Many thanks to Frederick and Marinetek!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#375E79;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><br /></span></span></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Kevin H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15381376789555260028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-84738408991412277982010-06-17T15:25:00.000-07:002010-07-06T09:39:42.834-07:00Norway Day 2: Prepare the IVER!<div>Today started with breakfast at the hostel. A very nice spread, we had a selection of breads and meats, unfrosted flakes and bran, and some unknown Norwegian dishes. These two dishes were a gelled substance containing carrots, peas, corn and shrimp and a liver pate which we originally thought to be a meatloaf. Once breakfast was done we all packed up and headed to TBS. This ride really reinforced the idea that Norway loves tunnels and round-abouts, tunnels sometimes last 4km long not to mention there is even a round-about in a tunnel!<br /><br /><div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 86px; display: block; height: 66px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484144762203705714" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirI7KBz-gsLQZejJBnHhYxXt_S_iJ0jtvRPEWtSGQWEqaBcdumPjtlKYoEjfXz7da0g1exBPmaJTsTMCbFAvOyFqJttXXCj1LnAalOa-z0_k_qRlPUM-JxNrZd4io2RQpQeV-WefNcpRA/s200/roundabout_sign.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div><div><div><div>After arriving at TBS around 9 we were greated by smiling faces and kaffe (coffee in Norwegian). We then went strainght into a meeting that was a plan for the rest of our stay. What we wanted to accomplish, what the biologists wanted from our data, and when we wanted to do everything. Today's goal was decided to prepare the IVER for missions by TBS on Friday. This task would include fixing anything that may have gone wrong in transit, mount and integrate the O2 sensor to the IVER, test, and ideally drive by wire or even send it off on a basic mission.<br /></div><br /><div>Finished with our planning, we were given a tour of the facility and were amazed by the tools available to the research center. Now ready to begin with the day's task we unload the IVER. After not seeing any problems we connected the power and gave everything an inital test, only to find the motor was not working. Inspecting the motor we thought it may have been a little stuck, so we lubed it up until it was spinning much better. We tried the motors again and still no luck. It was only then after looking even closer did we learn that the motor cable itself was broken, but this fix would have to wait until lunch was over.</div><br /><div>For lunch we had amazing sandwhiches with the other biologists at TBS. We talked about a wide variety of things. Kevin and Jessie talked to Inga and others about what they thought "American food" was, which turned out to be pie and turkey. Another topic that got the whole group giving their own feed back was Sweden. We were right to assume that Norway was tired of having Sweden as a "big brother" and recently the tables seemed to have turned. There are now a significant amount of Swedes traveling to Norway for work. They not only work cheaper, but work full time as well. The Swedish are easily distinugished it seems not just because of the language difference but they are also much more friendly and open according to Igna. The conversation then headed to the language barrier, specifically in Iceland. After discussing how Eyjafjallajokull, the volcano that originally stopped our travel plans, is translated literally as island-glacier-mountain we learned that Iceland is very committed to preserving their native language to keep it pure. An example was given, where Norway's translation of helicopter is helikopter, Iceland named it ______ which literally means spinning house.</div><br /><div>With lunch over, it was back to work. The motor was hooked up properly once more and that problem was solved, but more arose as Jane and Jessie left to finally pick up Frank from the airport. </div><br /><div>Although we tried to get straight back to work when the airport team returned, we soon had a unique chance to tour the NTNU Research Vessle. This was a very nice boat that was for the universities use which we were able to get a tour of. We walked from the dry and wet lab rooms to the common area, to the helm where we were able to sit in the captains chair.</div><br /><div>The wet lab room</div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px; display: block; height: 150px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484077618979170610" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_bOFHHOeojV9ypoAl7ANKqRGn3PDJeUPsHoVns3QZyDIB7Gvr_g64J6SwZ8n6W5N-2k2Sw37WPjfiNc9uqF_MbKjKSPnjVZS-NcXnBLvKFqAVlldVBO-CF2dvGeoF955chVqjx0j28E/s200/073.JPG" border="0" />The steep stairs <img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px; display: block; height: 150px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484078821407849490" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIBYy__l3b8KODHew-vD8BWhb0VD6_0Qz3EuCJqI2j5cZq4RjuXPiCGiUxvDhPnI9v4O2n2rPuFOo90uxMQDhTbKplPuZN2Uno1nJ2_bcJTgy5fyyKnbunK7IbPv59kTGSP1WGgU9IWo/s200/075.JPG" border="0" /> Kevin in the captains chair<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px; display: block; height: 150px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484079654110375170" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPndPwCtFvmvsabOWgSUS0rY6U1QcpCpxoIbyv6n1PtoT60dMMOkVXS5gnEbVhmTLHU3yVjocQX88Wj2GpBscXTU3qYx-84uRDk9_FhvMvkKk4ObjITCjKmkWQNlBoMLNoRfvSXKpQiHo/s200/080.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>The arrival of Frank made an immediate difference. As we prepared to epoxy the O2 sensors wires through the plugs that will help keep the IVER waterproof, he saved us a long task by replacing it with a simple one. Being simple did not make the epoxy any less messy though. Very careful not to get any on our surroundings Kevin and Alex ended up getting it all over their hands as the exccess ran from the plugs. We almost had everything we needed to get the IVER running, the only problem was the epoxy needed at least an hour to dry.<br /><br />Filling the plug with epoxy</div></div><div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px; display: block; height: 150px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484140744777019826" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnk7Q7C8PzqySOSW5BQ-NZvZGBwO4qf8FM10yQMUsnzXr37ap13FOgZA10ZZRTHqYQ-1o9IALcrT_3uEcURuOlsifA6nDEhqgRFfO4TgcsX7E_sDCeKO6-7Tet0U3w3UC11eBqFjqP9w/s200/134.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>Taking advantage of this wait time we decided to get dinner. Tonight's choice went back to the converstation at lunch of what American food was to Nowegians. We were going to Egon Cafe, which focused on American food. We quickly turned to the dessert and found the Hot Apple Cake which was a piece of pie with ice cream on the side. We then looked through the menu commenting on how the meal was or wasn't American. We all went with some kind of burger, but with further reading we learned that the hamburger had cheese and the burger came with a salad, but the salad was in fact the lettuce and tomatoes in the burger. With dinner done we were off too check up on the epoxy.</div><br />Dinner at Egons Cafe<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px; display: block; height: 150px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484143355412600082" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUsyVGjNBJUhKwkd5nblNhurtWIoPR6QP6q9sNl7d4twrqJrr7_qaTXP3VNF_pH7foerBCuRWIjk9vuGNrgNlStSkhW4swAKXhCXb2aIkbbFASTIf8yV76fcDUsL-6JOxZ75rXM6cM1E/s200/143.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>Still not dry enough, we had sometime to kill before we could reassemble and test the IVER again. Alex led a crash course on how to plan missions for those who were unfaimilar with the Vector Map software. We went over how to plan the course that the IVER would follow, and then saved some basic missions to run when the IVER was ready to go. During the spare time we tried to get a program running on Kevin's computer because the graphics card on Jessie's computer wasn't up to par. There were some problems with the program not properly starting up on Kevin's computer, so we sent the creator an email asking his thoughts on the situation and we await his response.</div><br /><div>As night falls without getting any darker, the epoxy has finally been announced dry enough to mount the crucial pieces onto the IVER. The process of hooking every thing up seemed to go smoothly as we sealed everything back into its proper place using generous amounts of sealant. The moment of truth was upon us as we turned everything on and waited for the O2 sensor to register, and sadly it did not. We found a couple of loose connections that we fixed, but after many more cycles of assembly and dismantling the IVER it became apparent that a larger problem was present. After taking a closer look at the 2 wires connecting the sensor to the IVER we discovered that one of the connectors was loose due to bent surface mounted pins. This explained the inconsistent behavior of the sensor connection. Now the question was how to fix it. We tried many different methods centered around re-soldering the pins onto the board. Below are some pictures of this process. </div><br />Taking it apart<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px; display: block; height: 150px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484138764977876690" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAdp9twzvcxiuj8LHj5pzwy9Iadg-Xvb9qkhzzboovsF-lsedpJ4H6FKq3Z76OH6l6COj-RDiQ_JZh1wsW93gVm8znBqSwOlh8PsS3CM6L5yi8hCQWtBljRDscNBNdv5efAD22m9kSns/s200/069.JPG" border="0" /> Putting it back together<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px; display: block; height: 150px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484139416326778322" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1FboM1D0UWip4uMtKk0aMxEnsFgKYBnePKW9WJc3wlVsywjvwiZigBKUR3IWp32mBNQmCYQAuT6Nb2-pcgCxfsUJu2e2RabwrsJr6HwY9NLPzfGUY_qgswXFZyUFhK3oRNBz644y2Z0/s200/094.JPG" border="0" /><br />Soldering at 2 am<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px; display: block; height: 150px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484142324223493410" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH8pbyw_3LN06ajlWZ6x3jGoxCEyLTC9-pvFxeqbM2GBCG3RCY0E-3OFU5Kcqo5b89hDtB3CfucKAw1Xch8-KzdS-8lYSxFgUPTpD5qkYX8QdrzKU8xFAd-dyYP1ba73BF9Wsr_0jfe1c/s200/105.JPG" border="0" /> </div><br /><div>The night was a long one and after about 4 hours of working on this problem we decided it was time for bed. The biggest issue with our approach was the fact that getting the connector to fit flushly required near machine-grade soldering precision. Which, at 2:30 in the morning, was not happening. We had a plan for morning on a new solution, but it would have to wait as we wearily made our way back to our hostile at 3:00 am as Dr. Clark sent an email to Kasper informing him we would not be back to TBS at 9:00am like originally planned.