“The Portal”

September 23, 2010

By Caciques Augie Cummings and Marianne Foss-Skiftesvik

As we scrambled to get our scuba gear together we were both optimistic and pessimistic about our journey into the abyss. We were hoping for a good time and a new understanding of aquaculture. As the french toast and granola settled in our stomachs we secured our life within our BCD’s. The hissing of tanks and the clanging of metal echoed throughout the boat house. Like a machine, we transport the equipment from the boat house on to the boats in a smooth and precise manner. The scuba gear seemed more anxious to get in the water than we were. As the Kenny T and the Red Rising destroyed the waves with their massive hulls, we peered on like Continue reading →

By Ellen, Heather, Chris D., Noah, Hannah, CJ

This semester the Flats Ecology research team will be exploring the impacts of climate change on the tropical flats near by our campus. More specifically, we are studying the metabolic rates of fish and their reaction to changes in temperature and pH. Bonefish, schoolmaster snappers and checkered puffer fish are among the major species we are examining. To identify the amount of stress put on fish due to changes in water temperature, we are using device called a respirometer. This highly specialized tool has Continue reading →

Read all about CEI’s Shark Research and Conservation team and their new study on deep-water sharks here!

After a long week of settling into our new routine, we were all in desperate need of a sleep in. This rare treat sent us revived and ready to work straight to Celestial Navigation. Because today is the equinox, meaning that the sun moves directly over the equator, we learned how many years ago, scientists measured their locations in latitude and the circumference of the Earth.

After a quick lunch, half of us rushed over for our weekly scuba expedition while the other half had the opportunity to chat with a nice native fisherman and policeman named Niemiaha. He explained to us how much fishing is a part of the Bahamian culture, and how the government is trying to protect the waters from illegal fishing and overfishing.  In order for us to understand more about the daily life of a fisherman Continue reading →

“Run Like a Fish”

September 21, 2010

Caciques: Ellen Doughty and Liam Donovan

We began our morning with the sunrise and slowly made our way to circle. After circle, we had our first official Run or Swim Track practice of the semester. A mix of emotions began this challenging day and we set our minds to a new goal. While students were nervous and excited, we did what we had to do regardless. The feeling of pure accomplishment filled us when we reached the end.

The swimmers embarked on their journey right from the boathouse. With our goggles in place, we set our watches and swam for fifteen minutes, setting our own paces. Challenged by the waves, current and wind, the twenty-six young leaders slowly, with the Continue reading →

As an urbanite, I was apprehensive about my journey into the bush of The Bahamas. The class started off with a video of the old resort on Eleuthera.  The commercial tried to set up a paradigm of luxury and class. The narrator of the commercial remarked that Cape Eleuthera resort has been “untouched except by the nice things in life.”  After finishing our discussion, we set off on a trek with skilled leader Remo as our guide.  In pairs of two, each group was assigned a particular plant to discuss. My partner was Jackson and together we walked down the path to the first group, no knowing what to expect. What were my fellow Continue reading →

by: Team Acult: Lea Luniewicz, Nate Smith-Ide, Gian Paul Graziosi, Catharine Pirie and Augi Cummings

Aquaculture is a research program involving the rearing and farming of fish. This semester we will be researching how to breed gobies most effectively in order to use them as parasite cleaners on the population of Cobia. Later in the semester we will receive our order of cobia eggs and eventually rear them until they can live in the aquaculture cage out at sea. Today we received our order of rotifers, food that will feed the cobia hatchlings.

The first day on the job went swimmingly. We set up our breeding tanks for the gobies. There are six outdoor and four indoor tanks for goby breeding. The construction of the tanks was as easy as shooting fish in a barrel. When we got to the lab, we worked on the goby holding tank. Augie Continue reading →

“Encounters with Greatness, A daily event at the Island School”

Caciques: CJ and Brigid

September 20, 2010

Today was an excellent day at The Island School; the students participated in community outreach and later broke into small groups for advisory time.  During community outreach the 8^th and 9^th grade buddies went to a gully and enjoyed the wonderful scenery. A gully is a massive water hole with beautiful rocks and crevices surrounding the hole. Meanwhile the 7^th grade buddies stayed at campus and learned Continue reading →

Cacique Quote: “Grow like a tree, not like a fire.”

Sunday, September 19

Caciques Brandon Gell and Sarah Sasek

Sunday: arguably the favorite day on campus. A day dedicated to relaxation, reflection, and a little extra sleep. Celebrating my birthday in the Bahamas last night, once again made me realize how lucky I am to be on this once in a lifetime adventure. With a newfound appreciation for my classmates and the faculty for making my birthday extra special I woke up bright and early, excited to dive into another great day at The Island School. During exploration, I joined a group of my friends at Sunset Beach, sitting on the hammocks and enjoying the view of the horizon (and gladly forgetting about trying to figure out the distance to it for Celestial Navigation class).  After a while, I departed from my classmates for some much needed alone time. As I rode my bike Continue reading →