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.

Since 2006 Bermuda Sloop Foundation has been providing Bermuda’s youth with experiential learning and character development aboard their unique floating classroom: Sail Training Vessel (STV) Spirit of Bermuda. In that time, more than 3,000 students have stood upon the vessel’s deck, learning critical life skills including communication, teamwork, nutrition, and respect.

This past month, sixty primary and middle school educators from the Bermuda Union of Teachers came to BIOS to participate in a professional development workshop focused on marine robotics.  The workshop involved PVC pipes, car batteries, foam noodles, propellers, and a race against time as participants were challenged to build their own Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) for launch into the Sargasso Sea. Successful ROVs are neutrally buoyant and can be maneuvered through the water to complete tasks, mimicking the professional classes of underwater robotics used around the world to collect data for science and industry.

What do golden rafts of seaweed, great ocean currents, and ghost stories have in common?  They all play a part in the history and ecology of the Sargasso Sea, the focus of the 2012 Explorer program at BIOS that introduced 1300 primary students to hands-on marine biology, chemistry, and physics. With the recent publication of an “Expedition Sargasso” lesson plan by Kaitlin Baird, Assistant Director of Science Education Programs at BIOS, many more students will be able to discover the unique communities that thrive in Sargassum seaweed and explore the interconnectedness of ocean ecosystems.

The BIOS education team proudly accepted the TechAwards14 “Most Innovative Youth Project” for Ocean Academy’s HSBC Explorer program. The team sincerely thanks the Ministry of Education and Economic Development, and the sponsors of Ocean Academy.

Last month, twenty-one teams from nine schools—including a new team from Impact Mentoring Academy—met at the National Sports Centre for the 2019 Marine Advanced Technology in Education (MATE) Bermuda Regional Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Challenge.

The sixgill shark approached the camera deployed from a boat floating five miles offshore Cooper’s Island in Bermuda, then did what sharks often do: tried to eat it.

Over the last five years, the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) has welcomed thousands of primary students through its doors to participate in the Explorer Program. Part of BIOS’s yearlong Ocean Academy, the program offers students and teachers an opportunity to learn about local issues through a variety of hands-on lessons and activities.