Introduction to Marine Biology 2017

We look forward to this week every year. The week when we welcome high school students with an interest in the ocean to the Huntsman for an introduction to marine biology field course. While here the students go on our research vessel, gather data on invasive species, explore rocky and muddy intertidal zones, study live animals and their behaviour in the lab, use microscopes, conduct a fish dissection, tour the Huntsman Fundy Discovery Aquarium and the Atlantic Reference Centre, and look at the connection between art and biology. It is a fun week of hands-on learning!

Here are a few pictures from our week.

Boarding the Fundy Spray.

Sorting through the items collected using the benthic drag.

We found a great diversity of animals, including a toad crab,

common seastars, blood stars,

scallops,

and rock crabs.

Using the secchi disk.

We collected phytoplankton and zooplankton to study in the lab.

Exploring a rocky intertidal zone.

Found quite a few green crabs with eggs.

Also, found some little seastars!

In the lab identifying all the animals we have collected so far...38!

Getting a closer look at the anatomy of a sea urchin.

Doing their part to combat marine debris.

#DebrisFreeFundy

Searching to see what lives in the sediments.

We found a beautiful clam worm.

Also, a milky ribbon worm.

The students also got a huge piece of rope off the beach. 

Examining the feeding rate of barnacles at different temperatures.

Art and biology combine to study fish anatomy.

Screen printing t-shirts.

One of the finished shirts.

Does size affect the flipping rate of seastars and urchins?

Observing the flipping behaviour.

Last experiment was to test the strength of sea urchins. Some held 25 times their own weight!

Seastar Young Explorer Day 2017

Today was the first Young Explorer Day of the summer and it was awesome! We had fun exploring the intertidal zone (beach) at low tide, making field guides while observing animals in the lab, learning about echinoderms (animals with spiny skin, such as urchins and seastars) and feeding the animals in the touch tank.

We look forward to next Wednesday, July 19 when we will learn about Seals.

Below are a few pictures from our day of marine biology.

Searching to see what animals live in the intertidal zone.

We found lots of green crabs, including this female with eggs.

We also found some little sea urchins.

Observing our finds in the lab, including the feeding barnacles.

Making observations about the live animals.

Enjoying the sun at lunch time.

Learning about echinoderms.

Everyone had a turn holding this beautiful, large purple sunstar.

Feeding the animals in the touch tanks.

Toronto Waldorf School 2017

This week on the Huntsman campus we had Grade 11 students from the Toronto Waldorf School. While in St. Andrews we have introduced the students to the marine environment of the Bay of Fundy and the culture and history of the area.

Below are a few pictures from their visit to New Brunswick.

Conducting a benthic drag.

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

blood star

scallop

brittle star

An intense game of plankton bingo in the lab.

Exploring the intertidal zone.

Studying the external anatomy of a sea urchin.

Testing the strength of a sea star.

An experiment flipping echinoderms.

Gathering data on the invasive green crabs.

The students found a lot of males.

And a few females with eggs.

Digging in the intertidal zone in search of marine worms.

Careful some of the worms have teeth!

Touring the Atlantic Reference Centre (ARC), which houses animal specimens from the North Atlantic. 

Learning about adaptations to the deep sea.

Did you kiss the shark?

Touring the historic Ministers Island. 

Ministers Island was the summer estate of Sir William Van Horne.

The beautiful bath house on the island.

Preparing to tour the aquatic services department at the Huntsman.

After a presentation on marine debris the students were asked to complete an art piece using lobster bands that had been collected on the shoreline.