Promoting Interest in Ocean Sciences Through Partnerships Between a College, Aquarium, and Nonprofit Organization The current Marine Science course offerings at Suffolk County Commun
Trang 1Promoting Interest in
Ocean Sciences Through
Partnerships Between
a College, Aquarium, and
Nonprofit Organization
The current Marine Science course offerings at Suffolk
County Community College (SCCC) include:
• Introduction to Oceanography
• Marine Biology
• Marine Habitat Ecology
All of these courses are for non-majors The faculty at
SCCC have developed a variety of activities to engage
these students and recruit them into the field of Marine
Science Many of the activities involve partnerships with
a local aquarium: The Long Island Aquarium &
Exhibition Center, a local nonprofit organization: The
Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and
Preservation, and a four year university: The State
University of New York at Stony Brook
Methods
We engage students and encourage their interest in Marine
Science through a variety of activities:
•Marine Science Club
•Invited Guest Speakers
•Field Trips
•Internships
We would like to thank the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, the Long Island Aquarium and Stony Brook University for all
of their support
Suffolk County Community College Selden, NY
Background
Results
Future Plans
Acknowledgements
•Increase our post-graduation contact with alumni to track their progress in pursuit of a career in Marine Science and monitor the success of our efforts
•Increase participation in our internship programs and develop an internship course specific to Marine Science Interns
•Develop a research internship with Stony Brook University faculty
•Develop a Marine Science Major at SCCC
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We sent out surveys to approximately 15 students that participated in the Marine Science Club and our
internship programs
• Only 4 alumni responded but all respondents said
that the internships, club participation, seminar series and field trips were positive experiences
• One of the students that interned at the Riverhead
foundation said the following:
“having the opportunity to work with the Riverhead Foundation has helped me make the decision to get a Masters in Marine Science”
Internships
Invited Guest Speakers
Field trips
Marine Science
Club
For students who want to be even more immersed in the field of Marine Science, we offer internship
opportunities at the Riverhead Foundation and the Long Island Aquarium
Field trips are run either through the courses at SCCC
or through the Marine Science Club The goals of these trips are to expose students to a variety of local marine habitats & organisms and provide experiences related to careers in the marine sciences
The Marine Science Club is advised by Dr Marianne
McNamara and is a student run organization The
club allows students with an interest in Marine
Science to meet like-minded students and get more
involved This club has hosted guest speakers and led
field trips on research vessels and to perform a dolphin
necropsy
Every semester, the Biology Department at SCCC hosts an Outreach Program consisting of a series of guest speakers We have had speakers from the
Riverhead Foundation, Stony Brook University and the Blue Ocean Institute, among others We have also had alumni return to talk to students The lectures are very well attended and students are exposed to various jobs and fields of study within the Marine Sciences
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From Left to Right: Tom Wilson from Stony Brook University discusses research vessels; SCCC Alumni Marco Ponzo, AJ Fiske & Kevin Gandhi talk to SCCC students about life at Stony Brook University; Dr Joseph Warren from Stony Brook University discusses whale feeding behaviors
Students from the Oceanography and Marine Biology classes visit the Long Island Aquarium and explore the Peconic Bay and its beaches on the Aquarium’s Explorer Tour Boat
Steve Abrams from Stony Brook University shows students the catch of the day from the Long Island Sound on the RV Seawolf (left); students explore Moriches Bay on a cruise from Stony Brook University’s Southampton Campus (center and right)
Students from the Marine Science Club participate in a dolphin necropsy at the Riverhead Foundation and get to actually see the counter-current heat exchange system
Ocean Science Meetings
Honolulu, Hawaii
2014
1 contact person email: anastaj@sunysuffolk.edu
Interns working with sea turtles and seals at the Riverhead Foundation (left and center) and helping students seine in the Peconic Bay during a trip run by the Long Island Aquarium (right)