Hydrostation S, the world’s longest-running hydrographic time-series with a location offshore Bermuda, has received a commitment for another five years of support from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The funding includes $900,000 for research and $3.1 million to support 120 days of research at sea on board the BIOS-operated research vessel Atlantic Explorer.

A new research facility under construction at BIOS will allow researchers to collect tiny organisms on coral reefs and in the open ocean, then monitor their growth, development, and community structure in temperature-controlled rooms at BIOS that simulate conditions found at sea.

In September, boys from Dellwood Middle School visited Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve to snorkel, identify fish, and tour the area on board the vessel Polaris and the Bermuda sloop Spirit of Bermuda. In 2015, more than 300 middle school students participated in the half-day marine science immersion program, a partnership with Bermuda Sloop Foundation and BIOS’s Ocean Academy. BIOS staff members and volunteers have participated as snorkeling and marine science educators for the past eight years.

This summer, the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) is offering courses in coral reef ecology and marine larval ecology, with applications due May 15. These three-week-long courses provide opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience using state-of-the-art research methods while studying Bermuda’s unique marine ecosystems.

After two years, the comprehensive review paper of the NASA Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) Algorithms Working Group, representing the work of 60 scientists from 40 institutions in seven countries, was published last month in the scientific journal Remote Sensing of Environment.

When Quincy Paynter, deputy principal at The Berkeley Institute—a public senior school in Bermuda—wanted to provide his students with team-building experiences that would also highlight key scientific concepts related to electives offered at his school, he knew where to turn: the BIOS Education Department.

Like all marine scientists, ecologist Leocadio Blanco-Bercial rejoices in the discovery of rare sea creatures. He just never expected to find them showing up in his toilet water.

The quest to understand a very small, yet critically important, part of the marine food web proved especially challenging this spring during the ongoing global health pandemic. For participating scientists and university students, the process started in December 2020 with a 14-day quarantine period in Hawaii, where they were prohibited from leaving their hotel rooms, even for a walk. Then there were five COVID-19 tests for each (all negative). Next came days of sea travel past the Tahitian Islands and the Equator, with all 39 people on board the research vessel Roger Revelle wearing masks and trying to stay socially distant for the first two weeks of the trip (as much as possible on a 277-foot ship).

In early April, when schools closed to in-person learning in Bermuda due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the BIOS Ocean Academy education team began offering virtual classroom support to teachers and students through the Institute’s Curriculum Enrichment Program. As the closure continues, they encourage teachers island-wide to utilize these science programs taught by BIOS staff.

The BIOS Bermuda Program has been a cornerstone of the Institute’s local educational programming for more than 40 years. Since 1976, this unique program has given Bermudian students aged 18 and older the opportunity to gain valuable experience by working alongside BIOS faculty and scientific staff in hands-on internships that cover a range of topics in the marine and atmospheric sciences. Bermuda Program students have the opportunity to work in both field and laboratory settings, learning skills such as data analysis, communication, and problem solving that are crucial for success in a variety of careers.