</div></div></div></div></div>Jessiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11695802793932356452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-27739916752927207622010-06-17T14:59:00.000-07:002010-07-06T09:37:56.986-07:00The Scientific Context for Our Work<div><span style="font-family:arial;">The ICEX program would not be possible without fantastic international collaborators. This year, we are very grateful to </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.ntnu.no/employees/kasper.hancke">Kasper Hancke</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, a post-doctoral fellow in Physiology and Marine Sciences at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.ntnu.no/biologi/english/TBS">Trondheim Biological Station</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> (TBS) for his organization of this, our (much delayed!) trip to Norway. (Big thanks as well to Kasper's colleagues at NTNU!)</span></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />All of us are also quite excited about the scientific context of the work that we are doing with the <a href="http://www.iver-auv.com/">IVER</a> in the next few days. Our primary goal is to attach an oxygen sensor to the autonomous underwater vehicle and then to conduct various missions at the <a href="http://www.ntnu.no/trondheim-marine-RI/Hopavaagen.html">Bay of </a></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://www.ntnu.no/trondheim-marine-RI/Hopavaagen.html">Hopavågen</a> where the </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Trondheim Biological Station's</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> Sletvik Field Station is located. This field station is approximately</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> 120 km west of Trondheim and about 20 km west of the outlet of the Trondheimsfjord.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Today, as part of our first "work day" in Trondheim, we met with Kasper at 9 am this morning at TBS to learn more about why mapping oxygen level distributions is so important. The level of oxygen in the water at any given time and depth is determined by two competing processes: photosyntheis (which produces oxygen as a byproduct) and metabolism/respiration (which consumes oxygen and produces carbon dioxide). Measuring changes in oxygen levels across time allows researchers to monitor photosynthesis rates in the water column. Photosynthesis rates are impacted by the amount of micro- and macro-algae in the water as well as the amount and angle of light which is hitting the surface of the water, amongst other factors.<br /><br />Our aim over the next few days, in Kasper's words, is to quantify the net community oxygen production (gross oxygen production via photosynthesis minus oxygen consumption via metabolism/respiration) of the </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Hopavågen</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> enclosure and </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Trondheimsfjord. We will also aim to map the oxygen distribution in 3D and construct a related time-series. (NOTE:</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> metabolism/respiration rates can be determined by taking water samples and running lab-based experiments in which the samples are exposed to no light - thus, removing photosynthesis from the equation.) This net community oxygen production data can then be used for various applications, including:</span><br /><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li>monitoring the impact of human activity on coastal ecosystems (e.g., effects from nutrient run-off related to aquaculture and agriculture activities);</li><li>monitoring the impacts of toxics (e.g., oil spills) on marine production;<br /></li><li>studying climate impacts on marine carbon turn-over; and,</li><li>mapping kelp forest activity and health status.</li></ul><span style="font-family:arial;">The data we collect on Saturday will be used in conjunction with other data collection methods that include lab-based experiments, stationary sensors, and boat-drawn sensors. Based on our discussion with Kasper this morning, it seems that we have an amazing opportunity to produce some valuable data, and the whole team is excited and working hard to prepare the IVER. (In fact, as I finish this blog post, it is 1:11am. We are still hard at work at TBS, 16 hours after our arrival this morning for our first work day - soldering iron and all!)<br /></span><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><b>[UPDATE by Alex:]</b> Another exciting aspect of the technical side of our work consists of the confidence values we can associate with the data we collect. So for each data point, the confidence value for that data point depends on how long it has been since we last received a GPS measurement. In other words how much possible error in our location estimate has built up since the last GPS measurement, a high amount of possible error leads to a lower confidence value. For example, using data collected in Avila Bay, one area where there would be lower confidence values can be seen in the area labelled "A" in the picture below. Conversely, a low amount of possible error leads to a high confidence value. The area labelled "B" in the picture below corresponds to an area right after a GPS measurement was received and there would be a high confidence value for the data-points in that area.Therefore if, for example, part of the dataset seems different from the rest, we can look at the confidence values for that area and if there are low confidence values then we know that the data-points for that area might not be accurate.</span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhTgwSG8v_E25QTSypsdZW6_s8f8QFnk11BTnIGWAv4L_aTwNLzt50VZXjt-t9jfs7WfR1LB8oon0yK5bn0QXnQmO6Y7gCpME6Lf6PUen2-svSzlly08rvkZbu_BaB436QlI4fnHJFAyZ/s1600/confidence_values.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhTgwSG8v_E25QTSypsdZW6_s8f8QFnk11BTnIGWAv4L_aTwNLzt50VZXjt-t9jfs7WfR1LB8oon0yK5bn0QXnQmO6Y7gCpME6Lf6PUen2-svSzlly08rvkZbu_BaB436QlI4fnHJFAyZ/s320/confidence_values.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483894020784761634" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-47632156827122093862010-06-17T11:55:00.000-07:002010-07-06T09:39:05.915-07:00Norway Day One (Frank's Version) June 17, 2010As noted in the previous post, I did not make it onto the airplane with the rest of the group Tuesday morning due to an issue with my ticket. I ended up on the phone with the travel agency for a while after the rest of the group had left, trying to get another flight that day. In the end I got another ticket for the next day leaving SLO at the same time, 6:00 AM, and I had one extra layover in Houston but would take the same flight to Oslo and Trondheim only a day later than the rest of the group.<br />When I arrived in SLO on Wednesday morning there turned out to be more issues. I had a print out of my itinerary and an E-ticket number, but I was not on the list of people to get onto the plane in the computer. I called the travel agency again and they said they would sort it out while I was on the plane from SLO to LAX as long as I could get onto the plane in SLO. I think the woman at the front counter in the SLO airport felt sorry for me so she put me on the plane and said that I would need to pick up my bags and recheck in once I got into Los Angles. At that point I was off on my way to Norway. When I got into LA I picked my bag up within 10 minutes of arriving and headed to the terminal to check in for my other flights. As I was walking the travel agency called me and said that everything had been worked out while I was in the air and they should be able to check me in all the way through my final destination. When I got to the ticket counter the woman confirmed this with me and gave me all of my boarding passes and took my bag. After that moment it was pretty much smooth sailing the rest of the way to Trondheim aside from a slightly late plane in Houston making me worry that I might miss my connecting flight.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKlEyvypq19b-HrZLa9m9SgL8ziAgRY4Or51XaQWvtchyFCpkA4b5mM04LlW-_TGmCLujY_9TIbb-Cjh5LcHGDkqgWWGgLy6syIljV6xrE0QFRdVYD1m1a12Ju-8nXfH-2o_qpW_7mrk/s1600/Frank_boat_norway.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 289px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKlEyvypq19b-HrZLa9m9SgL8ziAgRY4Or51XaQWvtchyFCpkA4b5mM04LlW-_TGmCLujY_9TIbb-Cjh5LcHGDkqgWWGgLy6syIljV6xrE0QFRdVYD1m1a12Ju-8nXfH-2o_qpW_7mrk/s200/Frank_boat_norway.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483833128501733778" border="0" /></a><br />Here is a picture of me out by a large boat next to the Trondheim Biological Station (TBS) where we will be working part of the time.Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502079788644581102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-48034567487194074372010-06-16T19:58:00.000-07:002010-07-06T09:38:24.949-07:00Norway Day One - 6/17/2010Well we finally made it! (For the most part that is) After volcanic delays, school finals, 4 flights and many long hours the ICEX team has made it to Trondheim, Norway. <b>Unfortunately</b> due to some very minor ticketing discrepancies one of our team members, Frank, was not able to board the plane with us in San Luis Obispo Monday morning. It wasn't the same travelling without him, however we understand that the issues have been finally resolved, and Frank is en route to us now. So barring another Icelandic volcano eruption we hope to be welcoming Frank to this beautiful city and country later this afternoon.<br /><div><div><br /></div><div>Despite only being here for less than 24 hours we have already been able to see a great deal of Norway. Below I will briefly detail some of the sites we have seen so far.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Oslo</b></div><div><b><br /></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17JsReYgD8B77lsynrKl9ANOVNVnaAf1SE2u7Z4RsyQcIlrbGfWm0zV75CkaWkhv9j9d8tDNDlFvL5HvAJ6UrpwurGhP5H_sohj6TXr-fI5yI_7Hr2iEwGZwMRHwY_TYOqucv8sKdsIw/s1600/Norway+Trip+%28Travel,+Oslo,+and+Trondheim+Arrival%29+066.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17JsReYgD8B77lsynrKl9ANOVNVnaAf1SE2u7Z4RsyQcIlrbGfWm0zV75CkaWkhv9j9d8tDNDlFvL5HvAJ6UrpwurGhP5H_sohj6TXr-fI5yI_7Hr2iEwGZwMRHwY_TYOqucv8sKdsIw/s320/Norway+Trip+%28Travel,+Oslo,+and+Trondheim+Arrival%29+066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483574588559422450" border="0" /></a></div><div>Wow! What a treat it was to stop by Oslo, Norway's capital city, prior to our flight to Trondheim. We had a multi-hour layover and decided to take the express train that runs from the airport to downtown Oslo. The city was very alive and beautiful. We were able to take a nice walk around downtown that brought us by many major landmarks within Norway including the Royal Palace and the Stortinget (parliament building). Unfortunately we had to leave Oslo sooner than I think most of would have liked (witnessed by Chris' extreme excitement of the art in the picture below), but there is work to be done. So we hopped back on the train and zipped back through the absolutely gorgeous countryside to the airport for our connection to Trondheim.</div></div><div><br /><br /><br /></div>Below are some additional pictures of sites around Oslo.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHj4_0endJUdHBEwW5UJbDekpD52GHGAhfKbeiiwLtJ-qxft_zzG4yO2I7MDdcN9i0lJa21Ky-VwheRd7F63co9Q6CTlFvUi_YymrhXuLDQNd_CKigATqbcndjSDxr86X3TeJwUV1WAk/s1600/Norway+Trip+%28Travel,+Oslo,+and+Trondheim+Arrival%29+072.