Ellie Brauer of Laguna Niguel; Meriah Long of Dana Point; Julianne Steers, chief aquarist of the Ocean Institute;Gabriella Angotti-Jones of Dana Point; Danielle Dollar of Ladera Ranch. Ellie, Meriah, Gabriella and Danielle are husbandry interns.
The Ocean Institute held its 5th Annual Marine Science Careers and Internship Academy (MSCIA) Project Symposium on July 11. Fourteen teen participants ages 14-17 in the academy presented their research findings to a full house of nearly 100.
“It was an inspiring evening,” said Julianne Steers, chief aquarist at the Ocean Institute. “It was an excellent experience for our students sharing their research findings with their colleagues.”
The MSCIA is a one-week workshop that introduces teens to basic laboratory skills, tools and techniques, intertidal ecology, animal husbandry, laboratory investigations and shipboard research. Once completed, graduates may apply for an internship. After interviews, the selected teens work with an Ocean Institute mentor and spend a year working in Institute labs on their own research project; in addition to exploring the areas of animal husbandry, native plant ecosystems, intertidal ecology and shipboard studies.
They have the opportunity to develop key analytical and critical thinking skills that can be used throughout their lives. Recent intern projects include Sea Star Aggregations and Clumping Behavior, Monitoring Loittia gigantea (owl limpet) Shell Size and Abundance, and Octopus Enrichment.
For additional information on the MSCIA, visit www.ocean-institute.org or call Tim Sullivan or Julianne Steers at (949) 496-2274.
Kaley Meade of Irvine and Jeanelle Schweitzer of Rancho Santa Margarita, both MSCIA participants. Kaley discussed Human Intervention with Tidepools; Jeanelle discussed Monitoring of Coastal Resources in the Dana Point Marine Protected Area.
Article and Photos By:
Jim Graves
