Marine Ecology - A High School Travel Course
Marine Ecology is an innovative course that combines face-to-face learning, online discussion, and a research experience abroad. Students will delve deep into Earth’s oceans and study ocean geology, biology, ecology, zoology, chemistry, and how humans impact ocean ecosystems. Students will investigate characteristics of marine food webs, distribution patterns of aquatic life, and threats to our precious underwater ecosystems.
The second half of the course will center around preparing for a July trip to Bermuda. In Bermuda, students will be intimately involved with marine research, collecting fish biodiversity data while snorkeling in coral reefs and other marine ecosystems.
This course is designed to inspire young adults to understand and care about the ocean via authentic activities, rich partnerships, and real contributions to scientific research and the marine conservation community.
This course has been offered for many years through the Vermont Virtual Learning Collaborative, and is now hosted through North Branch Nature Center.
Typical Course Topics Include:
- The Ocean Ecosystem and its Threats
- Ocean’s Impact on Climate
- Marine Biodiversity
- Coral Reef Ecology
- Food Webs and Energy Transfer
- Marine Conservation
- Future of an Ocean Planet
- Marine Wildlife Management
Who
For 9th - 12th grade students.
Taught by Brian Slopey, high school biology teacher at U-32 for 35 years and instructor of this travel course for over 15. Course hosted by North Branch Nature Center.
When
In-person Wednesday evenings January through early June. Three In-person full days in late June and July. Bermuda travel trip July 6 - 14. See full schedule below for exact times and dates.
Where
Evening classes meet in-person at North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier. Students will need internet access to participate in written online discussions. The research trip is based out of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences.
Costs & Fundraising
Cost is a sliding scale based on need. No student will be turned away for financial reasons. The full cost for the course plus 9-day trip (including flights) is $4,000. All students will be expected to participate in fundraising activities.
Students are expected to be present for all sessions.
Evening Sessions (6:30 - 8:30 pm)
- 1/8
- 1/22
- 2/5
- 2/19
- 3/5
- 3/19
- 4/2
- 4/16
- 5/14
- 5/28
- 6/11
Full-day Sessions (9 am - 3 pm)
- June 24
- June 25
- July 27
Bermuda Trip:
- July 6-14
The Blog
To learn more about the Marine Ecology experience, check out the blog from our 2023 students!
“This was an extremely amazing opportunity that has developed and been perfected over the years. It was an awesome trip with enjoyable classwork that caused students to think deeper. I thoroughly enjoyed the way this class helped me better understand the wide variety of opportunities within the field of marine biology. We had multiple engaging guest speakers who taught us all about their career paths and experiences within higher education. This helped me better understand my opportunities in the future. I also really enjoyed all the time we had in the water on our trip to Bermuda. It was amazing to see all the life interacting and to be amongst the captivating creatures.”
- Sophie, Marine Ecology Student (2023)
Sign Up Now!
We hope you'll join the course!
To get signed up, or for more information, please contact us at [email protected].
"And in the quiet I hear the voice of the river passing among the rocks and over stones...
perhaps this is where our speech began. Maybe long ago before there were words,
there was only the river and the people listened to the water…and the quiet whispering.”
—John Francis, Planetwalker
713 Elm Street
Montpelier, Vermont 05602
(802) 229-6206
Hours: Center Open Monday-Friday 9-4
Trails Open 24/7