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHj4_0endJUdHBEwW5UJbDekpD52GHGAhfKbeiiwLtJ-qxft_zzG4yO2I7MDdcN9i0lJa21Ky-VwheRd7F63co9Q6CTlFvUi_YymrhXuLDQNd_CKigATqbcndjSDxr86X3TeJwUV1WAk/s320/Norway+Trip+%28Travel,+Oslo,+and+Trondheim+Arrival%29+072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483603196069251666" border="0" /></a> <div>This is a view from the front of the Royal Palace in Oslo. The statue you see in the front is a bronze sculpture of the former King Karl Johan.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVDGzTxGghl2cGLC-sbHkARG_nEX1ATy14YhSaCvP8ufjQnNifV0rW1nXlm2puYJqCf4SUdzJvxP9jykMVNxvvZ9N59f920oJ2YCmzsgkrWOugil8g1NabEvtqq1AVwl1ijwNlBqeOIY/s1600/Norway+Trip+%28Travel,+Oslo,+and+Trondheim+Arrival%29+089.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVDGzTxGghl2cGLC-sbHkARG_nEX1ATy14YhSaCvP8ufjQnNifV0rW1nXlm2puYJqCf4SUdzJvxP9jykMVNxvvZ9N59f920oJ2YCmzsgkrWOugil8g1NabEvtqq1AVwl1ijwNlBqeOIY/s320/Norway+Trip+%28Travel,+Oslo,+and+Trondheim+Arrival%29+089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483603767628068450" border="0" /></a><div>This is a view from the side of the Norwegian Parliament building in the middle of Oslo.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_miA-Z4FpQXTQ3OrVML7TfABESMqxewSn-jJxdTuBxolAj3XfSBdkN8t2XxK3NlMl4S5L6oFNTmTqQfSD6YwFQo-Ow8uItfeySkMVy8ghHi_1WtmTEWQ0lvARPRm9NQ-I8axVc5tENm8/s1600/Norway+Trip+%28Travel,+Oslo,+and+Trondheim+Arrival%29+094.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_miA-Z4FpQXTQ3OrVML7TfABESMqxewSn-jJxdTuBxolAj3XfSBdkN8t2XxK3NlMl4S5L6oFNTmTqQfSD6YwFQo-Ow8uItfeySkMVy8ghHi_1WtmTEWQ0lvARPRm9NQ-I8axVc5tENm8/s320/Norway+Trip+%28Travel,+Oslo,+and+Trondheim+Arrival%29+094.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483604049945500546" border="0" /></a><div>Needless to say...Chris really enjoyed downtown Oslo.</div></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71flh2ejrmkpeHatJBN0CVO_oHOq3yyZDv_N_InzRCIW3Q2Hv0ciI1guVLjT4DGvfTAcSppjtjSmtBBGrRIOEpSly1mWcbkuCwmS0FNxkBD4gIbv5mscNndE5PSch5vYHppn3tmCm_J4/s1600/Norway+Trip+%28Travel,+Oslo,+and+Trondheim+Arrival%29+081.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71flh2ejrmkpeHatJBN0CVO_oHOq3yyZDv_N_InzRCIW3Q2Hv0ciI1guVLjT4DGvfTAcSppjtjSmtBBGrRIOEpSly1mWcbkuCwmS0FNxkBD4gIbv5mscNndE5PSch5vYHppn3tmCm_J4/s320/Norway+Trip+%28Travel,+Oslo,+and+Trondheim+Arrival%29+081.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483605611946769954" border="0" /></a><div>The Nobel Peace Center</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv39gb8wKvGCtEywGBpmzbq-wI6nOORZO0K_8_A_5JsloqZJ3tNuJEmbZrjZFssA5v6Erez3j2tce4bU8E8qDZL9jFbzIhZznq2qHeNRrMRNXeL1THT8yY5uGXFcGMFKGzfKDnWlA06VM/s1600/Norway+Trip+%28Travel,+Oslo,+and+Trondheim+Arrival%29+077.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv39gb8wKvGCtEywGBpmzbq-wI6nOORZO0K_8_A_5JsloqZJ3tNuJEmbZrjZFssA5v6Erez3j2tce4bU8E8qDZL9jFbzIhZznq2qHeNRrMRNXeL1THT8yY5uGXFcGMFKGzfKDnWlA06VM/s320/Norway+Trip+%28Travel,+Oslo,+and+Trondheim+Arrival%29+077.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483606603041227266" border="0" /></a><div>Alex posing with an interesting statue.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Trondheim</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAe70eJ_WIv0-JzY9vMGkJALr7iQ_kOZGmx_aqlmHd4e_OweB97wPpzKTZxqayfP5oad6Jq2ErNRNZzw7vA6syhOiZW-elEu9TDRd4kipqk6hDyMfZzVxdS8dOla-ISpaRAiDbksSPt8/s1600/Trondheim+Day+1ish+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAe70eJ_WIv0-JzY9vMGkJALr7iQ_kOZGmx_aqlmHd4e_OweB97wPpzKTZxqayfP5oad6Jq2ErNRNZzw7vA6syhOiZW-elEu9TDRd4kipqk6hDyMfZzVxdS8dOla-ISpaRAiDbksSPt8/s320/Trondheim+Day+1ish+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483591539599610722" border="0" /></a>After a short 45 minute flight to the North we arrived in the city of Trondheim. On the approach into the airport we flew over a vast range of snow covered land that really reminds you that you aren't in California anymore. From the airport our very brave and talented advisor, Jane, did an excellent job driving our manual rental van to the hostel we are staying at. Singsaker Sommerhotell, the hostel, is actually the largest inhabited wooden building in all of Northern Europe, with 104 rooms and 16 bathrooms. It was fun to come in an hear the Spain-Switzerland World Cup match blaring from upstairs with periodic cheers. I'm sure we will all do our fair share of World Cup watching while we are here. Go USA! Anyways after we got unpacked we went for a walk around the city. Almost immediately we were presented with the view you see above of the Nidaros Cathedral tower. It is an awesome sight.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdDW55UGvLuUFfx3zCSZfHTvm3X0HDbZ49SRl22NWmfNuaomMSRVNxrl0rnWHQamjp1OkU7QfcMpG2dp4wQIs6eWa2_6HKtYDP47kA_Wl5aySZfsmy5V9gjDuZX5a_yyyhtamtinF48qE/s1600/Trondheim+Day+1ish+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdDW55UGvLuUFfx3zCSZfHTvm3X0HDbZ49SRl22NWmfNuaomMSRVNxrl0rnWHQamjp1OkU7QfcMpG2dp4wQIs6eWa2_6HKtYDP47kA_Wl5aySZfsmy5V9gjDuZX5a_yyyhtamtinF48qE/s320/Trondheim+Day+1ish+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483595514584218146" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This is the view overlooking the river Nidelva that runs through Trondheim. The picture was taken from the Old Town Bridge. The style of building seen seems to be a prevalent architectural style throughout the city. After some more strolling about and a coffee fix at a local kaffebar, we met up for dinner with some of the faculty and students we are working with from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). The restaurant we ate at, Baklandet Skydsstations, was very quaint and comfortable. The food, which came recommended by Kasper, was delicious. I think we all actually ordered the same thing, so more to come on the variety of Norwegian cuisine we experience.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirtzpij2bIjyv5y_QnuSeQfv4L63AfM7P2yF-z_4sDhWrPeoW_5V1qgPXDeKuX20NSwfvkp-UA_alFQUc4QGIWiG8MIhDGgA2PqDmbZC9l-b7DBfRXpzf9C7XBX7xpGRiqKtytp7OhJs/s1600/Trondheim+Day+1ish+020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirtzpij2bIjyv5y_QnuSeQfv4L63AfM7P2yF-z_4sDhWrPeoW_5V1qgPXDeKuX20NSwfvkp-UA_alFQUc4QGIWiG8MIhDGgA2PqDmbZC9l-b7DBfRXpzf9C7XBX7xpGRiqKtytp7OhJs/s320/Trondheim+Day+1ish+020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483599145442579250" border="0" /></a><div>After dinner we took another walk around town with the group to see the cathedral.<b> </b>Note the sky in this picture...more specifically the color of the sky. I took this picture at 9:30 PM!! Yep thats right...Trondheim has 24/7 daylight this time of year. It is kind of eerie yet very cool at the same time. I would compare the night time sky to that of California around 7-8 AM in the morning. The Nidaros Cathedral itself was beautiful. The romanesque and Gothic architectural style was very detailed and intricate. The front of the building, which is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world, is covered with individually unique statues. Of whom these statues are we are not sure, but regardless they are quite impressive. After a very long and productive day we all made our way back to the hostel to get some rest to start work tomorrow.</div><div><br /></div><div>Below are some additional pictures of sites around Trondheim.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BydEME7zvupdP8FSDWNb1riWSHvGw7RnipogmAErNS9mLtl3q1Gg6in5B1_W7X78RDlcoX5bHBPbLoZcTuzrTG61zZ3-lbLLTl9GP-lCbGxEdkf4omqABpZmah_tqAlPOBtVw_LJ36A/s1600/Norway+Trip+%28Travel,+Oslo,+and+Trondheim+Arrival%29+102.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BydEME7zvupdP8FSDWNb1riWSHvGw7RnipogmAErNS9mLtl3q1Gg6in5B1_W7X78RDlcoX5bHBPbLoZcTuzrTG61zZ3-lbLLTl9GP-lCbGxEdkf4omqABpZmah_tqAlPOBtVw_LJ36A/s320/Norway+Trip+%28Travel,+Oslo,+and+Trondheim+Arrival%29+102.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483607811486910162" border="0" /></a><div>A nice view of the fjord and surrounding area on the road in from the airport.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LW0VWy7i5cBAmy42iEHrpx5SS8MTc9RJ7PQjtgIPLmdtlo5VwS7Nae2Rhjt1KFlZ2RN_QQou_JIq31l0Y-Sw7ke5qA5QJmrNZ9VHvWdich1w3EXZFATer4MPmDgLkvO9yZYAhs6VKp8/s1600/Trondheim+Day+1ish+011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LW0VWy7i5cBAmy42iEHrpx5SS8MTc9RJ7PQjtgIPLmdtlo5VwS7Nae2Rhjt1KFlZ2RN_QQou_JIq31l0Y-Sw7ke5qA5QJmrNZ9VHvWdich1w3EXZFATer4MPmDgLkvO9yZYAhs6VKp8/s320/Trondheim+Day+1ish+011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483608234790566178" border="0" /></a><div>The first authentic Norwegian cuisine that well all had. Bacalao.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwK7n8G4J0I9k5ZktzQ9o-gKWj8EjTLg9sYzNw3m8LssaL4SdAaFQiGXSMrCyvAI53iK541gM5ZYOfQNlWaXrPi7fhnS-gtXj6-pBfpHv8t4DMsEwHSDpWUBAcxoArXlwLAKEcbGI5dQ/s1600/Trondheim+Day+1ish+016.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwK7n8G4J0I9k5ZktzQ9o-gKWj8EjTLg9sYzNw3m8LssaL4SdAaFQiGXSMrCyvAI53iK541gM5ZYOfQNlWaXrPi7fhnS-gtXj6-pBfpHv8t4DMsEwHSDpWUBAcxoArXlwLAKEcbGI5dQ/s320/Trondheim+Day+1ish+016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483608677821357410" border="0" /></a><div>The archbishop's palace.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZiaOrvzWvgUPwimBd_0q0NrjUR9EXSw9v4SxCHtH0NgHKWtjQF0bV-QOH5RWQCmtvW9EfhsvkTSEx5BPG1eMkSk0SpOqsfLkCyrbdxIU8hRP6mAo3CnPyzBPYCRCHSGpK1gcB1Qnhp8/s1600/Trondheim+Day+1ish+031.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZiaOrvzWvgUPwimBd_0q0NrjUR9EXSw9v4SxCHtH0NgHKWtjQF0bV-QOH5RWQCmtvW9EfhsvkTSEx5BPG1eMkSk0SpOqsfLkCyrbdxIU8hRP6mAo3CnPyzBPYCRCHSGpK1gcB1Qnhp8/s320/Trondheim+Day+1ish+031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483609366084234978" border="0" /></a><div>This is a picture of the team in front of the cathedral.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixN_Tg8LQ5r2npafLqPfzhYSximzQ14ErUb_lk6cUTn3OP6nYC8q5hMe2QIO0QOtdW18Qd53msSDzPUBXOEj4-KtkHpuJEttPhz1XkAyfeUXuqb6_EG_v5al_aae_rdVYE_Snn-JsSRJw/s1600/Trondheim+Day+1ish+021.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixN_Tg8LQ5r2npafLqPfzhYSximzQ14ErUb_lk6cUTn3OP6nYC8q5hMe2QIO0QOtdW18Qd53msSDzPUBXOEj4-KtkHpuJEttPhz1XkAyfeUXuqb6_EG_v5al_aae_rdVYE_Snn-JsSRJw/s320/Trondheim+Day+1ish+021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483610571932523730" border="0" /></a><div>A closer look at the intricate details on the cathedral.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PN42HKUgSTL4MbRh5JuUHYHwYTyr2H_pyg_r-OttJtFM6PCwegRvKfeSInCzzwiDALg-YgiaBlJiY1Zatn2_VHznQDaBg9vvF1Er0FLSbgyNG0ZaR8kXTXLB3GLjszZIWrzGBxZmh50/s1600/Trondheim+Day+1ish+022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PN42HKUgSTL4MbRh5JuUHYHwYTyr2H_pyg_r-OttJtFM6PCwegRvKfeSInCzzwiDALg-YgiaBlJiY1Zatn2_VHznQDaBg9vvF1Er0FLSbgyNG0ZaR8kXTXLB3GLjszZIWrzGBxZmh50/s320/Trondheim+Day+1ish+022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483610047336047458" border="0" /></a><div>Even closer.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo95I5ID5bvxoNZBtAkNwqZwSphq1z_9GtRo5OVMs41OY4yjLv6Jj1ZRm6O8vjm4DT0GRpRxa9-Ew45e6Af2bryd3LzxKclZdwq-QzOnQjurzbhMCfxxoMNHKYjPIl86ygIBPhCSmc0o4/s1600/Trondheim+Day+1ish+036.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo95I5ID5bvxoNZBtAkNwqZwSphq1z_9GtRo5OVMs41OY4yjLv6Jj1ZRm6O8vjm4DT0GRpRxa9-Ew45e6Af2bryd3LzxKclZdwq-QzOnQjurzbhMCfxxoMNHKYjPIl86ygIBPhCSmc0o4/s320/Trondheim+Day+1ish+036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483610248863848898" border="0" /></a><div>This is a view from the other side of the cathedral.