From Sea to Shining Estuary - Field Courses at the Sea Lab
 

	Getting ready to snorkel at the Marine Protected Area of Tabarca, Spain are (l-r) Rochelle Plutchak, Nicole Shaffer, Kate Sheehan, LaTina Steele, Kelly McKay, Andy Canion, Carly Steeves, Marcus Drymon (Photo courtesy of Carly Steeves).

IWith access to the Mobile Delta, Mississippi Sound and the Gulf of Mexico, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab provides an ideal environment to study and conduct research in marine science. Why, then, do we proudly promote the opportunity to go to other marine labs in other states, even in other countries, in a variety of field courses?

Educators can enroll in a workshop to compare ecosystems on Dauphin Island and the Florida Keys; graduate students have visited the estuaries of Sweden, Spain and Maine; this summer, college students will have the opportunity to travel to Eleuthera, Bahamas with Dr. John Valentine. Across all ages and backgrounds, students clamor for these courses where the showers are often cold and the insects voracious.

“Experiences associated with a field course are well known to be life-changing events for many students, and many professional researchers can point to early field studies that led to their continued interest in science,” said University Programs Chair Dr. Ken Heck.

Graduate Student Carly Steeves commented, “This fall ten students traveled to the Darling Marine Center in Walpole, Maine, and eight students to the CIMAR Lab near Alicante, Spain. The courses provide an invaluable experience collaborating with international professors and working in new laboratory and field settings. Designing and carrying out short-term projects in addition to our thesis work adds dimension to our graduate education.’

“Maine and Spain served primarily as natural work environments very different from the Gulf of Mexico. However, we also experienced diverse cultural activities, from eating lobster and witnessing huge tides, to running with the bulls and snorkeling with incredible underwater visibility! We owe it all to our professors who generously took time out of their busy schedules and led these courses. We all had a great time!”

The mentor-student relationship is strengthened by the experiences of a field course, added Dr. Heck. “Field courses bring faculty and students together 24 hours a day, which allows much more intensive mentoring than is usually possible in the traditional classroom setting, and allows developing scientists to learn firsthand how science is conducted.’

“Also, by meeting students and faculty from other countries we have opportunities to compare research methods across cultures.’

“As you can tell, I am absolutely sold on the value of our Field Marine Science classes,” he concluded.