From the middle of the Atlantic Ocean

So after multiple flights, trains, buses, ferries and taxis I am in the Azores!! On the mid-Atlantic Ridge, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Top of Mount Pico from the Plane - the highest point in Portugal!

After hearing I was successful in my application I had to liaise with Stefano's collaborators at the University of the Azores to find a time when they would be able to accommodate me in the lab... which ended up being sooner than I had anticipated!

I also had to think about how I was going to transport the tissue samples I was going to get in my luggage on the way home. They have to be preserved in 100% ethanol so that the DNA in them does not degrade... something airlines do not let you travel with!

To get around this I have brought with me some silica beads for a backup set of samples - something that other people have apparently used to dry out the samples before transportation.

I am welcomed to the University of the Azores by Gui, one of Stefano's collaborators who shows me around the building and introduces me one of his PhD students who will show me the techniques.

Department of Oceanography and Fisheries, University of the Azores

One of the most interesting bits of research that I learn about while I am there is the CONDOR Seamount Project. Because of the volcanic nature of the islands, there are hundreds of seamounts around the Azores, and they are incredibly important not only biologically to marine life, but economically too.

View of Pico from Faial

The project involves a fishing ban on the seamount for a period of time to investigate the dynamics of populations without fishing pressure and is supported by the local fishing community and the government. They also do a lot of outreach with local high schools on Faial and neighbouring island Pico.

 I also realise how small a world marine biology is when I hear that Gui previously worked with somebody who used to work at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth during his PhD!

To monitor the diversity on seamounts and around the Azores, every year they do multiple cruises and they take small tissue samples for genetic analysis from certain species. Thousands of samples are stored in temperature controlled rooms, and it is my job to go through them and find the right ones to subsample...!