Marine Biology Informational Booklet 2011

8/9/2019 Marine Biology Informational Booklet 2011

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S J S D M a r i n e I n s t i t u t e h t t p : / / s t j o e h 2 o . n i n g . c o m I n s t r u c t o r : S e a n P . N a s h

All kinds of immersionMarine Biology is a uniqueprogram where immersionin rich biological content and experiences actually coincide with real physical

immersion in the ocean.Our specic focus for thecourse is the delicate andthreatened coral reef ecosystem. Density of lifeon the reef is amazing, andstudying it rsthand is anunforgettable experience.

M A R I N Eb i o l o g yIntroduction &

Characterization

A course that literally immerses

you into the content.

Page 1-2

Requirements & Fees

Find out what you need to

participate, as well as all

associated fees.

Page 3-4

Enrollment Dates

Due to the unique nature of the

course, enrollment is also

unique. Record these dates.

Page 5

Schedule & Syllabus

Our program is planned out

well in advance. Check these

dates against your calendar...

Page 6-7

SJSD MARINE BIOLOGY PROGRAMINFORMATION:The Course:

The course is a unique one-semester experience-intensive study of the biology of ouroceans. Honors Marine Biology is part of our existing biology curriculum, but will take

several important steps further toward being an actual hands-on experience in the eld of biological science. The course will provide an introduction to the ora and fauna of tropicalecosystems and the Caribbean, in particular. Major systems of study will include: coral reefs,mangroves, sand ats, and subtropical forests. Experiences in species identication and science

research skills will be part of the focus within these systems. A highlight of the course is aweeklong, in-depth study to the coral reefs of either the Florida Keys or The Bahamas. There,we live on 45 to 50 ft. sailboats for the entire week we are on the island. As a direct result of

our on-site eld-study, many valuable cultural experiences will also be gained.

The program is designed to allow students in many different activities to

also participate in Marine Biology. Another way the course will beunique is the meeting schedule. Honors Marine Biology will

meet at night. A specic number of contact hours arerequired for a semester credit. Half of these hours will be

spent during the intense study week in the subtropics. Theother half will be met during night classes from 7:00 to

9:00pm. The schedule will require meeting an average of two nights per month during the months of Augustthrough February. Closer to the week of on-site study,

more preparation will be needed. (continued on page 2)
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A Typical Day On Andros Island

(8:00am-ish) breakfast (9:00-12:00pm) snorkeling trip onAndros barrier reef crest (12:30-1:30pm) lun ch in the eld at a nearby beach(1:30-3:00pm) recording of data,photo review, journaling and freetime to explore(3:00-5:00pm) snorkeling trip at Gibson Cay Blue Hole... an inlandblue hole(5:00-6:00pm) more freeexploration(6:00-7:00pm) dinner (7:00pm) group discussionGeology of Bahamian Blue Holes

M A R I N E B I O L O G Y

The Course: (continuedfrom page 1)

During this time, we meet nearly everyMonday. During the month following the

on-site study, threemeetings will also be

needed for closure. Inthis time, all datacollected the eldstudy will be analyzedand conclusions forindividual projects

will be made and presented. Culminating

presentations of all types will beincorporated into a website that will beaccessible by anyone on the planet with an

Internet connection. The link to the site forour program is: http://stjoeh2o.ning.com .

A Marine Biology program is rare inmidwestern colleges and even far less

common in high schools. This course willcreate educational opportunities that are

rarely experienced in public education.Students will be provided with a rsthandlook at many career choices that are not

often studied in our part of the country. Though thestark rea lity is: the surfaceof our planet is seventy-

ve percent covered by theocean. (continuedon page 3)

Studentskeep a

journal throughout thecoral reef eld experience to

bring home and publish to the worldvia our online course network.
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The Course:(continued from page 2)

Of all careers in the natural sciences, alarge number of them are in marinebiology. During the study of these subjectsand the time on-site during the eld study,

you will become aware of such possibilitiesand the steps you would follow to take to

take advantage of them. This willcertainly help interested students withcollege and technical school program andcourse selection. You will also have theopportunity to actually interact withseveral of our former students who arecurrently in graduate school and orworking in the eld of marine biology!

RequirementsYou must be an incoming Junior or

Senior who has completed the freshmanBiology class with at least a grade of B.It would be most valuable to have takenZoology, but this is not required.

An informational meeting will beheld to characterize the program on May6th, at 7:00pm at BHS, rm #307. This isan excellent meeting for parents to attend.I will explain the program in depth at thismeeting. Applications will be handed outat this meeting as well as during the day inthe respective schools after this meeting.

