Yearly Archives: 2012

Uncategorized

Personal Statement from a NYHS Student’s Trip to Island School

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The New York Harbor School (NYHS) is a public high school located on Governors Island off the southern tip of Manhattan.  Founder, Murray Fisher, connected with The Island School over 8 years ago during NYHS’s inception as a resource on how to develop a non-traditional education organization in a traditional setting. Over the years NYHS has sent numerous faculty members to The Island School’s annual Teacher Conference and has sent even more students to Eleuthera for semester, summer and SCUBA programs. Every winter, NYHS flies south to Eleuthera to complete SCUBA certification for its students. These kids use the skill to help do research back home. One of the major projects is the restoration of oyster beds in the Hudson–read more here! This February we hosted another great group and wanted to share one student’s personal reflection on the trip–it really highlights the value of our partnership and why we continue to find ways to help it grow.

“Here I am at the edge of our dive boat ready to make my first descent into the open water. Secluded on an island in the Bahamas with several other minority students, we are far from the low income urban environment in which we are used to living. I sit on the edge of the boat with my back against the wind while the cool Bahamian breeze sneaks under my ears and over my shoulders. I am so eager to get into the ocean and explore. It looks like a giant, sprawling pool. As the warm bright sun beams on my tight dive suit hugging my skin, a twenty pound air tank on my back, and my hair brushed into a tight ponytail, I think to myself how did I get here? Before this trip I never had the opportunity to venture outside of the U.S. Continue reading →

Alumni, Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Spotlight: Katie Romanov F05!

After leading Middlebury’s Solar Decathalon team to an impressive fourth place finish in 2011, Katie Romanov (F05) is now in the running to be America’s Next Eco-Star, a contest sponsored by Smart Power. You can watch Katie’s video here, where she not only talks about the impact her Island School semester had on her passion for the environment, but the many other activities she has been involved in throughout her high school and college careers that would make her the most qualified candidate for this contest. Be sure to vote for Katie so that she can become America’s Next Eco-Star! Good luck Katie!

Cape Eleuthera Institute

Introducing CEI Research Assistants Jason Selwyn and Mike Piersiak!

My name is Jason and last semester I came to CEI as an intern with the Lionfish program. While working here I got to work on things ranging from catching deepwater sharks to installing new netting on the aquaculture cage to performing monthly surveys looking at the impact of lionfish on reef fish populations. I also got the chance to act as a teaching assistant for the lionfish research class at The Island School and teach students the scientific method and how to investigate ecological questions.

After my internship I decided to take the opportunity to come back to CEI as a research assistant. I still do some of the same things (data collection in the field), but I also gained many new responsibilities. I moved from a teaching assistant to a full-blown co-teacher for the lionfish research class. I am also conducting an independent project on the topic of my choosing to investigate something about the marine world that surrounds us here at CEI.

My name is Mike Piersiak and I came to CEI last semester as an intern with the Shark Research and Conservation Program. My main focus was to gain as much knowledge as I could regarding not only my specific area of interest (sharks), but also knowledge about the other research projects taking place here. Continue reading →

Alumni

Alumni Mentor Position for Summer Term 2012

Hey all you alums out there! We are still accepting applications for Summer Term 2012 Alumni Mentors. Island School is looking alumni who want to come back to the Cape, gain teaching experience, and support high school students through this intense summer journey. To read more about the job description, responsibilities, and to apply, click here. The application deadline is February 15. If you have any questions, please contact alumni@islandschool.org.

CEI

Gap Year Program Update #1

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Hi everyone! My name is Sarah Meyer, and I’m one of six students participating in the Spring 2012 Gap Year Program. We’re nearing the start of our third week here, but it seems like we’ve been here much longer than that because we’ve been so busy!

So far, we’ve been spending a lot of time being exposed to many of the research groups at CEI, such as the aquaponics, aquaculture, patch reef, lionfish, and shark teams. It’s nice to have the ability to “scope out” the different aspects of each group before we decide which one interests us most; after we pick a team, we will choose a mentor who will help us with our Independent Student Project that we’ll complete by the end of our semester. Continue reading →

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Another Successful IS Admissions Reception–Easton, MD

We had yet another great Winter Reception held in Easton, Maryland at the Koch’s home on January 31. There was a great turn out from many interested families and a few familiar faces: Charlie Fitchner (F’10), Scott Endzel (F’10), Kristen Treat (Su’10) and Skyler Hopkins (F’02). Long-time friends and supporters of The Island School, Tom Stanley and Jennifer Stanley also attended the reception and received Cape Eleuthera Foundation pins. A big thank you to Chris and Sarah Koch for hosting such a fun and successful event!

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Aquaculture, Cape Eleuthera Institute, CEI

More Baby Fish Have Arrived!

On Friday, January 27th half a million eggs arrived from Miami, Florida! They were placed in an incubation tank, where they hatched early Saturday morning. To the naked eye they looked like pieces of rosemary floating in the water. But under the microscope you could see the egg sack that was encased around the head and the tail was sticking out. The bottom of the tank was siphoned in order to get rid of the unhatched eggs and dead larvae. This is very important because if they were left in the tank bacteria can grow, which can kill the larvae. After determining how many larvae were alive, they were then transferred into six larval rearing tanks. They will obtain their food from their egg sack for three days. Cobia develop after they hatch, which means their mouths are very small and in turn can only eat rotifers for the first couple of weeks. They will eat enriched rotifers for about three weeks and then move onto eating artemia for another 45 days. Once they start growing more we will be able to wean them onto dry food and then eventually bring them out to the offshore cage that is fitted with shark resistant netting that was donated by DSM Dyneema!

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Cape Eleuthera Institute

Lionfish Research at CEI Adjusts Its Focus

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The Lionfish Research and Education Program (LREP) at CEI has already had an exciting start to 2012! Last year, research efforts were focused on a lionfish removal study to document changes in native species at reefs where lionfish densities were regularly controlled. This year officially marks the end of that study…now it’s time to answer new questions! LREP research will focus on addressing questions associated with lionfish recolonization. Understanding rates as well as biological and physical factors that influence where lionfish recolonize can help support best management strategies for the Bahamas and the surround invaded region. Continue reading →

Deep Creek Middle School, Uncategorized

DCMS Grade 8 School Without Walls

DCMS students are currently studying in their School Without Walls unit. Grade 8 is looking at the effect of plastics on the environment, ocean and human health. They are conducting sand samples at local beaches, trawling for plastic in the Exuma Sound gyre and will be writing speeches that encourage individuals to make a change to tackle the pervasiveness of plastic. At the end of their unit, they will conduct a youth conference to share their knowledge with other young people in Eleuthera.

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