Building Bermuda’s Talent Pipeline: Skills That Power Careers

Young Bermudians learn design and engineering skills through the Mid-Atlantic Robotics IN Education (MARINE) program.

By Kaitlin Noyes, Director of Education and Community Engagement, Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (ASU BIOS), a unit of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University. 

Having worked closely with local students at ASU BIOS for over a decade, I have seen what happens when educational opportunity is paired with sustained investment. Programs grow, ambition expands, and most importantly, students begin to envision futures they may never have imagined for themselves. 

At ASU BIOS, my goal is to develop local programs that give students access to the tools, mentorship, and practical context they need to explore STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. As Director of Education, my aim is not only to help students gain technical proficiency but also cultivate their confidence, agency, and long-term academic ambition.

Many of my students, including Guyen Bean, who first came to our campus at age 14 for Ocean Academy’s Ocean Science Camp, have returned to benefit from the next level of education we offer, with programs carefully designed to ensure knowledge grows alongside student’s academic and professional development. Guyen returned in 2024 to join the Mid-Atlantic Robotics IN Education (MARINE) program as an innovations scholar. 

Both RenaissanceRe and Hannover Re have been a long-standing partner of this program. Their collaboration with ASU BIOS has ensured advancements in our educational offerings, particularly at the intersection of science, engineering, and informatics, where theory meets real-world application. This has enabled us to expand our suite of local education initiatives known as Ocean Academy, and to open doors for young Bermudians pursuing cross-disciplinary fields, equipping them with skills that apply not only to careers in science but computing, technology and engineering. 

Our standout interdisciplinary program at ASU BIOS is MARINE, which delivers training to students between the age of 10 and 22. Thanks to the funding and support of RenaissanceRe and Hannover Re, over 1,500 young Bermudians have participated in design and engineering programming across the Bermuda’s public and private schools.

Through technical workshops and hands-on training, MARINE’s Innovations for the Environment program allows students to design, build, and test their own underwater robots in real-world field conditions. Student participant Zoë Mir described the experience as transformative, “The Innovations for the Environment MARINE program at ASU BIOS was a fun and informative hands-on experience that not only fueled my curiosity for robotics and marine science but enabled me to explore these interests in a way no other program or class could. I spent a week with a tight-knit group of passionate students learning from experts in every field of marine robotics; we learned in-depth about computer-aided design, coding, marine processes, physical computing, and hands-on design.” Zoë added, “Learning from and speaking with professionals at ASU BIOS while building my own designs and exploring the underwater world has been a life-changing experience which will guide my future career path.” 

It’s no surprise that the course attracts a diverse range of students, drawn to the hands-on aspects of engineering, computing and robotics. Partners like RenaissanceRe and Hannover Re play a pivotal role in ensuring these unique opportunities remain accessible to all students, regardless of financial circumstance. 

Angela A’Zary, Senior Vice President, Client Risk Analytics at RenaissanceRe, noted, “We are proud to support the MARINE program, which provides students in Bermuda with the opportunity to gain hands‑on scientific experience and meaningful exposure to innovative technologies, strengthening their knowledge in robotics as well as marine research and conservation.”

Students like Zahari Burgess exemplify how this long-term investment has strengthened Bermuda’s talent pipeline. Zahari began by participating in the program in 2024 to design and deploy his own underwater robots. This immersive engineering experience revealed his talent and curiosity, which were quickly recognized by the course coordinators, leading to an opportunity to return later in 2024 as a MARINE Innovations Scholar, working alongside advisers on collaborative, research-focused projects. In the summer of 2025 he returned once more, this time as a Bermuda Program intern, making meaningful contributions to advancing underwater robotics and surveillance systems. 

Following his time on campus in 2025 Zahari noted, “My internship focused on underwater robotics and surveillance systems. I learned about designing underwater cameras, lighting systems, and transmitting data through fiber optics.” Now studying Nuclear Engineering at Ontario Tech University, Canada, Zahari’s experience at ASU BIOS helped to make his educational goals achievable. 

Parents also see the impact of this hands-on approach. Jessica Gorman, whose daughter participated in the 2025 MARINE program, shared, “She came home each day brimming with enthusiasm, as excited about building her underwater robot as she was about the conversations she had over lunch with ASU BIOS scientists who generously shared both their knowledge and scientific passion with the students.” Jessica also commented, “Living in Bermuda, we are so lucky to have one of the world’s most significant marine research institutions in our backyard, and luckier still to have ASU BIOS scientists, staff and funders who recognize the unique benefit of sharing their knowledge and resources with local students. Here in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, children’s daily lives are closely intertwined with the ocean, as are their futures.” 

 

Kyan Oakley a student at Carnegie Mellon University, USA, studying Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Robotics, first joined the MARINE program at ASU BIOS in 2022 at the age of 15. His passion for aerospace engineering and his earlier experience in MARINE brought him back to our campus in 2024 as a Bermuda Program intern, where he worked on a project focused on deep-sea sampling. The experience not only strengthened his STEM skills but also offered practical learning opportunities beyond the classroom, helping to shape both his academic and professional ambitions. Kyan says that, “I really enjoyed the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects and use my engineering skills. It was exciting to tackle real-world problems.”

The success of ASU BIOS’s local educational programs reflects the collective commitment of long-standing donors, local educators, families, and community partners who share the goal to enrich education in Bermuda. We are delighted to launch this year’s MARINE program, and we encourage students eager to get involved in the Innovations for the Environment program to sign up here. 

Andrew Simons, Underwriter & Chairman of Donations Committee, Hannover Re (Bermuda) Ltd., added, “At Hannover Re, we believe investing in the MARINE program is an investment in Bermuda’s future. Expanding access to hands-on STEM learning helps equip young Bermudians with the skills, confidence, and exposure needed to pursue meaningful careers in science and technology.”

At ASU BIOS, we continue to build an educational foundation that reflects Bermuda’s potential, while giving back to the community we have proudly served for over 100 years. We remain committed not only to educating the next generation of scientists, but also to nurturing the leaders of tomorrow.