Students must complete anapplication within the following timeframe(DUE: ON OR BEFORE FRIDAY, MAY

14th, by 3:30pm in ROOM #307 atBENT ON HIGH SCHOOL).

Due to the fact that part of the course

takes place in a host country other thanours, exemplary behavior and social skillsare a must for applying students. Theseissues are addressed within the teacher

recommendation section of theapplication.

Selected students and at least oneparent or guardian must attend aninformational meeting to characterize theprogram. This meeting is held on May20th at 7:00pm in BHS room #307 on the

top oor of the main building.Along with you, a parent or guardian

must sign a letter stating intent to completeall parts of the course including allmonetary responsibilities. Late withdrawalfrom the course will require forfeiture of allor part of the required fees.

Letters of recommendation from twoteachers in your school will also berequired at least one of which must be ascience teacher. This teacher-recommendation form will be included inthe application. Be certain to put your bestfoot forward on all parts of the application,as course enrollment will be competitive.

Due to space, enrollment is held toeighteen students total from each of Benton, Central and Lafayette highschools. In the past this has created a veryunique and rewarding citywide exchange.

The values of this program

are numerous. Some of the

value added by this course is that it...

allows an area of high student

interest and engagement to be included

within the broader curriculum

fosters development of real science

skills, in a real-world setting provides an opportunity for enriched coursework and experiences

requires the development and practice of application skills such as public speaking,

writing, teaching content to younger students, as well as publishing and interactionwithin many forms of online participatory media

creates a sense of collaborative unity that ties enthusiastic students from each of

our three St. Joseph public schools

presents a realistic in-depth examination of several career

opportunities in the eld of marine biology

allows you, the midwestern student, an opportunity to study in

one of the most ecologically delicate and rare systems of theworld: the coral reef
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Painting thousands of words...

More than 350 images from theSpring 2010 Florida Keys eldstudy are online at Flickr. Visit this link for an even more in-depth visual of a typical SJSDMarine Biology experience:http://t wurl.nl/wx6rrg

Program feesThe SJSD Marine Biology program

has been in existence since 2000. Overthis time we have built a strong relationship with our non-for-prot eldstation in The Bahamas. There is nodoubt that this program would be far toocostly to feasibly

continue today if it werenot for the fact that ourexpenses are kept low by

cooperating with aneducational eld stationin this way. If this eldstudy were assembled

with corporate elementsit would easily be twiceas costly for all of us.

Program fees gotowards room andboard (all meals) for a full

week aboard a 45 to 50 foot sailboat, onenight hotel stay in Florida before departing to the islan d, ground transportation, round

trip charter ight from Florida to AndrosIsland, and round trip commercial ightfrom Kansas City to Ft. Lauderdale.

The amounts listed here areapprox imate, but rarely ever changethroughout the course of the program.

$1275 covers eld station fees (room &board, charter ights, hotel, etc.) $300 to$500 in round trip commercial airfarebetween Kansas City and Ft. Lauderdale.

The results in a total fee forthe program of between$1575 and $1775 depending on the price of the groupairfare fees to and fromFlorida.

In the past, most of our

students have been tooinvolved with high school lifeto participate in fundraisers,therefore relying on somecombination of summer jobsand parental help. However,there have been instances of

parents or students organizing fundraising activities throughout the year to help witheld station fees. I am more than open tohelping facilitate and support these effortsfor creative funding!
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I M P O RTA N T D AT E S TO R E M E M B E R

INFORMATIONAL MEETING in room #307, 7:00pm, BENTON HS - Applicationswill be distributed, or picked up in person from Mrs. Conard (CHS) or Ms. Trotter (LHS) after this date

MAY 6th

APPLICATIONS DUE to Mr. Nash at BHS room #307 by 3:30pm on this date if not earlier

MAY 14th

STUDENTS ARE CONTACTED for acceptance into Marine Biology. An emailmessage will be sent notifying students of acceptance. Your biology teacher willalso have a list the following day.

MAY 17th

MANDATORY MEETING for all students & parents of SJSD MARINE INSTITUTE2010. Must be accompanied by one parent/ guardian. A deposit of $200 is dueat this time. 7:00pm, BHS room #307

MAY 20th

SUMMER EXPLORATION BEGINS with students taking home MacBook laptopsfor self-paced online study throughout the summer

MAY 24th

FIRST MEETING of class, 7:00 to 9:00pm at Benton High School August 23rd

DEPART FOR FIELD STUDY the week of April 2nd - 9th APRIL 1st

RESUME CLASSES, teach coral reef ecology lesson to an elementary classroom,conduct culminating projects (websites, printpublishing, video production, etc.)

