Bloor Collegiate Institute

This week on campus we welcomed grade 12 students from Bloor Collegiate Institute. This is the first time this school has visited the Huntsman so we were very excited to introduce the group to marine biology and the Bay of Fundy. Below are some pictures from their visit to St. Andrews, NB.

Using the microscopes in the lab to study plankton.

Phytoplankton & zooplankton collected from the bay.

Looking at the copepod at 40x magnification.

Diatoms & a dinoflagellate at 40x magnification.

Touring the Huntsman Fundy Discovery Aquarium.

Preparing to sort through animals collected using the benthic drag onboard the research vessel, the Fundy Spray.

Many different marine invertebrates were collected from the bottom of the bay.

blood star

toad crab

brittle star & tiny sea cucumber

Exploring the intertidal zone at low tide.

Students found many animals including lots of little sea stars under the rocks on the beach.

Does size affect the flipping rate of urchins and sea stars?

A sea star mid-flip. They are very flexible!

Testing the strength of sea urchin tube feet. Many of the urchins could hold ten to twenty times their own weight!

The last session included a presentation on the amazing life of lobsters. We learned this lobster is a left handed male.

Saint John High Fall 2017

This past weekend we welcomed Grade 12 IB Biology students from Saint John High school to campus. These students had visited the Huntsman previously when taking the Grade 11 IB Biology course. This time around the students are working on more in depth field and lab work. Below are some pictures from their busy weekend of marine biology.

Identifying intertidal animals & seaweeds.

Estimating periwinkle population size using mark/recapture.

Step 1: gather and mark the periwinkles

Gathering data to study zonation patterns in the intertidal zone.

Learning to use transects and quadrats. 

Counting animals and seaweed coverage in each quadrat.

Presentation on Aquatic Invasive Species by PhD canditate Kevin Ma. 

Completing a trial run behaviour lab in preparation for their independent design labs: Does size affect the flipping rate of sea stars...

or urchins?

Charles P. Allen High School

The past few days we welcomed Grade 11 & 12 IB Biology students from Charles P. Allen High School to our campus. The students were immersed in marine biology in the lab and in the field. Below are some pictures of their adventures.

Gathering data and specimens onboard the research vessel.

Conducting a benthic drag to gather marine invertebrates.

Sorting through the animals collected from the bottom of the bay.

Toad crab

Finger sponge

Diversity of stars

Zooplankton & phytoplankton collected from the bay.

Using the microscopes to study the plankton.

Diatoms and dinoflagellates.

Completing drawings & descriptions of the live invertebrates.

Enjoying the skate & lobster touch tank at the Huntsman Fundy Discovery Aquarium.

Visiting the St. Andrews Bird Banding Station.This chickadee already had a band.

A woodpecker ready to be banded.

On the shore looking for green crabs.

Data on the size & gender of the green crabs is collected.

Does size affect the flipping rate of sea urchins?

Or sea stars?

How does the temperature affect the feeding rate of barnacles?

Adam Scott CVI & Clarington Central SS 2017

This week on campus we welcomed students from Adam Scott Collegiate Vocational Institute and Clarington Central Secondary School of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board in Peterborough, Ontario. The students had a week of hands-on marine biology that included gathering animals and data while onboard the research vessel, exploring the intertidal zone, and working with the live animals in the lab. The students also travelled from St. Andrews to Grand Manan Island for an overnight stay and to go whale watching.

Onboard the Huntsman's research vessel, conducting a benthic drag.

Sorting through the animals collected from the bottom on the bay.

Sand shrimp

Purple sunstar & blood star

Rock crab

Common seastars

Studying the internal anatomy of a scallop.

Fresh plankton was also collected while on the research vessel.

Experiencing the tides. 

Phytoplankton & zooplankton ready to be studied in the lab.

Using the microscopes to study plankton.

View of different phytoplankton species through the microscope.

Identifying and drawing invertebrates collected while onboard the research vessel.

Brittle star drawing and description.

Armoured shrimp that was laying eggs under her tail.

Sea anemone in one of the lab tanks.

Having a closer look at sea urchin external anatomy.

In this view is the anus & madreporite.

Testing to see if size affects the flipping rate of echinoderms.

The seastar are pretty flexible!

Exploring the intertidal zone at low tide.

The students found lots of seastars hiding under the rocks.

The students also found a green crab that just moulted (right) & its empty exoskeleton (left).

Making dichotomous keys using seaweed collected while on Grand Manan Island.

The winner of the longest kelp contest.

Enjoying working on the lawn of upper campus.

Anderson House, the meal hall and common area is a great backdrop for the seaweed lab.

Conducting behaviour experiments: testing the strength of echinoderms,

testing the response of arthropods to light, and

testing how temperature effects the feeding rate of barnacles.