</div>Kevin H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15381376789555260028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-43955359726468733022010-04-16T09:09:00.000-07:002010-04-16T16:14:03.008-07:00Expedition to Norway delayed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/4/15/1271344982477/London-Evening-Standard-a-001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 460px; height: 276px;" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/4/15/1271344982477/London-Evening-Standard-a-001.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The 2010 ICEX program team was scheduled to depart for Norway on April 16th. However, like millions of would-be travelers throughout the world, our travel plans have been thrown into chaos as a result of the volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland, which has sent a giant ash plume over Northern Europe, closed public air travel and grounded flights to and from four U.S. military bases. Even Norway's Prime Minister, Jens Stotlenberg, is stranded in New York city (<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/04/16/2010-04-16_volcanic_ash_strands_norway_prime_minister_jens_stotlenberg_in_nyc_airport_so_he.html">NY Daily News story</a>).<br /><br />As of this morning, our transatlantic airline, Continental, has extended their travel advisory to <strike>Monday April 19th</strike> Thursday April 22. You can follow breaking developments related to the impact of the ash plume at <span style="font-style: italic;">The Guardian's</span> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2010/apr/16/volcano-ash-airspace-flights-iceland">volcanic ash blog</a>. We will provide updates here as we learn more about our options for rescheduling our trip and participation in the third NORUS workshop.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-12720549704694693372010-04-10T23:31:00.000-07:002010-04-11T13:49:06.252-07:00Technical Training, Spring Break Day 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnzc_I9lSOheqaCP796sTjKhnWqsQS_qREz-Lha88rDAICJcu72v6nQMjQ6q8vmpB4x6NyUW-23ntAo1H9EPXOg1J87pbfr8dZk9YrJyI2N0NLcaLLQJAMvEYiBxg6RDXXjp3xs9tSYhR/s912/icex-mar23%20035.jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpKSKiYwk9TMwGs4CFE10HfrQFdnV6kCl_XxvMZx1Ndu_frZujS6tG049RYFZtcdt2IrO0mzH0-GQznZk8XKJZYxOWVZRFjTByV4n5Pv5ka8qQJFBxwQP9MPQMjunYirNYXYMpTHHrNUy/s720/icex-mar23%20003.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 162px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpKSKiYwk9TMwGs4CFE10HfrQFdnV6kCl_XxvMZx1Ndu_frZujS6tG049RYFZtcdt2IrO0mzH0-GQznZk8XKJZYxOWVZRFjTByV4n5Pv5ka8qQJFBxwQP9MPQMjunYirNYXYMpTHHrNUy/s720/icex-mar23%20003.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>We made it out to the pier on the second day of Spring Break so that Alex and Jessie could run some longer missions with the Iver. The conditions were great, minimal wind and fairly warm, the only minor issue was the low tide. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>In order to go down on the lower docks to launch the Iver, some safety precautions had to be taken. Although Alex was a little concerned his fashion statement, he and Jessie made it down to launch the Iver and successfully complete a few missions.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiieAd4sV8Xt3wMGyCA8pK-3JBmSfo_lgJAeVxRco9u6Oyq2TVTI3Fu4b-MvAy9u8S09Ujg1_DQrDd_FjBd7EQDvxlSJC0Jzkc-CM13NqhOPDDWPmOEVkL6sjlFdu6ncXh-xs9KP_XgnOsK/s912/icex-mar23%20009.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 20%; height: 20%; " /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">After ocean operations with the Iver were completed,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>another challenge was faced by the team: getting it out! Someone with long arms was needed to reach down and<span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>retrieve the Iver from the low tide. Kevin was called down<span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>and with a bit of additional help from Dr. Clark, as well as somefinesse driving from Alex, the Iver made it safely out of the water.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyg-6rNnxyX1E902yNIebMUgYmbP3YCjrooA2PEBbkOImv8Ap79NTzHm8iK47JKyYB6iJ1iNoAfY5LqDNO4uXext3FAvHAqjFLfrn42Zpq0J4V_xNkbm5vu9Upc2BQpJpcXIBVCW2f-VSO/s912/icex-mar23%20027.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 20%; height: 20%;; " /></span></span></span></div><div>On the image processing side of things, Frank, Kevin and myself mostly spent the day inside working on a variety of projects with OpenCV, but we were making some great progress. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnzc_I9lSOheqaCP796sTjKhnWqsQS_qREz-Lha88rDAICJcu72v6nQMjQ6q8vmpB4x6NyUW-23ntAo1H9EPXOg1J87pbfr8dZk9YrJyI2N0NLcaLLQJAMvEYiBxg6RDXXjp3xs9tSYhR/s912/icex-mar23%20035.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 171px; " /></span></div><div>Later in the day, however, I focused my efforts on repairing a broken light module on the crawler robot. Thanks to some silicone, solder, and electrical tape (applied later) a temporary solution was found. Luckily, a new light module that will enable stronger electrical connections is on the way.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>Check out a gallery of photos from the entire day here:</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><table style="text-align: center;width: 194px; "><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="text-align: center;height: 194px; background-image: url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/114796992370417669174/ICEX2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCPDtiMPihJDpTA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_qe0CcDNlD3g/S6mLzHvEUZE/AAAAAAAAAGo/1W2kVTrL3S8/s160-c/ICEX2010.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/114796992370417669174/ICEX2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCPDtiMPihJDpTA&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">ICEX2010</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12953759143123851163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-62867516002945183222010-03-26T10:04:00.000-07:002010-07-06T09:40:02.150-07:00Technical Training March 22, 2010Our first technical training during spring break start<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHUSnIseL_mbetIlkD784kRYok-g-H2G8aVB3weiArsOkTjny2wNUUd2yDHV4vpSitlo31yPPxLB3l36DRhKhW9sUQGsz0RIRvBYsfPFRXBErBR9jodQs3qdQH1dbQWrq4Wh9xUBCwqQ/s1600/100_2857.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 196px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHUSnIseL_mbetIlkD784kRYok-g-H2G8aVB3weiArsOkTjny2wNUUd2yDHV4vpSitlo31yPPxLB3l36DRhKhW9sUQGsz0RIRvBYsfPFRXBErBR9jodQs3qdQH1dbQWrq4Wh9xUBCwqQ/s200/100_2857.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457214193408187234" border="0" /></a>ed in the lab at the hanger. We talked about the progress that we wanted to make for the day and the rest of the week and then we prepared for our informal demonstration at Poly Canyon Village. It was announced the week before to all the students housed in Poly Canyon that we would be down at the pool to show off some of the robots that we were working on. There was a small audience when we arrived and we told them about what we were doing in the pool and showed off each robot.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw92Gx9F6N5knLY16HK8jQAHiIHrgt1AXmnRs8r_oxl3bSaoDkOVomAiFQZuYWt98DqfETGeZ3BITOQjZpxMe_cz9KyWU8iP9SkVZEllk9VTghLKn72ANbu44aefgOBAVMJRbaXTabyew/s1600/100_2861.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 196px; height: 155px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw92Gx9F6N5knLY16HK8jQAHiIHrgt1AXmnRs8r_oxl3bSaoDkOVomAiFQZuYWt98DqfETGeZ3BITOQjZpxMe_cz9KyWU8iP9SkVZEllk9VTghLKn72ANbu44aefgOBAVMJRbaXTabyew/s200/100_2861.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457214522216423250" border="0" /></a><br />Alex and Jessie, with the assistance of Kevin, used the IVER to create a GPS map of the edges of the pool and then they wrote a program to have the IVER move from one end to the other. They had some trouble in the shallow end of the pool, but had a good run going from the shallow end to the deep end of the pool because it was a much longer run.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Greg worked on getting the lights back up and running on the crawler robot w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5f6NP2ASEQsqkcYPArnNyN8yvKafHmqwJKzxPoQ31kE95h3sQg_zvB7onzQ58yGXmAx7zaVoexbnUe7LNIioXBfk2fLeviCIOtlWh4etC3eeZ3QPIjjkzTPkJ66ibr_nGtnCO2GuxFIY/s1600/100_2862.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5f6NP2ASEQsqkcYPArnNyN8yvKafHmqwJKzxPoQ31kE95h3sQg_zvB7onzQ58yGXmAx7zaVoexbnUe7LNIioXBfk2fLeviCIOtlWh4etC3eeZ3QPIjjkzTPkJ66ibr_nGtnCO2GuxFIY/s200/100_2862.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457212048087139826" border="0" /></a>hich had broken during transportation from the last trip. Since the light was broken he did not deploy the crawler into the water, but did drive it around on the deck around the pool.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Frank worked with the Video Ray ROV but was having trouble connecting his computer to the control box so he could not get sonar data or control the robot from the computer.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8M4HrEoV_D7o0IjuxdOPpeMvQRo4smIZUHGDWsSXsdMgJSM02XQCr0vkzeuugxQYby6nv7xsDCooCwslsajnUFgAso6yDuIj2hXwkC4jz8TrEaa0qAXLJe-cDnYmr6yDB_H8rIWQNOo/s1600/100_2866.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8M4HrEoV_D7o0IjuxdOPpeMvQRo4smIZUHGDWsSXsdMgJSM02XQCr0vkzeuugxQYby6nv7xsDCooCwslsajnUFgAso6yDuIj2hXwkC4jz8TrEaa0qAXLJe-cDnYmr6yDB_H8rIWQNOo/s200/100_2866.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457213457371654114" border="0" /></a><br />At one point a student brought a dog out to the pool area and it was very interested in the robots and was running around the pool following the robots in the water. After working at the pool for a while we all moved back to the lab and discussed what we all needed to do in terms of coding.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Kevin and Greg talked with professor Clark about coding with OpenCV to do video processing, while Alex and Jessie worked with the IVER code to prepare for the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lTVR0HLPf1WQfRNek60pdCrSs7NQnggG8__OGT75CtuFdTj5E9b5Aro8kT2UiRL7IggRjwINsEt-eQ3Wku9VcFffGPtx6h8m0RXWlSafcgL06ljL2MMDY9gjZCzbO0QByrOJxCVP7r0/s1600/100_2872.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 96px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lTVR0HLPf1WQfRNek60pdCrSs7NQnggG8__OGT75CtuFdTj5E9b5Aro8kT2UiRL7IggRjwINsEt-eQ3Wku9VcFffGPtx6h8m0RXWlSafcgL06ljL2MMDY9gjZCzbO0QByrOJxCVP7r0/s200/100_2872.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457212420241181266" border="0" /></a>next day when they would deploy it out at the Cal Poly Pier. Frank worked with the computer trying to debug the problems with connecting to the control box of the Video Ray.Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502079788644581102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-86278052482028145632010-03-23T19:21:00.000-07:002010-03-23T22:35:42.152-07:00Technical Training 3/7/2010On March 7th we headed to the Poly Canyon Village swimming pool to get some hands on experience with the IVER and VideoRay ROV. At this point Matt Maxson (a student working with Dr. Clark and the IVER for his senior project) and one or two others had repaired the IVER and it was operating at full capacity!