Dr. G

SciQuilt – Science Lab Sudoku

This quilt is part of my JOIDES Resolution Expedition 390 (South Atlantic Transect I) collection. by clicking on the tag 390 quilt, you can see all the quilts I made before and after my two months on the South Atlantic Ocean.

Sudoku is a classic logic puzzle with variations appearing in French newspapers as far back as the 19th century. The most common template of a Sudoku is a 9-by-9 grid with 3-by-3 regions. Numbers 1 through 9 are displayed in select squares, with other squares left empty. The person completing the puzzle is challenged to fill in an empty square with a number that does not already appear across the 9-square row, the 9-square column, or within the 3-by-3 region. Sudoku puzzles are constructed so that there is a solution, where all of the numbers are in their correct position and do not violate the rules of the game.

For this version of scientific ocean drilling Sudoku, instead of using the numbers 1 through 9, there are nine different areas of scientific research featured in the puzzle. Note that these are not all the laboratory techniques and areas of data collection carried out on JOIDES Resolution – these are just select examples. The nine categories of research include: micropaleontology, geochemistry, microbiology, paleomagnetics, physical properties, petrology, sedimentology, stratigraphic correlation, and downhole logging. The images used for each of these squares are show in this animated GIF.

An image of the Sudoku quilt can be accessed here to make it easier to zoom in to view the different squares. I recommend drawing a blank 9-by-9 grid, or downloading a blank template available online. There are also close-ups of each square in the slideshow below.

  • Top row, left
  • Top row, center
  • Top row, right
  • Middle row, left
  • Middle row, center
  • Middle row, right
  • Bottom row, left
  • Bottom row, center
  • Bottom row, right

Good luck!

Quilt Details

The photos were printed on fabric through Spoonflower.com. The blue grid and border fabrics are a Three Cats Shweshwe fabric manufactured by Da Gama Textiles in South Africa. For Expedition 390, JOIDES Resolution departed from and returned to port in Cape Town, South Africa.

Quilt measures 42 inches tall by 42 inches wide and was completed on February 9, 2024.

Photo credits: Images noted with * were downloaded from the MerlinOne photo archive. Micropaleontology: image taken and provided by Christopher Lowery (scientist on EXP 390); *Geochemistry: Trevor J. Williams, IODP JRSO [Photo ID: 102_exp393_C0217.jpeg]; *Microbiology: Sandra Herrmann, IODP JRSO [Photo ID: 072_ exp390_471.jpg]; *Paleomagnetics: image cropped, Rosa Hughes-Currie, IODP JRSO [Photo ID: 374_105]; Physical properties: image taken and provided by Andrew McIntyre (scientist on EXP 390); Petrology: Laura Guertin (during EXP 390); Sedimentology: Laura Guertin (during EXP 390); *Stratigraphic correlation: image cropped, Sandra Herrmann, IODP JRSO [Photo ID: 158_ exp390_900.jpg]; and, Downhole logging: William Crawford, IODP JRSO

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