Rick Berg is a graduate student studying marine geology at the University of Washington. Prior to coming to the UW, Rick earned a BS and MS in Earth Sciences from the University of California – San Diego. In Dr. Evan Solomon’s lab at the UW, he is building on his previous research experience with sediment pore fluid geochemistry and diagenesis to study gas hydrate dynamics and the role of fluids in subduction zone processes. Sailing on the Hydrate Ridge leg of the VISIONS’13 cruise will give him opportunities to directly study the highly active hydrate system there, and he is excited to participate in the effort to connect Hydrate Ridge to the RSN network.