Twenty-eight teams from 10 Bermuda schools and educational organizations, including two new teams from Bermuda College, will converge on the National Sports Centre on March 25 for the 2018 Marine Advanced Technology in Education (MATE) Bermuda Regional Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Challenge. The program, hosted by BIOS, is part of the Mid-Atlantic Robotics IN Education (MARINE) program, with lead donor support from HSBC.

A new, week-long “Ocean Science Camp” at BIOS will provide an introduction to Bermuda’s marine life while also building a scientific foundation to encourage long-term curiosity about the ocean. Over the course of the week, students will have the opportunity to participate in snorkel training and research-based field trips aboard BIOS vessels to explore mangrove, sea grass, and coral reef environments. In a nod to the collaborative nature of science, students will work as a team on activities and projects that are focused on research being conducted at BIOS.

It’s not every day that you meet a high school student who already has three summers of scientific research, as well as a poster presentation at a professional scientific conference, under his belt. But Luke Stewart isn’t your average student.

Primary students at Saltus Upper Primary School and Somersfield Academy gained an early introduction to ocean science in January through in-school presentations from two BIOS scientists. The presentations, part of BIOS’s Curriculum Enrichment Program, supported local teachers who wanted to enhance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) content in their classrooms through immersive experiences with their students.

In Bermuda, students of all ages—primary school through college—have a unique opportunity to develop and demonstrate a range of skills, from math to group problem solving, by participating in the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Bermuda Regional Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Challenge. The annual event, held this year in late March and hosted by BIOS with lead donor support from HSBC Bank Bermuda Limited (HSBC), is part of BIOS’s Mid-Atlantic Robotics IN Education (MARINE) program.

Since 2005, BIOS’s Ocean Academy and Raleigh Bermuda have partnered in the support and development of young Bermudians in their six-day Outdoor Survival Camp as trainees prepare for volunteer work in Tanzania, Borneo, Costa Rica and other countries. In early April, 28 young Bermudians and their adult mentors, ranging in age from 17 to 27, participated in an environmental project on the island that exposes trainees to some of the rigors of working abroad.

Last week, seven enthusiastic Clearwater Middle School students and two proud teachers got an experience of a lifetime when they headed to North Rock with BIOS to snorkel and operate their winning Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) in the ocean.

“I call them the Female Dream Team,” said BIOS educator Kaitlin Baird The Bermuda Program, designed for high school and college students, began in 1976 as a way to encourage students to consider careers in marine, atmospheric, and oceanographic sciences. It is part of BIOS’s Ocean Academy, a suite of hands-on programs offered for 10-to 21-year-old Bermudians that centers on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) topics. Last year, 1,390 local students and teachers were involved in Ocean Academy programs

In May, Deirdre Collins was named the recipient of the prestigious Bermuda Rhodes Scholarship award. Collins will use the scholarship in September to pursue a graduate degree in environmental change and management at the University of Oxford, located in England.

There’s no denying that a lionfish, beautifully striped yet as pesky as a rat, is intriguing to see up close. For a group of 12- and 13-year old Bermudians, who dissected and even tasted the fish during a Spirit of Bermuda voyage, it was a highlight of their four-day journey.