Summer courses

The Research Diving Methods (RDM) course aims to familiarize participants with the fundamentals of scientific diving, both theoretical and practical. Research methods and practices are taught in class and then subsequently rehearsed on SCUBA during open-water sessions in the field. Underwater research techniques include: navigation, search and recovery procedures, rescue diving, proper usage of lift bags and mapping techniques. A series of introductory science lectures provide the basic understanding of why and how marine scientists study communities using SCUBA. These lectures are integrated with field work to practice data acquisition using a range of methods and equipment, such as: underwater surveys to measure coral communities, coral condition monitoring to measure coral bleaching and disease, coral recruitment surveys, reef fish counts, seagrass surveys, common restoration techniques and underwater cementing, blue water diving to study planktonic communities, and marine archaeology. By the end of the course, participants will be trained to the standards defined by the American Academy of Underwater Sciences, of which ASU BIOS is an organizational member. Future renewals will be subject to AAUS requirements. During the course, participants will also have the option to elect into further specialist PADI qualifications, such as Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver.

This course is aimed at all SCUBA enthusiasts who are looking to expand their experiences and skill sets whilst being immersed in marine science. In addition, given the usefulness and increasingly common employment of SCUBA as a research tool for marine science, undergraduate students possessing underwater research training will enjoy a competitive advantage.

Participants must already be SCUBA certified (minimum at the PADI Open Water Diver level, or internationally recognized equivalent). A minimum of 12 dives, including at least one dive in the six months prior to the course, is highly recommended. Per AAUS guidelines, participants are expected to provide all of their own equipment as well as proof of recent gear servicing (regulators and BCD) within the 12 months prior to the course. To be permitted to dive at ASU BIOS, you must complete, and return to the Dive Safety Officer, various forms and meet certain medical safety standards, which will require a physical examination from a health practitioner prior to arrival in Bermuda. The student dive information package (SDIP), including all such forms and supplemental information, will be provided after notification of acceptance to the course.

The overall aim of this Coral Reef Ecology (CRE) course is to study how environment impacts reef benthic communities and the fundamental processes of reef metabolism. Production of organic and inorganic carbon underpins growth and maintenance of the reef ecosystem. These processes are strongly influenced by environmental parameters including water chemistry, hydrodynamics, light availability/capture, and temperature, as well as the taxonomic composition of the community itself. Reef geomorphological and ecological zonation demonstrates that benthic communities have adapted to (and influence) their prevailing environmental conditions. At the same time, conditions are never static, and communities must acclimate to short- and long-term changes in their environment. A vitally important question is how global change will impact this baseline of reef function. This course provides fundamental background in reef functional ecology, as well as training in the measurement and interpretation of reef processes and environmental parameters.

This is an intensive course—a semester of material condensed into three weeks. Course logistics include readings, lectures, discussions, presentations, and extensive laboratory and field work. Next to gaining a solid understanding of coral reef ecology and reef functional processes, students gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art instrumentation and techniques for collecting and analyzing reef community and environmental data, including building underwater photomosaics, measuring current profiles, characterizing the underwater light field, characterizing water quality, and quantifying rates of primary production and respiration using traditional and advanced approaches.

• University-level biology and ecology; marine science and oceanography desirable.
• The course will require boat work and the ability to work comfortably in the water with a mask and snorkel. SCUBA certification is highly recommended, as those who are SCUBA certified* (minimum at the PADI Open Water Diver level, or internationally recognized equivalent) will be able to undertake fieldwork underwater and learn scientific diving skills.

* To be permitted to dive at ASU BIOS, course participants must complete and return to the Dive Safety Officer, various forms and meet certain health safety standards, which will require a physical examination from a health practitioner prior to arrival in Bermuda. The student dive information package (SDIP), including all such forms and supplemental information, will be provided after notification of acceptance to the course. A minimum of 12 dives, including at least one dive in the six months prior to the course, is highly recommended.