Mastering Field Methods at a Living Lab

Massachusetts Maritime Academy charts a sustainable future through hands-on environmental education alongside their experiential field course 

Founded in 1891, Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) has an esteemed history as an educational institution that provides hands-on approaches to building leadership and professional skills to prepare students for successful maritime-related careers.    

Through MMA’s Marine Science, Safety, and Environmental Protection undergraduate degree, the dynamic, interdisciplinary curriculum enables students to collaborate with peers, obtain hands-on learning experiences, and participate in field courses, including the Freshman Experiential Learning in Bermuda course. With a long-standing connection to the ocean, both ASU Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and MMA share a common goal of fostering a deeper understanding of the relationship we hold with the natural world. ASU BIOS offers specialized scientific expertise that aligns with MMA's curriculum, providing students with the opportunity to learn from leading experts in marine and atmospheric sciences. 

MMA have been visiting our campus for over 7 years, solidifying the ongoing relationships ASU BIOS have with visiting educational organizations. During MMA’s 10-day visit to Bermuda for their 2025 Educational Expedition, 39 freshmen participated in an exciting mix of activities that offered practical learning and exploration of the island’s unique marine and natural environments. Through organism identification activities, field methodology practice, geology-focused research, and the learning of human impacts on marine and terrestrial ecosystems, the group have acquired essential field skills aiding in the development of their undergraduate degree. 

The group’s packed schedule led to exposure in scientific fields with insight into marine careers. Exploring the 21-square mile island of Bermuda comes with advantages as students can spend quality time engaged in a variety of different experiential exercises designed to inspire critical thinking, all while having the opportunity to partake in complementary fieldwork. The students were able to snorkel at Whalebone Bay, Tobacco Bay, and North Rock, which complemented their Coral ID lectures, where they learned to identify all of Bermuda’s hard coral species. 

Students ventured to Coopers Island Nature Reserve, where they collected microplastic samples and used density separation to remove all plastics from the samples in one of our research labs on campus. Students contributed to our Forest Restoration Project, where they planted dock bush and Darrell’s flea bane, learning about conservation efforts across the island. An 18-year-old freshman, Justine, shares her experience at ASU BIOS, explaining how she “now understands how humans can interact with the environment in a healthy and symbiotic way, versus how we negatively impact the environment. The most interesting part of the trip was seeing how a working marine research facility operates and learning about careers in this field.” 

The group even experienced the thrill of an evening plankton tow, gaining a deeper understanding of the ocean’s hidden wonders. Along with environmental lessons, MMA experienced Bermuda’s rich history through a historical tour of St. George’s and had free time to explore the Royal Naval Dockyard, a fitting location given the relationship between Bermuda’s maritime and naval history and MMA’s core values and learning principles as an educational institute. “I had an amazing time, and I hope to come back someday. This is a trip I will never forget,” shares 19-year-old, Alysse.

Through ASU BIOS’s Educational Expeditions, we can provide impactful learning opportunities for students all around the world, leaving a lasting impression and awareness about the variety of marine-based careers one can pursue. Educational Expeditions offer tailored immersive courses for international universities, community colleges, high school and middle school groups with the opportunity to explore and reside at ASU BIOS’s active research station, a world-renowned institution for marine and atmospheric sciences.