From Sept. 21-25, nine St. Michaels University School students in Tiffany Webber’s Environmental Science 12 class took in a week of learning at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (BMSC) located in Barkley Sound, a four-hour drive north of Victoria.
The BMSC has world-class facilities and a talented group of research biologists, ecologists and oceanographers. The students participated in field observations of intertidal areas of open rocky shores and sandy beaches, conducted laboratory experiments on field collections and preserved specimens, did forest-based field work, took oceanographic measurements and plankton collection in Grappler Inlet and much more.
For Lara Ruessmann, a Grade 11 boarder from Germany, it was a quick way to become acquainted to hands-on learning and the beauty of Vancouver Island. Less than two weeks prior to her class trip to Bamfield, Lara arrived at SMUS for her first year as a SMUS student and already she is able to reflect on her first experiential learning trip.
Here are Lara’s reflections from the trip:
On the Monday morning our trip to the Bamfield Marine Science Center started. Arriving in Bamfield was incredible. We stepped out of the bus and into the beautiful warmth and sunshine of the west coast with an amazing Science Center visible immediately. The day we arrived, we went for a hike in the local rainforest of Bamfield.
Tuesday morning started really well with Ms. Webber coming up to us, to announce that she saw humpback whales out on the coast of Bamfield. It was amazing. In the Marine Science Center our science class got the chance to experience a lot of different things around research and learning about marine life.
We took in lectures, conducted experiments and saw interesting presentations about marine life, deep sea and seaweed. We were enlightened with the dangers the ocean must face because of climate change and so much more. Our class got the chance to do some dredging in the ocean, where you look at the animals and organisms on the ocean floor. There were animals like starfish, sea cucumbers and even crabs.
I must admit that the dredging was my favourite thing on the whole trip because it was just so interesting to see what lives on the floor of the sea. Especially because I have never had the chance to see something like that before.
In our schedule in Bamfield we were allowed to plan a lab experiment with marine life in different ways, always watching out not to harm them. I did an experiment with starfish where we would look at them and see how long they take to flip over in different temperatures.
On our trip we really had a chance to do a lot of things to do marine life, something I realize not not everyone has the change to do. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to work so close with professional scientists and the marine life next to the ocean.
Our group also went to the beach several times to look at the marine life at the shore. We saw so many wild animals like whales, otters and of course a lot of other marine life.
The trip was also amazing to get to know new people and find your own passion for marine biology or science in general.
Everything on this trip was connected to learning new things and that was what made it so interesting. We got to learn so many new things and see things from the sight of a scientist.
For example, did you know that the ocean produces 80% of the world’s oxygen (and that 10 meters going in deep into the water equals the water pressure of an atmosphere?)
Now you know why it’s so important to protect the oceans and care about them.
I bet you didn’t and that’s why the school trip was extraordinary.
Our group also went to the beach several times to look at the marine life at the shore. Overall, the week was awesome. I think I can speak for everyone, that going on this trip was a once in a lifetime experience and interesting for every single one of us.
I recommend the trip to everyone thinking about going because like I said it’s a once in a lifetime experience and so much fun.
