Meagan Sullivan reported, filmed, and photographed this story and was also a student in the marine biology class.
On May 13, 2015 the marine biology class took a field trip to the Boston Harbor to study marine life aboard the “Tiago” boat. The students started out by taking a train to Faneuil Hall to get lunch, then made their way to the New England Aquarium’s student learning center where they were informed about the history about the Boston Harbor and equipment used on the research boat.
After hearing the rules, the students made their way over to the research boat, the “Tiago.” They met the deck hand, first mate, captain, and marine biologist who were on board the vessel. The boat went roughly three miles out to sea which took about twenty minutes, and the first thing they did was drop a camera attached to a rope into the water. This allowed the students to see on a monitor what was at the bottom of the water as they sailed around.
After they looked at the monitor, they went back above deck where they then pulled the camera up and dropped a net in to catch animals such as crabs and starfish from the bottom. Students examined these marine animals and then observed them using a microscope which was also hooked up to the monitor.
A plankton net was later placed in the water to catch jellyfish and smaller animals in their plankton stages. Finally, students tested and predicted the salt content and temperature of the water at different depths and then made their way back to the dock. The opportunity to see marine biologists at work greatly enhanced the class experience in a real world setting. It added a dimension to the material learned that would not have occurred simply from reading and doing class work.
