In its 8^th year (would be 9th if 2020’s course wasn’t canceled due to COVID-19), the multi-institutional, 5-week summer course hosted by FIO had fifteen undergraduate students enrolled from the Florida SUS system. The course is focused on field study techniques in a variety of marine habitats.

Starting in May in Jacksonville, the class is worth 3 -4 credits (depending on institution) and taught by professors at University of North Florida (UNF), Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), University of South Florida (USF) and University of West Florida (UWF) who serve as the courses’ instructors, respectively, for a week each. The instructors are subject matter experts in different marine science subjects and lead the students in a variety of independent and team-based research methods focused on fisheries and species, habitat analysis, water quality, and much more. The FIO Marine Field Studies Course is targeted toward sophomore and junior level undergraduate students at the five host institutions mentioned above. Click here to read about the students’ experiences.