In 1988, at the age of 20, Maia Patterson McGuire took a break from her usual summer job of working at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo (BAMZ) to accept an internship with BIOS’s Bermuda Program, a move that would change her career trajectory. Through this opportunity, available for Bermudian students, she conducted research with Robbie Smith, now the curator of the Natural History Museum at BAMZ. At the time, he was an adjunct faculty member at BIOS—a position he still holds—in the process of conducting research on coral reef ecology for his doctoral degree.

A new BIOS summer program offered local students aged 12 to 15 an introduction to Bermuda’s marine environment and provided a strong foundation in scientific research, both in the laboratory and the field. Institute education staff developed the Ocean Science Camp to appeal to students who are interested in oceanography but lack previous marine science experience. KPMG and Bermuda Skyport Corporation Ltd. provided bursaries for this year’s camp.

A novel partnership between BIOS’s Ocean Academy and the University of Delaware (UDel) this winter gave dozens of local teachers and students the opportunity to learn about marine robotics and how they are used to explore the oceans.

Like to snorkel? Interested in supporting emerging marine engineers? Volunteers from BIOS and the Bermuda community are needed to assist on Saturday, April 27 from 8:00a.m. to 3:00p.m., as more than 30 teams of school students test their mission-tasked Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) during the annual island-wide robotics challenge.

How could a group of 15 students from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds—and separated by hundreds of miles— work together to address a real-world ecological issue? That’s what a team of educators is set to find out with new funding from the National Geographic Society.

Each year a handful of Bermudian students are selected to participate in the BIOS Bermuda Program. This program, which began in 1976, offers students aged 18 and older the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of marine and atmospheric sciences by working on a specific project of interest alongside BIOS scientists in both field and laboratory settings.

Both BIOS and Bermuda College are known for providing outstanding educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects for the island’s young people. While the Bermuda College is a degree-granting institution and BIOS is a not-for-profit research and education facility that focuses on training local students in primary, middle, and high school, both organizations have a similar goal: to provide the island’s children and young adults with the knowledge, skills, and experiences required for future success in academics and the workforce.

Late last month, a four-day research cruise on the Sargasso Sea gave two local educators and a senior school student the opportunity to gain unique insight into what it means to live and breathe science aboard a working research vessel. The cruise was part of a project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) investigating the daily migrations of small marine zooplankton called copepods.

For more than 40 years, the BIOS Bermuda Program has offered Bermudian students ages 18 and older the opportunity to work alongside scientists on research projects in the ocean and atmospheric sciences. During the summer, for periods of four or eight weeks, Bermuda Program interns work full time in both laboratory and field settings, gaining significant hands-on experience that often translates into advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. For some students, however, their internship leads them to employment at BIOS, often as research technicians or teaching assistants.

One of the most rewarding aspects of running a decades-long education program is following up with former students to learn where their experiences have taken them, both personally and professionally.