<div><br /></div><div>When we got to the pool we discovered that the IVER was still designed to float in sea water, so we had to re-ballast it. We took off all of the lead weights located along the bottom of the IVER but it was still a bit nose-heavy. At that point we realized that we had some bubble wrap so a couple of us went into the Poly Canyon Market and bought a roll of duct tape. </div><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0181ar6ks-LGJPKPGihpE1ywwblQk3OFC2PViNppbSFWWz-d3e4n2VCtQTlXT0AZpozu3NItYvz6t4rWszT0ovS1mW22BhyphenhyphenTvwZkgHx597M8vPnK6hLSY6DToHh3Nr56m245bgTb1VF8/s1600-h/ICEX2010+002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0181ar6ks-LGJPKPGihpE1ywwblQk3OFC2PViNppbSFWWz-d3e4n2VCtQTlXT0AZpozu3NItYvz6t4rWszT0ovS1mW22BhyphenhyphenTvwZkgHx597M8vPnK6hLSY6DToHh3Nr56m245bgTb1VF8/s320/ICEX2010+002.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452045347076898402" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We were then able to launch the IVER and learning how to drive it around the pool. Matt Maxson drove it first to show the rest of us how it goes. He even got to demonstrate what the IVER does when it loses WiFi connection in manual mode. He drove it backwards too fast and because of the bubble wrap it tried diving to the bottom of the pool. Thirty seconds to a minute after losing the WiFi signal it rose to the surface and he was able to re-establish contact. After this we each took turns driving the IVER and "catching" it (making sure it didn't hit the pool walls).</div><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXJVaxinOlq7gE4y9lgZn-38aj7uGKjxiiUMd49DlsdweTq2J3a03iAdGc5A2n6FFmLnXKUb_LGyRR4J0DmjDPtguimb1BQD-KZrDeBvSJOWq_yQMHVAOc4LzswQCed4uCmZvNgn9fPQ/s1600/ICEX2010+010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXJVaxinOlq7gE4y9lgZn-38aj7uGKjxiiUMd49DlsdweTq2J3a03iAdGc5A2n6FFmLnXKUb_LGyRR4J0DmjDPtguimb1BQD-KZrDeBvSJOWq_yQMHVAOc4LzswQCed4uCmZvNgn9fPQ/s320/ICEX2010+010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452069567102012402" /></a></div><div></div><br /><div>While this was all going on Frank and Dr. Clark got out the VideoRay ROV so that we could all have a go at driving it in the pool. The ROV was fun to drive and a lot more maneuverable than the IVER. In fact the IVER's turn radius was too large for the pool and we ended up making a lot of three point turns. We also got to see how the sonar on the ROV worked and what the pool walls looked like on the sonar. </div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xUfcMP4bKHAzFXy-liB7iPqEBlTucBlQk_FTHbB7endcXT17KAClSyiU2Ar1qBBehpRzdGWUGO7VNagFqFcNaFK8uHd_a7MjYO3ZZN6_UhkclyevCtEmqZtv5gDcyjCPLDyY-JJp5nM/s1600-h/ICEX2010+023.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xUfcMP4bKHAzFXy-liB7iPqEBlTucBlQk_FTHbB7endcXT17KAClSyiU2Ar1qBBehpRzdGWUGO7VNagFqFcNaFK8uHd_a7MjYO3ZZN6_UhkclyevCtEmqZtv5gDcyjCPLDyY-JJp5nM/s320/ICEX2010+023.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452056549569038850" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On the right you can see a picture of the ROV and IVER in the water near each other. It was funny seeing the ROV driving circles around the IVER. It also made it more of a challenge for the IVER driver to keep it from getting wrapped up in the ROV's tether. We all had a lot of fun driving both vehicles and look forward to making great progress before and during spring break. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you want to see more pictures of this awesome day of training look <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/114796992370417669174/ICEX">here</a>.</div>Alex Xydeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753265248899521887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-62521518657333713522010-03-23T00:04:00.000-07:002010-03-23T02:10:50.400-07:00Cultural Training- March 5, 2010To kick off our final cultural training meeting we discussed how the Artic is relevant to us. After reading multiple articles about the battle for power in the Artic as the ice melts between Germany, Russia, US, and Norway. This new age Gold Rush is a battle for resources and passage. Russia seems to be a powerful factor as they try to gain as much of the ocean area as possible in order to make large profits. Norway on the other hand seemingly can get away with a little bit more than Russia due to the fact it is less talked about. By introducing new technology into the Artic we are becoming a part of something bigger, because we are aiding in the race for resources. By being able to explore and test the newly accessible marine areas, new resources and innovations can arise. Our project has the possibility to have a lasting impact on people.<br /><br /> Our conversation then changed as we moved onto a very debated topic of whaling led by Alex. We started on Greenpeace and what it meant to us. Some viewed it with pride and looked at it as a success, while others said their idea of Greenpeace was militant hippies. We talked about one incident where members of Greenpeace chased down Norwegian whalers, the problem was, it was the Greenpeace members in the large boat chasing the small family boat. This made the Greenpeace members seem like the bad guys.<br /><br /> We learned of the history of Norwegian whaling, it started in the 1900s with just fishing and farming, but this left the Norwegians with little to do in the summer time. They soon took up small boats and harpoons and set out for whales in the 1930s. They hunted and killed minke whales, and by the 1980s this became 50-75% of their income. Back then and still today it is very community focused, with small owner operated boats, families helping once then men return, and the majority of the goods staying in the community.<br /><br /> In 1982 the IWC (International Whaling Commission) issued a moratorium banning whale hunting, which Norway complied with until 1992 where they presented a reasonable argument backed with research and facts on how to safely and with the least amount of harm to the whales continue harvesting them without endangering the population. The IWC did not accept their plan for a sustainable hunting of whales on a more ethical reasoning. They seemed to be under the influence of the "super whale" which is the combination of all the special attributes belonging to a single type of whale. The whale also seemed to be becoming a well known symbol of peace. It seemed morally wrong to some because the whale seems to be so mystical and close to humans, that it is impossible to compare it to normal harvesting of our commonly eaten land animals. This focus on the elimination of whaling was immediate gratification; it is easy to see the action and feel something being accomplished. This may overshadow more important issues that could be more difficult and a longer process before people can begin seeing the change.<br /><br /> We then compared the community focused Norway to Japan. Japan's practices leave the waters polluted which harms wildlife, their whaling is very commercial and big business ran with factory ships, and they do not limit their catches to a specific species of whale or certain season. Both Seinfeld and South Park have made an episode that relates to Japanese whaling, and a recent documentary <u>The Cove</u> has real footage from Japanese cruelty towards dolphins.<br /><br /> Our conversation finally to a change as we listened to Kevin as he told us about dams in Norway and their building standards. Bringing our conversation back to our second cultural training with the Sami people being negatively influenced by the industrialization and dam building when one ruined the Alta dam ruined their home. Because of the Alta incident over 400 basins are now protected. In response to a United Nations environmental committee on dams, they stated in about 5 different ways that the rights of the indigenous people.<br /><br /> A big issue in Norway is their energy issue, they have too much! They run on about 96% hydroelectric power, and 88% of that is controlled by the state or local government. They are trying to get locals to break into industry. The need for some friendly competition produces an idea of subcontracting or turning power into a franchise business possibly. A fun fact researched on the spot was Paraguay is 100% hydroelectric and sells 90% of their power.<br /><br /> Greg then gave us an overview of Norwegian Foreign/International/Humanitarian Aid. It started off in stating they were interested in a hands off approach. They believe on making lasting improvements that will strengthen their own abilities. Norway splits their assistance both bilateral (directly) and multilateral (UNICEF, etc). Norway's foreign aid policy helps 3rd world countries fight poverty, by the end of January they donated $17.5 million dollars to Haiti. In 1987 they were the number 1 provider of foreign aid percent of national GNP, and was number 4 in 2002. The Norwegian Labor Movement aides the population throughout Norway. A goal of helping people is to help build confidence and raise self sufficiency and egalitarianism.<br /><br /> Frank's topic was closely linked with Greg's as he went into details about how one way that Norway helped others is by helping others develop dams. Not only information, and aid, but also money to help fund the project. Norway helped Ethiopia build dams to harness power. The UN partnered with Norway to share experience, knowledge, and expertise so the people they teach have the skills and experience needed to be self-sufficient. Norway helped invest in clean energy in North Africa with multilateral and bilateral assistance. They helped fund the Tigre Dam which provided clean water and benefited over 550 households. One of the odd things brought up was how Norway doesn't always follow its own guidelines for building when going to other countries.<br /><br /> To wrap up the night Kevin once again took the lead to discuss environmental issues currently in Norway. While they are not nearly as discussed as the whaling issue, the issues were just brought to our attention. The idea of wind power plants are faced with the idea that they are visually unappealing and a danger to birds. Greenhouses versus gas. The increase in CO2. Ice shelves retreating destroying certain indigenous habitats. Pollution has been steadily decreasing over the decade. The problem of wolf hunting and whaling. And water policies concerning the basins and pollution. Some of the controversy stems form the very simple conflicting ideas of keeping nature as a whole versus protecting each individual animal.<br /><br /> Our last cultural training was an action packed one that hit a big touchy topic for Norway as well as exploring all the good that Norway provides to other countries.Jessiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11695802793932356452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-914494108338461442010-03-21T23:23:00.001-07:002010-07-06T09:40:12.503-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1mkSgQUIUzXJ4nFWF5L5jQkBShqMEJPZohV6tUh0KZN3DdT2sFGMnqpI3jC2NF_zzUBGwvbGBRnAGvd9w-xV9HyatlqXNSAhCKNxZD4P3xboHJr9lI6U00zu3vyIiRiGsslxiUagg8E/s1600-h/pier.