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Students plunge into marine science at the High School Marine Science Symposia

By Valerie Perini

The opportunity for students to work in small groups on hands-on projects was a noted success of both events.

The opportunity for students to work in small groups on hands-on projects was a noted success of both events.

In mid-March, students from all around the Greater Boston area figuratively ‘got their feet wet’, participating in hands-on marine workshop and lectures at two high school marine science symposia that were hosted by the Northeastern University Marine Science Center (NUMSC) and the Massachusetts Marine Educators (MME). This conference-style marine science event for high school students and teachers has been hosted by MME for over 30 years, with past locations and hosting partners including University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and Endicott College.

This year, the NUMSC worked with MME to add a new location, and pulled off both the fourth annual North Shore Symposium on March 16th at Salem State University, and the first annual Metro Boston Symposium on March 9th at Northeastern University. The ability to expand to two events was largely thanks to the diligent efforts of NUMSC staff, the MME planning committee, and passionate volunteers and presenters, all of whom devoted their time to help inspire the next generation of marine scientists.

Students weigh shells for an experiment in an ocean acidification workshop presented by MIT SeaGrant.

Students weigh shells for an experiment in an ocean acidification workshop presented by MIT SeaGrant.

Additionally, generous event sponsorship allowed organizers to keep attendance fees from being higher. These included Jules Catering, MassBays National Estuary Program, Museum Institute for Teaching Science, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, Boston Harbor Cruises, the Friends of Lynn and Nahant Beach, Roche Brothers, and Panera Bread.

Students and teachers from 24 schools attended workshops and a keynote lecture exploring marine science topics and techniques, affording participants with hands-on experiences and expert knowledge. Over 50 presenters from 25 institutions volunteered their time to inform and inspire students about careers and opportunities in marine STEM fields.

Students conduct a feeding experiment in a workshop presented by Kestrel Education Adventures.

Students conduct a feeding experiment in a workshop presented by Kestrel Education Adventures.

The events garnered interest from far and wide, with both events selling out well before the registration deadline, and participants traveling from as far away as western Massachusetts and Rhode Island to participate.

At the Metro Boston event at Northeastern University, just under 300 student participants were greeted in the Curry Student Center with morning snack and words of welcome from the event organizers and Dr. David Budil, Associate Dean of Research in the College of Science, before heading off to their workshops. In the “Doctoring Dolphins and Tending Sea Turtles” workshop presented by the National Sea Life Center, students learned the techniques involved in rescuing stranded sea life, and then got to try their hand at these techniques using model marine mammals and turtles. In the “Seagrass Sleuthing” workshop presented by researchers at the NUMSC, students discovered the wealth of ecosystem services that seagrass beds provide to people, and practiced methods of studying these delicate and threatened habitats.

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An exciting moment during a scallop dissection at the Boston symposium.

At the North Shore event at Salem State University (SSU), just over 200 student participants were greeted by event organizers and SSU hosts including Mary Dunn, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, Dr. Ryan Fisher, Director of the Biology Department, and Stephen Young, Professor of Geography. In the workshops, sStudents got up close and personal with mollusks during a squid dissection presented by Maritime Gloucester, and in another workshop exploring the fascinating shelled mollusks found on local beaches, presented by the Friends of Lynn and Nahant Beach.

Students and teachers work together to assemble a marine mammal skeleton. The symposium gives teacher the unique opportunity to take a break from leading the class and work with their students to complete hands-on challenges.

Students and teachers work together to assemble a marine mammal skeleton.

Some high school students also got some peer-to-peer instruction in a marine debris workshop led by the Trash Talk Teens of Salem Sound Coastwatch and a plankton workshop led by the Beach Sister Peer Leaders of Girls Inc. of Lynn. Other students tried their hand at assembling the bones of a marine mammal skeleton, and learned the tools to explore and document the wreckage of a sunken ship, in workshops presented by the SeaCoast Science Center, and the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeology, respectively.

Compelling keynote speakers at both events rounded out the morning, inspiring students with stories of marine science career successes. In Boston, shark biologist Greg Skomal shared his story of hard work and dedication as he fulfilled his childhood career goal to study white sharks. In Salem, Dyan DeNapoli, “The Penguin Lady” regaled students with a tale of an unexpected, but life-changing, career twist, when she played a leading role a massive and successful effort to clean and rescue over 40,000 penguins after an oil spill off the coast of South Africa. Both speakers concluded their talk with sound advice for students considering a career in marine sciences, or any subject really, including: don’t be afraid to take chances and think outside the box, never give up on your goals, and hard work and perseverance will always pay off.

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Boston keynote speaker Greg Skomal addressed students in the Curry Student Center Ballroom at Northeastern University.

As students enjoyed lunch after the keynote lecture, the air was thick with excitement and chatter as they shared with their friends and teachers all they had learned that morning, and inspiration for pursuing the opportunities they had heard about. Teachers and presenters chatted with each other and event organizers, taking advantage of some networking time before everyone loaded back into their busses and cars to head home.

 As students enjoyed lunch after the keynote lecture, the air was thick with excitement and chatter as they shared with

The Penguin Lady, Dyan DiNapoli, regales participants with the story of an epic penguin rescue in South Africa early in her career

Event feedback indicated that teachers and presenters enjoyed the day, and would be interested in participating again next year. One presenter noted that the small workshop size of 15-20 students was “ideal for both presenting and hands-on activities.” Several teachers praised these hands-on activities, and mentioned their students spoke highly of the workshops. One teacher shared, “My students really enjoyed their time. They were engaged, had fun and were able to tell me a lot about the objectives they learned.”

Reaching over 500 students and teachers between both events, the successful symposia illustrate how great things can be accomplished when passionate and dedicated individuals and organizations work together. Whether they choose to pursue marine science, or an unrelated field, the experience gained and connections made by students will surely lead to future opportunities and broadened perspectives in their journey to becoming the working professionals of the future.