Having taught an introductory ocean science class to more than 5,000 undergraduates over the past 15 years, it has become abundantly clear to me that the majority of my students are more interested in biological aspects of the marine environment than they are in either the oceans' physics or geology. On the other hand, having been a basic research scientist throughout my career, I remain convinced that a fundamental understanding of basic physical sciences is necessary for a deeper appreciation of biology and ecology. And so, over time, my teaching philosophy has evolved to one where I almost trick students into learning basic science. What I mean is, they already appreciate the oceans--the parts of the oceans they have had exposure to, that is--and so we already have their interest. All we need to do is build on that intuitive and still na