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1mkSgQUIUzXJ4nFWF5L5jQkBShqMEJPZohV6tUh0KZN3DdT2sFGMnqpI3jC2NF_zzUBGwvbGBRnAGvd9w-xV9HyatlqXNSAhCKNxZD4P3xboHJr9lI6U00zu3vyIiRiGsslxiUagg8E/s320/pier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451342597824140914" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Training # 1 - <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Intro to Pier and IVER AUV</b></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">On February 21st we had our first hands on technical training! It seems that our robots decided that they really like Norway and Europe and wished to stay longer. (aka Shipping Delays) So that’s exactly what they did. However their trip has finally ended, as they arrived back in California in what seemed to be one piece.<span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Each of the ICEX team members were given a reading assignment to study the technical documentation and research papers associated with the multiple underwater robots that Dr. Clark has. These robots include the IVER (aka AUV), VideoRay ROV, and the Crawler.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtP6fpLhGnNh4MHRiA_lj14y3HM1sVwknblCTuPPVgAFDRAaKdWVx1aJwTnHbThj6K3qnJBiGUDU3Fp8RxK_gHZ4BS2Et-mM22lLdQSr07APLq0vzDOEAZQKjLrfriHx4d15YPu58T5Zc/s1600-h/ICEX+blog+pic1.PNG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtP6fpLhGnNh4MHRiA_lj14y3HM1sVwknblCTuPPVgAFDRAaKdWVx1aJwTnHbThj6K3qnJBiGUDU3Fp8RxK_gHZ4BS2Et-mM22lLdQSr07APLq0vzDOEAZQKjLrfriHx4d15YPu58T5Zc/s320/ICEX+blog+pic1.PNG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451341923984715218" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">IVER Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9HxWtkvhm5A1FXkrRv9k11uS5JhmxodSJqTd2bzVyqYjvTVd0aPGadaEyQ-LsZS65GXwViUr8oVqEMofBsEwgGDYRC3XxJYWs269gnkvgTsTQ6ssd33cYCRtYgwV1u_QmDqHRES3ihU/s1600-h/videoray.jpg"><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9HxWtkvhm5A1FXkrRv9k11uS5JhmxodSJqTd2bzVyqYjvTVd0aPGadaEyQ-LsZS65GXwViUr8oVqEMofBsEwgGDYRC3XxJYWs269gnkvgTsTQ6ssd33cYCRtYgwV1u_QmDqHRES3ihU/s320/videoray.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451340943045267842" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">VideoRay Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)</div><div><div><div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZxfBFKSRPseFFooUHhBSt0YAVsxw_vgBpElE2-ocBSCSHhKm0ZeWBPA6J44fHTnFI0zyGvnomjt_mPwAQjjy6ntaSH46v5VcVRRNx_jy-3-JXC-ROfRUGwILvpJGK3MKF3g1v2h9WZg/s1600-h/crawler.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZxfBFKSRPseFFooUHhBSt0YAVsxw_vgBpElE2-ocBSCSHhKm0ZeWBPA6J44fHTnFI0zyGvnomjt_mPwAQjjy6ntaSH46v5VcVRRNx_jy-3-JXC-ROfRUGwILvpJGK3MKF3g1v2h9WZg/s320/crawler.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451506557633503362" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;">Inuktun Versatrax 100 (Crawler)</div><br /><br />The main goal for this meeting was to delegate the individual project assignments to the team members, meet the IVER and debug any prevailing issues it was having, and ensure everyone was on the same page with the required software needed to control the robots. We met at the Cal Poly owned research peer in San Luis Obispo where we have access to conduct tests. The peer is located in Avila Bay just south of SLO. The location is very scenic and a great place to work! (Pictured above)<p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Each of the team members were given an individual assignment/project to oversee and complete for this year’s ICEX project. Each project is unique and accomplishes a specific goal set forth by the team and our partners in Norway. Everyone is very excited about their projects, which are listed below.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Alex – </b>Use the AUV to obtain oxygen level data in the fjord.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Frank –</b><span> </span>Use the ROV to autonomously track a pipe using vision processing.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Greg –</b> Use the crawler to identify objects of interest on the seafloor.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Jessie – </b>Use the AUV to navigate a grid through the fjord to obtain video footage of kelp deposits.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Kevin – </b>Use the AUV and attached camera to create a map of the kelp deposits in the<span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>fjord.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span></span><b><span></span><span></span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">At the training we all got the chance to get hands on with the IVER and learn the basic operation and assembly procedures. Once we got the IVER opened up we discovered a few issues/bugs that it was having. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get it in the water to drive around, but we definitely learned a lot and made good progress. We were able to view the driving GUI for the IVER and learn how to drive and read critical sensor values. <span></span>We hope to drive the IVER and other vehicles in water at our next training.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The last training goal was to get critical software installed on our laptops that will be needed to control and program these many robots. There didn’t seem to be any issues with this process and everyone got the software installed.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Overall...a very productive meeting! It was very exciting to get our hands on a robot and start the technical portion of this great project. We hope to continue to make progress in preparation for our April trip to Norway!</p></div></div></div></div>Kevin H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15381376789555260028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-8855308500236283432010-02-22T14:19:00.000-08:002010-02-24T10:04:04.026-08:00Cultural Training - Feb 19, 2010This week we looked at slightly more controversial topics: the history of minorities and immigration in Norway.<div><br /><div>Everyone in the group read a number of articles about women in Norway because in our past meetings we had been wondering about the results of Norway's commitment to egalitarianism. What we gathered from these articles appears to support our theories; women do indeed seem to have an easier time living independently in Norway.</div><div>We did acknowledge that the situation in Norway is still not ideal, as women are not common in upper management, but one of the theories presented in the articles was that rather than a "glass ceiling" there is a hierarchical segregation. Additionally, we agreed that the idea of "occupational segregation" seemed to make some sense, being that women seem to group into particular areas or fields (i.e. medical and education). Some of our theories behind this were that women seemed to be more interested in fields that provided some kind of service to society, whereas men were more interested in positions that provided the most money.</div><div>We also found that there were a number of significant advantages for women in the work force in Norway too, though. For example, Norway has a wonderful maternity/child leave program, where up to a year of paternity leave can be taken. Also, in the past decade, Norway introduced a revolutionary policy stating that all company's board of directors must be made up of at least 40% women. The group noted it was fairly interesting that this is similar to the affirmative action policies of the California universities, which were eliminated recently. Was California right to move away from affirmative action, or is Norway taking a necessary action to smash the glass ceiling? The distinctions between our cultures may not enable a clear answer.</div><div><br /></div><div>Following this discussion of women, we moved to the individual research assignments that were given to everyone else by Jane.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kevin looked into gender and ROSE (relevance of science education) studies in Norway. He told us about how Norway is very dedicated to determine what factors cause children to choose a career. In order to accomplish this, they are giving questionnaires to children towards the end of lower secondary school (about age 15); the topics include: interests in STEM, perspective on the environment, and their attitude towards school science. The main factors of comparison for these studies are girls vs boys, rural vs urban, and Norway vs. other countries. The primary goal of these studies is to identify what can be done to get more people involved in STEM, especially so that a curriculum can be built to bridge the gap between sexes and rural/urban children.</div><div>Kevin also did some more research about women versus men in Norway, reinforcing the ideas and statistics presented in the group assigned reading. He stated that Norway can be considered very gender progress in comparison to other countries, even though men do still hold the majority in most fields. In general, women seemed to be most underrepresented in the groups that were "for profit", relative to the government and university research fields where they are more prevalent; this goes back to our suggestion that women were more interested in aiding society than increasing wages. Furthermore, Kevin told us how women seem to stay more in their home areas, whereas men more frequently drifted towards urban areas. The group also had a theory for this, proposing that women felt stronger ties to their family, whereas men had the desire to start their own family where they can make the best money (which is often in the urban areas). </div><div><br /></div><div>This week Jessica looked into African immigration in Norway, which was found to have some interesting parallels to the United States. Even though it is a topic our country has been dealing with for nearly our entire existence, Norway appeared to be making social progress at a relatively accelerated rate. In spite of this, there have been a few significant events over the past two decades involving conflicts with African immigrants in Norway. One of the most notable of these was in 1996 when the Norwegian health department recommended people stay away from African people because they "<a href="http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/61/330.html">potential HIV carriers</a>;" Newspapers fed the flames by stating that 10% of Africans had aids, when in actuality, the number was 2%. More recently in 2002, a teenager was stabbed to death by neo-nazis; this event was noted as Norway's first public racially motivated homicide. Jessica emphasized that the people of Norway in general were very supportive of the boy's family and over <a href="http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/jan2002/norw-j29.shtml">40,000 people took to the streets to protest</a>. Nonetheless, this event caused Norwegians to do some self-reflection because it became evident they had been ignoring the issues within their own borders.</div><div><br /></div><div>Frank also looked into a specific population of immigrants in Norway, Muslims. He found that while most Norwegians do not have a problem with their immigration, they would prefer for them to assimilate into Norwegian culture. For example, in Oslo public schools, veils and head scarves are not legal attire, which are common among Muslims. Additionally, a member of the labor party defended the burning of head scarves by saying it was a protest for modernism, rather than against a certain people. This discussion ended on an interesting question posed by the group: will the larger Muslim population's beliefs undermine Norway's goals of equality?