Mark your calendars to join the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme (BOPP) on Thursday, December 9th at 6pm AST for the second installment of its free virtual public webinar series, B.E.A.C.H.—the BOPP Environmental Awareness Chat Hour. This series is designed to share with the broader island community a variety of topics related to BOPP, including perspectives from diverse ocean users; science-based and public processes that help BOPP balance the needs of human uses and the natural environment; and local research being conducted in coastal and offshore ecosystems.

Twenty-five teams from 12 Bermuda schools and educational organizations will converge on the National Sports Centre on Saturday, April 22, for the 2017 MATE Bermuda Regional Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Challenge. The program, hosted by BIOS, is part of the Mid-Atlantic Robotics IN Education Program (MARINE), with lead donor support from HSBC.

For the last 12 years, hundreds of students have descended upon BIOS during the summer months for a unique program that combines experiential education with SCUBA training: the Waterstart program. Founded in 2001 by marine science educator JP Skinner, the program evolved from a small camp offered for just two weeks during the summer to multiple weeklong camps throughout the summer months.

The pool at the National Sports Centre hosts numerous aquatic competitions throughout the year, but perhaps none as unique as the MATE Bermuda Regional Challenge. The annual challenge, organized by BIOS’s Ocean Academy and supported by lead donor HSBC, is the culmination of months of work by teams of students on the design, construction, and operation of remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs. The challenge is also the final event in the BIOS Mid-Atlantic Robotics IN Education (MARINE) program, which uses a focus on marine robotics to bring science and technology curricula into classrooms around the island.

In 2013, Amanda Alker—then a student at Florida Atlantic University—came to BIOS as part of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. This annual opportunity provides funding for undergraduate students to conduct supervised research at dozens of U.S.-based research institutes and universities. During her four months at BIOS, Alker investigated antibiotic resistance in bacteria associated with Bermuda’s largest sewage outfall.

On any given day, you’re likely to see Kyla Smith down at the BIOS waterfront corralling students onto a boat for a trip to Nonsuch Island; preparing materials for a lecture and subsequent lab on marine plankton; or leading a tour of the BIOS labs and research facilities.  Smith, 30, is using her experiences and expertise—which includes certification as a SCUBA instructor—in a role she never imagined: marine science educator. As an Ocean Academy program assistant, she is an integral part of the education team at BIOS who is responsible for teaching school students about the importance of the ocean and their role in marine exploration and conservation.

Naomi Villiot knew the path to research abroad during a global health crisis wouldn’t be easy or simple. However, “after a great deal of paperwork, navigating canceled flights, virus testing, and isolation for days upon arrival in Bermuda in September, I have been able to continue with my research,” said Villiot, who hails from a small island in France and studies at a British university.

The university student interns at BIOS this fall knew there would be a lot to learn during three months of intense marine and atmospheric science instruction at BIOS. But a Greek dancing lesson was an unexpected surprise.

The BIOS Bermuda Program was conceived in 1976 as an effort to increase interest among young Bermudians in careers in the marine sciences. The design of the program today remains largely the same, providing a handful of promising students, ages 18 and older, with stipends to work alongside BIOS scientists each summer on research projects in marine and atmospheric sciences.

Among the many lessons we’ve learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is the value of having a highly skilled scientific workforce that is capable of leveraging its education to serve the broader community. Throughout the pandemic BIOS continued its long-standing research programs with new procedures in place and offered a record number of summer internships to on-island students, thus ensuring our continued commitment to science and science education.