Still ever-working and exploring here in Hong Kong! After very successful repairs to our ROV with the help of City University, we ceremoniously untangled the ROV's 100ft long tether to prepare for its first emersion in both salty water and strong current. Soon after, we took an island-hopping ferry from Aberdeen Harbour to the Mo Tat village side of Lamma Island where we met with a fellow researcher from City University, Dr. Jhave Johnston. After conducting a couple water quality tests (Haley McQueen, Environmental Sciences) and capturing underwater footage with a Go Pro, we launched the ROV from the beach (accompanied by some interested dogs). The ROV responded well, but was overwhelmed by strong currents offshore and was retrieved from the water by Jennifer Rogerson (Marine Studies), who found that the tether had tangled in some debris. Professors Thomas Asmuth and Sara Gevurtz took turns piloting the ROV from an onshore laptop and OpenROV's IP address interface while I wrangled the tether from the beach. Even with the tangles, the ROV launch was a considerable success: with new information on piloting the ROV in heavy currents, we can begin to improve its design and functionality for the future.

​And now the ISEA 2016 Conference has officially begun. Last night, we attended its opening reception at Polytechnic University and had our first taste of the exciting week to come! On the schedule, we have nearly a thousand talks, panels, and in-progress presentations focused on interdisciplinary academic research and creativity with intermittent breaks for performances and open discussions with researchers and students from around the globe. Our own work-in-progress will be debuted here on Friday at 9:30 through a ten minute presentation given by Thomas and Sara. It's such a privilege to be here and to engage with mentors and peers in what will hopefully become a future career! I'll be updating again soon with more conference details and activities...