</div><div><br /></div><div>The last individual research assignment for this week's meeting was about immigrants in the labor force and trade unions, completed by Alex. He found that the general attitude from trade union workers, specifically those in representative positions, believed that it was "a challenge, but not a problem" to get minorities represented. To emphasize this statement, Alex had discovered only 2 of the 5 trade unions have published materials in languages common among immigrants. He also found information stating that the people in charge, at the central office, were having trouble getting anything accomplished since it is such a touchy subject. While this did not seem like a big deal to most of the group because we are not very familiar with trade unions, Alex told us that they play a much larger role in Norway than in the United States. He also told us some notable facts about immigrants in the Norwegian work force: Norway is 22nd in the employment rate of immigrants internationally, and in general, the refugees have a worse unemployment rate than 'economic' immigrants.</div><div><br /></div><div>This weeks topics made us realize that Norway does have a lot of parallels to the United States, but their reactions seem to be swift and thus, they are making great strides towards gender and minority equality.</div></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12953759143123851163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-64269333975261944282010-02-10T08:50:00.000-08:002010-04-19T13:53:17.199-07:00Cultural Training - Feb 5, 2010<!-- --><!-- function msoCommentShow(anchor_id, com_id) { if(msoBrowserCheck()) { c = document.all(com_id); a = document.all(anchor_id); if (null != c && null == c.length && null != a && null == a.length) { var cw = c.offsetWidth; var ch = c.offsetHeight; var aw = a.offsetWidth; 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mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Introduction by Jane</span></span><br />Our second cultural training focused on the history of Norwegian & Arctic industrialization (and its relation to/impact on society <span class="fnt0">–</span> with particular attention to how the impact of industrialization has varied between Norway, the United States, and Russia ); the historical and contemporary structure of education in Norway; and contemporary science and technology development/challenges in Norway.<br /><br />In this session, we tested whether the dominant images of Norway that we had identified at our first meeting <span class="fnt0">–</span> toughness, self-sufficiency, independence, egalitarianism, and humanitarianism <span class="fnt0">–</span> continued to make sense and be useful in the context of this new data. In general, we agreed that this image of dominant constructions of self- and national-identity for Norwegians could be productively used as an explanatory factor in our examinations of industrialization, education, and science/technology development.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Readings </span></span><br /><span class="fnt0"><ol><li>Thomson (1938). Norway’s Industrialization. <span style="font-style: italic;">Economic Geography</span>, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 372-380</li><li>Duhaime & Caron (2009). Economic and Social Conditions of the Artic Regions (pp. 11-22) in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Economy of the North.</span><br /></li><li>Statistics Norway (2009). <span style="font-style: italic;">Facts about Education in Norway 2009</span>. (PDF – 18 pages)</li><li>Norwegian Center for International Cooperation in Higher Education (2009). <span style="font-style: italic;">Guide to Higher Education in Norway: Look Up and Discover</span> (PDF, pp.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>6-9; 14-17) </li><li>Sivertsen and Persson (2000). The low citation impact of Norwegian Science. <span style="font-style: italic;">Bibliometric Notes</span>, 7(4). (PDF – 4 p) </li><li>Research Council of Norway (2007). <span style="font-style: italic;">Report on Science and Technology Indicators for Norway</span> (PDF, pp. 7-14; 53-60). </li><li>Norway Exports (2007). “Looking to Global Hands for Continued Growth” (pp. 16-20) + “A Market Full of Options” (pp. <span style="font-weight: bold;">24-25)</span> + “Ensuring the Best Brains Stay” (pp. 26-27) in <span style="font-style: italic;">Career in Norway: Live, Work, Enjoy</span>.</li><li>(Browse) Norwegian Center for International Cooperation in Higher Education (2009). <span style="font-style: italic;">Renewable Energy in Norway: Studies and Research</span>. </li><li>(Browse) Norwegian Center for International Cooperation in Higher Education (2009). <span style="font-style: italic;">Marine Studies in Norway</span>.</li></ol></span><br /><hr /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blog Post by Frank</span></span><br />Our second cultural training meeting took place on the Cal Poly Campus. To start off the evening we talked about the next technical assignment and the woes of tracking the robots on their way home from the arctic. Since some of the robots would not be home for the time we scheduled, we pushed back the timing for the first technical training.<br /><br />The first topic on culture was the history of Norwegian industrialization. Jessie explained that this country was not very industrialized in the beginning of the 19th century, with most of their work done in fishing forestry and agriculture. The first wave of industrialization was in the 1840’s, with textiles and mechanical engineering repair work done. In the 1860 the second wave started with raw material making use of the timber and manufacturing pulp. The third wave of industrialization was the hydro electric power wave in the early 1900's. Making use of all the power they build electro chemical plants to make artificial fertilizers and also extracted aluminum.<br /><br />The next topic that we discussed was the social impact that industrialization had on Norway. This was brought up by Kevin. Industrialization brought more wealth to the population and brought the life expectancy up while lowering the infant mortality rate. Women were also greatly affected by the greater wealth, since they could move into the work force and no longer have to be stay at home parents. The Sami people were one group of Norwegians that were negatively affected by industrialization. The reindeer herding of the Sami people was affected by the dams that were created for hydro electric plants and the electric power lines and also roads. They had to fight the Norwegian government for rights to the land that they live on and eventually were given 95% control of the land minus control of fish, oil and minerals.<br /><br />Greg brought up the topic of education and its history in Norway. It started as far back as medieval times where it was necessary for people to learn to read the bible. Naturally the first schools were in churches, and in 1537 they turned into more Latin based schools. As early as 1736 children were taught to read in schools and about 90 years later they began to create primary schools. By 1889 there was 7 years of school required for children and it moved up to 9 years in 1969. Children went to school between the ages of 7 to 16, and recently they added another year so they would start at the age of 6. An interesting fact about the early years of school are that there are no grades until students are 13 years old and that grades are important to get into high school.<br /><br />The topic of challenges in contemporary science and technology was brought up by Alex. One challenge that was brought to our attention was the fact that research papers in Norway are cited much less that other countries in one study. One thought of the reason for this was that Norway is writing more papers about the needs for its country and not the needs of other countries. There is a push for open access to papers written in Norway which could help with the low citation percentage. One difference between researches in Norway compared to other countries is that they use it more as a learning tool rather than using it to make products. Even thought Norway is not a part of the EU they are taking part in 10% of EU research which opens them up to a lot of opportunities.<br /><br />Through this cultural meeting we all learned a great deal more about the culture of Norway and preparing for our trip come April.Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502079788644581102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-91055010356415005542010-01-31T12:58:00.000-08:002010-04-19T13:33:24.835-07:00Cultural Training 1/29/2010<div><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Introduction by Jane</span><br />For our first cultural training, we prepared in multiple ways.<br /><ul><li>First, each of us were asked to read the items listed below. These texts begin to explore what it means to "do work" in international contexts and provided us with introductions to Norway written from a variety of different perspectives.<br /></li><li>Second, each student also had additional research and/or blogging responsibilities. For example, as part of the interview process to determine the 2010 ICEX team, candidates had been asked to offer explanations for the different reactions in Norway and the United States to the awarding of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama. To better understand the reasons behind the selection of Obama by the Norwegian committee, one of the research assignments for this first cultural training focused on the history of the Nobel Peace Prize and European perspectives on the United States both before and after the election of Obama in 2008.<br /></li><li>Third, our first cultural training was a Norwegian "pot-luck" = More research + Cooking!<br /></li></ul><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Readings</span></span><br /><ol><li>Gary Downey et al (2006), "The Globally Competent Engineer: Working Effectively with People Who Define Problems Differently. Journal of Engineering Education 95(April)2:107-122. (<span>pp. 1-4</span>).<br /></li><li>Terri Morrison & Wayne Conaway (2006). "Norway." From <span style="font-style: italic;">Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: The Best-selling Guide to Doing Business in 60 Countries</span>, 2nd edition. </li><li>Norway Exports (2007). "Efficient, Family-Friendly, and Postcard Perfect" + "Finding the Right Balance" in <span style="font-style: italic;">Career in Norway: Live, Work, Enjoy</span> (<span>pp. 10-15</span>).</li><li>Norwegian Center for International Cooperation in Higher Education (no date; retrieved Dec 2009). <span style="font-style: italic;">A Brief Guide to Living in Norway</span>. </li><li>Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2009). <span style="font-style: italic;">Mini-facts about Norway</span>.</li><li>Statistics Norway (2009). <span style="font-style: italic;">This is Norway: What the Figures Say</span>. </li></ol><hr /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blog Post by Alex</span></span><br />Chris and his wife hosted our first Cultural Training session and dinner Friday night at their house. Some of the delicious food included: salmon, lasagna, fried rice, curried lamb and Potje De Garbanzo Con Acelga (Chickpea Soup with Spinach). For desert we had almond cake, black pepper cookies and fresh berries.