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| Contributed photo by Daniel Melega At center, Adrianna McClane of the National Park Service (and MSSM alumnus, class of ’98) spoke to current MSSM students about geology and ecological attributes of Schoodic Point during the students’ school-wide fieldtrip earlier this spring. |
WINTER HARBOR — Students, staff and faculty of the Maine School of Science and Mathematics took a school-wide fieldtrip down to Acadia National Park and the Schoodic Educational Research Center (SERC) earlier this spring to enjoy scientific instruction from experts in fields from genetics to plankton.
Scientists from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, the National Park Service, the Jackson Laboratory and the Bigelow Laboratory each hosted a three-hour session on a topic related to their field of study, which included plankton and microbiology in the ocean, genetics through Geniquest, ecosystem and cod fisheries science and the importance of citizen science and the National Park Service.
“The weekend gave our students a unique opportunity to learn first-hand about the cutting-edge science taking place in Maine,” said MSSM’s Executive Director Luke Shorty. “[Students] got to hear from scientists in lectures and also socialize with them on a personal level. We are immensely grateful to all of the people who volunteered their time and expertise to make this event happen.”
Director of Educational Programs at the Center for Genome Dynamics at the Jackson Laboratory Randy Von Smith said that the event provided students with an opportunity to experience science outside of the normal classroom setting.
“Breaking the day-to-day and getting to a new location (and a very beautiful one at that) where students can explore science in new ways is always a plus,” he said. “So often we get lost in the day’s patterns and by the science that is in the book. Students need to see beyond just the information they get from studying science to the methods of doing science and this was the perfect place,” he added.
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| Contributed photo by Daniel Melega From front, Maine School of Science and Mathematics students Hayden Sartoris of Brunswick and Marina Mozak of Bath along with Spanish instructor Jim Torruellas investigate plankton cultivated from the Atlantic Ocean by Bigelow Laboratory. The entire student body took a field trip to the Schoodic Educational Research Center earlier this spring to interact with scientists from Gulf of Maine Research Institute, the National Park Service, the Jackson Laboratory and the Bigelow Laboratory. |
The trip down to SERC was one of several themed weekends held throughout the school year at MSSM.
School officials stated that these immersive weekends give students an opportunity to explore interesting and emerging topics in science, mathematics and humanities. Recent themed weekends have focused on wind power, sustainability and medieval times — topics students receive with high-energy and enthusiasm.
Joaquin Martinez of the Bigelow Laboratory felt that MSSM’s weekend at SERC was both enjoyable and useful.
“The weekend gave [Bigelow Laboratory] the opportunity to get out there and explain why we do what we do and, more importantly, why plankton is important,” he said, mentioning that he was impressed by MSSM’s students, whom he found to be very smart and involved. Martinez added that the students asked excellent, thoughtful questions.
Like many themed weekends, student Luke Peterson from Machias found the trip rewarding.
“Learning about the world around us and how we affect it as humans is not always something that is done best in the classroom,” he said. “By going out and exploring the Schoodic coast and seeing what was there, I learned more that I could have out of a textbook.”
