Florida International University’s (FIU) 2021 Oceanography-at-Sea course (OCB4005C) was launched in 2013 and is aimed at providing undergraduate students an immersive, hands-on experience developing and executing a research project at sea. In early March, following strict COVID safety guidelines, Associate Professor and Assistant Director of Coastlines and Oceans in FIU’s Institute of Environment, Dr. Heather Bracken-Grissom, led a team of 8 students on a 4-day trip onboard the Florida Institute of Oceanography’s (FIO) Research Vessel, the R/V Hogarth, to collect samples in Tampa Bay and the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Using dredges, otter trawls, bongo nets, and plankton nets, the students successfully collected specimens to measure and observe for their individual projects. Sampling was very biodiverse with an abundance of plankton, fish, and crustaceans enabling students to observe the vast biodiversity in the area while comparing nearshore species to offshore species. Dr. Bracken-Grissom was also able to collect samples that contribute to a National Science Foundation (NSF) Environmental Biology Grant Study designated to reconstruct the crab “tree of life”. Several times while in transit, a pod of dolphins danced in the vessel’s wake, highlighting to the students the variety of life that call the Gulf of Mexico home. As the weather took a turn and the seas became rough, the FIU cohort and FIO’s crew held strong and continued to sample diligently. “Our collections from this trip include a few new representative species to add to the Florida International Crustacean Collection, and many other specimens will be used for local outreach and downstream molecular work”! The crew was very helpful in setting and retrieving the gear throughout the entirety of the trip. Overall, we had an amazing time and are very grateful to FIU, FIO, and everyone involved who made this trip possible!” exclaimed Dr. Bracken-Grissom. Click here to read about Dr. Bracken-Grissom’s scope of work and see testimonials from students regarding the Oceanography-at-Sea course.

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.

Earlier this Summer, the R/V Hogarth departed from Bayboro Harbor for Key West on a two-week long FIO State University System (SUS) Sponsored educational cruise with Professor Stephen Wood and Ocean Engineering students from the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). Dr. Wood was focused on teaching data collection at sea, shipboard deployment techniques on a variety of instruments and sensors, and much more. The cohort participated in a number of these enriched learning experiences on their way to Key West where another group of FIT Ocean Engineering students enrolled in the Marine Field Projects Course (OCE 4911, 12, and 13) joined Dr. Wood and the Hogarth Crew on the cruise back to St. Petersburg.