The plastic arrives on Bermuda’s beaches as discarded toothbrushes, sun-bleached bottle caps, forgotten toys, and pulverized pieces the size of rice grains. The reason why is disheartening. The island sits within one of the world’s largest oceanic garbage patches, where four major currents in the North Atlantic force marine debris into an accumulation of floating trash.

BIOS Ocean Academy alumna Emma O’Donnell will take her interest in environmental sustainability a step further this fall at the University of Oxford in England with a Rhodes Scholarship, focusing her graduate work on studies of sustainability, enterprise, and the environment.

In fall 2020, student Aleksandra Crossman spent 12 weeks conducting an internship with BIOS reef systems ecologist Eric Hochberg, supported by a fully-funded scholarship from the Canadian Associates of BIOS (CABIOS). Her project used photomosaics and artificial intelligence to map benthic habitats as part of an environmental assessment carried out for the Bermuda Electric Light Company (BELCO). It proved to be an excellent match and, this winter, Crossman came back to BIOS for a second time for research on coral pigments.

Growing up in Bermuda, Jessica Godfrey developed a fascination with the local corals and other sea life. While attending the island’s Saltus Grammar School, she studied oceanography, narrowing her interest to marine biology.

Since late 2019, Kent Larsen has served as the oceanographic technical services manager for the BIOS-operated research vessel Atlantic Explorer. It’s a vital role, as modern oceanographic research ships have huge electrical and electronic requirements with complex technology to support their communications systems. His responsibilities include maintaining the audio-visual, electronic, and technical systems on board the ship, from satellite communications and navigational systems to the bridge (the ship’s command center) to emergency and surveillance systems.

BIOS faculty members Leocadio Blanco-Bercial and Amy Maas study tiny zooplankton, essential to the marine food web, and fondly refer to students and researchers in their Bermuda lab as members of their “Zoop Group.” Three new student members have joined their ranks, including two who will complete their internships in the months ahead and another who will continue their work through mid-2022.

In 1991, BIOS became a site for the competitive and prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, which provides participants with the opportunity to work alongside the Institute’s faculty and staff on research projects in a variety of topics in ocean sciences.

After making their final presentations for the semester, students with the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program posed with their mentors (BIOS faculty and staff) outside Wright Hall on campus.  The program concluded November 21; during their three months at BIOS, students focused on independent projects on topics that ranged from the molecular biology of marine organisms to the environmental chemistry of Bermuda’s atmosphere and inshore waters.

Students from many disciplines can hone career skills, broaden perspective, and find inspiration at BIOS

BIOS training leads to diverse careers in marine and atmospheric sciences, and beyond