</div><br /><div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxfDv5j6AA3kzdr-AIs8BDecrW77gzKxDIF-vKJKGDHllmc0IJAG89NWMcYbKItWjvnZdR7_xpFBx5tSTmfu9YKZ3_mWCFkM1bjQt3V-O_7CuPlCETpW3p1MbCJyjHAzXTyqnizqAX_s/s1600-h/200px-Sami_flag.svg.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxfDv5j6AA3kzdr-AIs8BDecrW77gzKxDIF-vKJKGDHllmc0IJAG89NWMcYbKItWjvnZdR7_xpFBx5tSTmfu9YKZ3_mWCFkM1bjQt3V-O_7CuPlCETpW3p1MbCJyjHAzXTyqnizqAX_s/s200/200px-Sami_flag.svg.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433012071306143746" border="0" /></a>Between the amazing dinner and desert we discussed a few aspects of Norwegian culture that could be relevant to our trip there. Frank started us off with some information about the Sami people of northern Scandinavia. There are about 60,000 Sami within Norway and they have a complex history as a people but their flag was only recently inaugurated.</div><div><br /></div><div>From there we moved to a discussion of the Nobel Peace Prize lead by Jessie. All of the other Nobel prizes are awarded in Sweden, Alfred Nobel's home country. While no one knows for sure why Alfred Nobel decided to have the Nobel Peace Prize awarded in Norway the most popular theory states that he thought that Norway was a lot less militaristic than Sweden was at the time. After that we discussed the awarding of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" (<a href="http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/index.html">2009 Nobel Peace Prize</a>). </div><div><br /></div><div>That subject led to a discussion of Nuclear weapons vs Nuclear energy and the pros and cons of different types of nuclear power plants. We had to cut this discussion short to make sure we didn't skip anything on the agenda.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNu7k6tPcmvsgaCmBe6jUtp4eqa5-dtO8qCB4uDWMaGHl1XJSDdj2WDeHr9JZFL-02rjpQE5KO0swlFtLuXrwStMZBZjgFkdmqAX2D8-ceAP5Gt5JmfSQaH3hsNLYst6umeZush9Hw3Y/s1600-h/Bunad_Telemark.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 149px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNu7k6tPcmvsgaCmBe6jUtp4eqa5-dtO8qCB4uDWMaGHl1XJSDdj2WDeHr9JZFL-02rjpQE5KO0swlFtLuXrwStMZBZjgFkdmqAX2D8-ceAP5Gt5JmfSQaH3hsNLYst6umeZush9Hw3Y/s200/Bunad_Telemark.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433012657203559682" border="0" /></a><br />We then learned from Greg that the differences between the two main forms of Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk) developed in different geographical locations within Norway. Bokmål was used mainly in the cities with Danish background while Nynorsk was used mainly in the western rural areas of Norway. He also told us that each geographical region has its own Bunad or traditional costume. This reminded me of the different traditional costumes that permeate the various regions of Greece. Each one is unique and goes along with a unique dance in the case of Greece and dialect in Norway. </div><div><br /></div><div>After Greg finished, Kevin gave us an abridged version of Norway's history. And then he started a discussion on how Norwegians differentiate themselves from the other Scandinavian countries. Toughness, self-sufficiency, independence, egalitarianism, and humanitarianism are some dominant images of the Norwegian culture that we agreed on after our discussion. </div><div><br /></div><div>Chris spent some time throughout the night telling us about his trip to the Arctic earlier this month and described his cultural experiences up there for us. It sounds like we're going to have an awesome time and we're all really looking forward to it.</div><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBB18NCdqowiJecd95vhXxNGkS03RjHf0wGomGyi9RUuVlVu_VgqhShxxEBWLbI-z6MfJfvHgEyj4RMLdGbGpQ-1QhvIhER9T2vOgbWLTh8OwarsGhxtst4oirtO-PJAbufp7_7ZNl07U/s1600-h/DSCF0222.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBB18NCdqowiJecd95vhXxNGkS03RjHf0wGomGyi9RUuVlVu_VgqhShxxEBWLbI-z6MfJfvHgEyj4RMLdGbGpQ-1QhvIhER9T2vOgbWLTh8OwarsGhxtst4oirtO-PJAbufp7_7ZNl07U/s400/DSCF0222.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433014296719290450" border="0" /></a></div>Alex Xydeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753265248899521887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-68335349310305517062010-01-30T17:56:00.000-08:002010-01-30T18:06:30.373-08:00Introduction: Jane Lehr<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyjDbeIscGwj92lHR_nT2CnYXv-DO48VpTEK_f34BdKDA69NFhmoxS5jD9L3gvJcvjzFom9pSyf7dvvZsoCC6XtqgXuL0jRMZVnYlAElO8LAMOUEweyJ9Adc4aF_TdC9ppoUEq6MECMxb/s1600-h/718949864113_0_ALB-small.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 187px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyjDbeIscGwj92lHR_nT2CnYXv-DO48VpTEK_f34BdKDA69NFhmoxS5jD9L3gvJcvjzFom9pSyf7dvvZsoCC6XtqgXuL0jRMZVnYlAElO8LAMOUEweyJ9Adc4aF_TdC9ppoUEq6MECMxb/s320/718949864113_0_ALB-small.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432719379579050610" border="0" /></a><br />Morn! My name is Jane Lehr, and I am the cultural advisor for the ICEX 2010 trip. This spring, we are traveling to the Sletvik Field Station of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology as part of the <a href="http://www.norus-science.com/">NORUS Project</a>, an educational and research collaboration between partners in North America and Norway that is focused on technology development for marine monitoring and ocean observation.<br /><br />I am an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Ethnic Studies and Women's & Gender Studies at Cal Poly. I received my PhD (2006) and MS (2002) in Science & Technology Studies from Virginia Tech, with concentrations in the social, cultural, and political studies of science and technology, and Women's Studies. In 2005-06, I had the opportunity to work as a Post-Doctoral Research Officer in the NSF-funded Center for Informal Learning and Schools (CILS) in the Department of Education and Professional Studies at King's College London.<br /><br />My research and teaching primarily explore the relationships between science and engineering education, scientific and technical literacies, practices of personal and public decision-making, and issues of social justice and social responsibility. While at Virginia Tech, I was privileged to work directly with Dr. Gary Downey, a leader in the growing field of <a href="http://www.inesweb.org/">Engineering Studies</a>. Scholarship in Engineering Studies focuses on the comparative study of engineers and engineering in different historic and contemporary national contexts.<br /><br />I am very excited to work with the ICEX team this year for a number of reasons. Primarily, I want to support the students’ efforts to gain experiences working as global engineers by facilitating their explorations of the ways in which social, cultural, political, and economic factors can matter in defining and shaping engineering education and practice. Secondly, I am exploring the possibility of developing a course at Cal Poly that would focus on the meanings, challenges, and strengths of engineering in an increasingly diverse and globalized workplace and world and in the context of significant contemporary societal challenges and transformations. Working with the ICEX students this year will help shape that project. I also am excited to learn more about and visit Norway!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-8444186184367765922010-01-29T11:03:00.000-08:002010-01-29T11:23:36.076-08:00Introduction: Jessie Klemme<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTR1-JNAg8UYw__p5RUfVanwih6PHeF43ajX8xijc1a3W3ziGgKXxvqWQwmiAKst6DT2QVj8cHc1vIKh63tVwI4OcRTsVNk1HkeMQcz8X0CRTHOPBQxbvFTlFsLtu6ke736RJ85ZEYZcE/s1600-h/horseback+australia.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432244460829285986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTR1-JNAg8UYw__p5RUfVanwih6PHeF43ajX8xijc1a3W3ziGgKXxvqWQwmiAKst6DT2QVj8cHc1vIKh63tVwI4OcRTsVNk1HkeMQcz8X0CRTHOPBQxbvFTlFsLtu6ke736RJ85ZEYZcE/s320/horseback+australia.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMQcWUh2WCk4khJ0S_QmsvkrVTyFdTDaXx7tlyux-J-cJQV7hvAKzRYbVtDLXQsNvKj5VOuBWptNWYiz_u7ncOAusndAe22Hg3H2uy2puOc_WYrwmtWG4TH4-vsvqr1Bx9pTHubS5COU/s1600-h/horseback+australia.jpg"></a> Hi, my name is Jessie Klemme and I an a 1st year Environmental Engineer at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. I love the outdoors from riding ATVs in the desert to going dogsledding in the Minnesota wilderness. I also love to travel, play waterpolo, and volunteer with Girl Scouts. I enjoy doing things that I believe are going to make a difference in some way, which is why I am thrilled to be a part of this team.<br /><div></div><br /><div> When declaring my major I was unsure which discipline of engineering to choose because I wanted to create mechanisms that could help improve the environment, but I found that required many different disciplines combined. ICEX, to me, is a way to see a path my career may take because it is combining my passion for robotics, environmental issues, and travel. I have experience in robotics, but with this opportunity I will learn much more about how to prepare robots for the real world, not just a planned competition like I am accustomed to. I have traveled to other countries, but every culture has their own customs and practices which I find fascinating. Overall I am excited because people of like minds and enthusiasm are joining together to work on a project that I know will be an unforgettable experience.</div></div>Jessiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11695802793932356452noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711826100484848447.post-31750084875838283792010-01-29T10:52:00.000-08:002010-02-15T15:01:04.330-08:00Introduction: Frank SchreiberMy name is Frank and I am a senior mechanical engineering student also completing a minor in computer science at Cal Poly. My interests are automobiles, robotics, hiking and traveling. Along with ICEX I am in a group building an autonomous car for the Natcar competition (http://www.ece.ucdavis.edu/natcar/) and conducting research in the mechanical engineering department in engineering education. I have presented at two different American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) conferences through my mechanical engineering research.<br /><br />I am very excited to travel to a new country and learn about the Norwegian cultur<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOSJtJBW2lk2-_4LI8Gg0NwBlGqXBT_MvzCVypPehNHyz94FeF_wdthTkkkKJLwulEguF11lTU0wE6s91USvjUd37Z560H0BwErc7NQFiYBXnU7lb-sziVOUmouEUP34_0fF-I3yl1Qw/s1600-h/frank-2477.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOSJtJBW2lk2-_4LI8Gg0NwBlGqXBT_MvzCVypPehNHyz94FeF_wdthTkkkKJLwulEguF11lTU0wE6s91USvjUd37Z560H0BwErc7NQFiYBXnU7lb-sziVOUmouEUP34_0fF-I3yl1Qw/s200/frank-2477.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438608937266341330" border="0" /></a>e. Everything that I have herd so far makes this sound like a great experience for everyone attending. Through ICEX I would like to become more technical in my area of research and hopefully gain knowledge to assist in my education research as well.Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502079788644581102noreply@blogger.com0