Some might be surprised to learn that a geology professor in landlocked Oklahoma does much of her research from a ship on the ocean. Dr. Ashley Burkett collects seafloor sediments which contain tiny fossils that help us understand how organisms react to changes in their environment. The creatures are called foraminifera, which are only one cell and make a shell about the size of a grain of sand. Foraminifera live for only about a year and therefore quickly react to changes in their environment, making them a great tool to reconstruct past environmental changes.