Member of Windward YMCA Tai Chi
Photo: Joyce next to an interesting rock formation on a beach in Lā Jolla, California.
Although she has only been a member of the Windward YMCA for one year, Joyce has been a tai chi student for 30 years. She started with Yang 108 Style tai chi in Rhode Island and then added Yang 24 style. Tai chi helps ease sore muscles from fibromyalgia; thus, she practices six mornings a week with a small group, in view of Kaneohe Bay.
Originally from Indiana, Joyce studied German in college and traveled to Africa with the Peace Corps. After working on a graduate degree in marine geology at the University of Hawaii, she has worked with UH, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the U.S. Navy, and commercially on projects to map the ocean floor. The data, computer-mapping, and geology parts of oceanography appeal to her.
It’s a good thing Joyce is only semi-retired. There are still thousands of miles of seafloor to be mapped in greater detail. Work is never-ending. Joyce continues to use SONAR for coral mapping and identifying seafloor changes during research cruises around the Pacific. She is also looking for manganese nodulescontaining rare earth elements used in steel and circuit board manufacturing. Fortunately, she loves the work and doesn’t see herself stopping any time soon.
In addition to her committed tai chi practice, Joyce enjoys volunteering as a tour guide for the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology on Coconut Island.
By Wendi Lau
Kelvin’s note: that’s why she knows "sounding the sea"