April 19th, 2011 toMay 9th, 2011
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Tentative syllabus

August 23rdintroduction of students and staff

reminder and outline of courserequirementsintroduction to textbook

introduction to course online network overview of nal projectsrole of email & internet in marine biology

August 30thintroduction to the world ocean

video lesson: Oceanocean sedimentation and basic geology

September 13thintroduction & kickoff of major course

project involving social action: How doMissourians affect our ocean resources?

September 20ththe chemistry of seawaterocean currents, tides, waves, & storms

***$575 due toward fees:after tonight $500 left.

September 27thoceani c zonation and structurethe oceanic trophic pyramid*

October 11thintroduction to the coral reef (our modelecosystem)coral reef formation

video lesson: Cities of Coral

October 25thoceanic producersthe algaetrue marine plantsintroduction to marine animals

November 8thPhylum: Cnidaria (corals, anemones,

jellysh, etc) video excerpts on coral symbiosis &reproduction

November 22ndcoral reef ecologycurrent coral issues (habitat dest.,bleaching mechanisms, etc)coral identication

December 6thmidter m exam

video: Coral 2000 a lesson in coralecology from Looe Key

December 20thmarine invertebrates IPhylum: Porifera (the sponges)marine wormsPhylum: Platyhelmenthes (atworms)Phylum: Nematoda (roundworms)Phylum: Annelida (segmented worms)Phylum: Molluska (clams, mussels, snails,slugs, squid, etc)

~CHRISTMAS BREAK~

January 10th

marine invertebrates IIPhylum: ArthropodaClass: Crustacea (lobsters, crabs, shrimp,etc)Phylum: Echinodermata (sea stars, seaurchins, sea cucumbers, etc)Subphylum: Urochordata (tunicates)Subphylum: Cephalochordata(amphioxus)

CourseSchedule...

AUGUST23rd30th

SEPTEMBER 13th20th27th

OCTOBER 11th

25th

NOVEMBER 8th22nd

DECEMBER 6th20th

JANUARY10th

24th

FEBRUARY7th14th28th

MARCH7th

14th

21st28th

APRIL2nd 9th(Sailing eld studydepart on the 1st)

19th26th

MAY2nd

9th
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Syllabus: (continued frompage 7)

January 24thThe FishesClass: Agnatha (jawless shes lamprey &hagsh)Class: Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous shessharks, skates & rays)***Final fees due tonight: $500

February 7th

Identication of shes video study: Caribbean Reef FishIdentication

February 14thClass: Osteichthyes(bony shes)shes of the coral reef

February 28thmarine higher vertebratesreef creature phyletic ID

behavior of marine animalssymbiosis on the reef

March 7thcoral reef sh ID PRACTICE SESSION

vegetation zones of Andros Island

March 14thintroduction to snorkeling

reef conservation policiessnorkeling practice session (location TBA

usu. YMCA)

March 21st FINAL FISH IDENTIFICATION quizsh population sampling instruction/practice

March 28thOverv iew of The Bahamas and AndrosIsland

(geological, political, and cultural history)go over eld study itineraryreview of ight procedures and onsite at

Ft. Lauderdale & Andros Island

*April 1st depart for Ft. Lauderdalestay short night there before heading out to

Andros Island early the next morning

April 2nd through April 9thon site eld study

(either Bahamas or Florida Keys)daily trips to snorkel coral

reefs, tidal ats and blue holesdebrieng each evening

journal entries w/ species ID

April 19thThe Andros Experience:(debrieng and share session)

share & exchange developed photos

outline procedures for nalassessment & organization of teams

Apr il 26th journal due on SaintJoe H2O network

begin in-class work on nal assessments:Print, video, and web publishing.

May 2ndpaper & pencil FINAL EXAM & in-

class work on nal projects

May 9thcomplete and present nal projects,including both individual projects aswell as group action projects for our

protecting ocean resources initiative

Your instructor

Sean P. Nash Instructional Coach atBenton High School

Currently- instructor of bothMarine Biology and Dual-Credit Biology

Former instructor of Zoology,Botany, Microbiology,Science Investigations,

Elements of Biology &Chemistry, and Gen. Biology


*All photos throughout this booklet feature our students/ staff and were taken on past eld studies to Andros Island.
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Documents

Marine Biology Informational Booklet 2011