Sampling the Yukon River – Thoughts from our Yup’ik summer interns

Photo Credit: Maria Tzortziou

By Kiera Strongheart, 10th Grade Student
“What I liked about this job was doing something different than what most kids in the village do. It was a different experience. Plus, we did not work too long so I would not get too tired. Looking back at it now, I kind of miss it !! Working with more instruments and having one or two more students to work with, would make the experience even more interesting next summer!!!”
  - Kiera
 
By Theodore Hamilton, 12th Grade Student
“Working on the project this past summer was interesting and fun. What is interesting about the project is how the color of the filter changed from June to now. Late May and early June the color was a bit darker than July and August. Collecting water samples at the Alakanuk mouth was pretty fun for the ride and spending time outdoors…
The color of the filter after being sampled would change due to seasonal changes. Also, coastal erosion, winds, and currents could also cause changes on the sample, lol!
Working in the Lab used to be a bit difficult for the first few days because processing the samples is something me and Kiera haven’t done before. But with experience, the work became much easier.
Working and being part of the project this summer was very fun, and gave me an open mind and experience for future jobs!
   - Theo