
Alexander Sousa graduated from Boston University in 2012 with his bachelor’s degree in marine biology . He has worked as a fisheries observer and currently works as a high school biology and marine biology teacher. Hobbies include skateboarding, surfing, charming women with his guitar, and reminding me that patience is a virtue. Here Alex describes how his IdeaPad Y560p fills his needs during the working day and when the working day is done (scientists just wanna have fun).
Work:
A North Pacific ground fisheries observer is a strange job. An observer is sent to live on a boat for a few days or a few months and collect data on the catch. This includes which specifies are being caught, and what size, gender, and condition many of them are in. The work is critical in assessing stocks of fish in the Bering Sea and off the West Coast of America. In fact there exists a worldwide network of observers working in different countries in order to ensure the health and continued sustainable harvest of wild caught fish.
Conditions:
The Bering Sea is no place for a weak spirited disciple of science or for a weak spirited computer. The weather is brutal, the hours one ends up working are erratic, and long stays out at sea make dependability of equipment and personnel key. Quarters were extremely small and only allowed for the bare essentials.
Select images below to expand. Seeing them high-res is worth it. I promise.
My Lenovo IdeaPad’s part in my work and life:
Without my Lenovo IdeaPad Y560p I would have been significantly less equipped to do my work. My laptop served both as a secondary reference for identifying species and performing my duties and as my main source of entertainment and backup for all my photos and videos. Being a gamer and movie lover, I needed a laptop that could meet intensive graphic demands for the time I had free and yet not be the fragile husks that gaming computers are known to be. My laptop was also my lifeline to family and friends. In my spare time I would write emails, kept a journal, and when I could find Wi-Fi, I Skyped with my family. My Lenovo helped me be an effective employee and kept me from the clutches of cabin fever, but these are only some of the ways my Lenovo has helped me. Over our time of three years together, my laptop has been a major force in my life. It has helped me both work—conducting research and writing papers culminating in my bachelor’s degree in biology—and play, from symphonies, innumerable seasons of Star Trek, and every game from Skyrim to Minecraft.