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Teacher Sets Sails
for Research Cruise:
An Account of a Participant in the Teacher-at-Sea
Program
What is the best way for a teacher to gain first-hand knowledge of oceanic science? How can a teacher partake in a unique, educational experience? By taking a cruise of course! Herb Bergamini, an 8 th grade science teacher at the Northwest School in Seattle, participated in the Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algae Blooms Pacific Northwest (ECOHAB-PNW) project jointly funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NOAA in September. Herb won a grant from NSF's Research Experience for Teachers Program that allowed him the opportunity to take part in a research cruise. He boarded the RV Atlantis, which is owned by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, for a three-week cruise to survey areas off the coasts of Vancouver Island and Washington.
Bergamini and the team of researchers set out to study the ecology and oceanography of the toxic algae Pseudo-nitzschia, the formal name of a number of related species, which plague the waters off the Pacific Northwest coast. Pseudo-nitzschia produce, accumulate and release domoic acid (DA), a toxin found in shellfish that can be fatal to animals and humans. Bergamini's role was to report and share the oceanographic research experience with the K-12 educational community . They collected water samples at 107 stations in their survey area and incubated these samples in controlled conditions to see which conditions led to the enhancement or demise of Pseudo-nitzschia. The goal of the cruise is to understand the factors leading to the production of DA.
Vera Trainer, a co-principal investigator on the RV Atlantis, described this cruise as a great opportunity for the scientists, the teacher and the students. According to Trainer, it is a good way to reach students and have them learn about science.
“If you can explain [science] in a simple way for a fifth grader, you really know what you’re doing,” Trainer said.
Bergamini recalls the cruise as an enlightening experience. “I am more aware of the politics and personality of science,” he said.
By having teachers participate in the cruise, their students learn about complicated scientific terms and experiments in a simplified manner. Teachers are able to bring their knowledge into the classroom and explain complex terminology and concepts in a way that students can understand. According to Trainer, students may then relay the information to their parents and therefore “spread the word” about problems manifesting in the oceans.
While Bergamini was at sea, he provided interactive Internet lessons to a test group of elementary students at B.F. Day School in Seattle as well as students at the Northwest Middle School. He provided “Learning Links” which allowed students to read about the scientific method, Morse code, look at pictures of various algae species and read about harmful algae blooms, domoic acid and other marine toxins.
Bergamini posted journal entries online describing his daily activities and answered an array of questions from his students and other readers. Bergamini recalled his activities in a friendly, casual and informative manner via the journal entries. The entries are accompanied by pictures taken aboard the ship of the researchers working and having fun, and also areas they visited. They were not only beneficial and informative for Bergamini’s Internet audience, but they were also posted on the ship and acted as news for the crew members. People aboard the ship would gather around the posted entries and learn about the day’s activities.
Bergamini was careful not to use the journal entries and the web site to publish and present preliminary results of their research. “We can expect the reports/results of this cruise to be officially published in the next couple years,” he said in his journal entry. However, some results were already presented at an international harmful algal meeting in Cape Town, South Africa recently and more are expected to be discussed in October 2005 in Monterey, California.
What is ECOHAB-PNW?
Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algae Blooms, Pacific Northwest (ECOHAB-PNW) is a program designed to increase the understanding and impacts caused by harmful algae species. This program studies the toxicology, ecology, and oceanography of toxic Pseudo-nitzschia algae species off the Pacific Northwest coast. The scientific understanding obtained from this study is used to minimize detrimental effects on public health and marine ecosystems.
The levels of harmful and toxic algae have soared in the United States over the past several decades. The escalating presence of toxic algae, or harmful algae blooms (HABs), has caused significant damage to marine sanctuaries, animals and humans. Impacts have included increased mortality rates of farmed and wild fish and shellfish, human illness and death from contaminated shellfish, and altered marine habitats. Previously HABs only affected a few regions, but over time, they have become more widespread, affecting nearly every coastal state.
The Juan de Fuca eddy, located off the Washington coast and one of the sites visited by Bergamini, is believed to act as a potential initiation site of Pseudo-nitzschia blooms. The eddy is a swirling current of water that comes from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. One of the specific objectives of ECOHAB-PNW is to determine the physical, biological and chemical elements that make the Juan de Fuca eddy more susceptible to the growth of pseudo-nitzschia than other regions. The long-term goal of this project is to forecast toxic Pseudo-nitzschia bloom development early and accurately so the presence of DA can be eliminated in shellfish.
hether it was rain or shine, night or day, Bergamini and the scientists were constantly on the go. Bergamini worked the midnight-to-noon shift where he collected water samples using a CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) water sampling rosette which detects how the water’s conductivity and temperature change relative to the depth. This device is essential to determining physical properties of sea water.
Upon returning from the cruise, Bergamini presented a workshop to the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS) about his experience and he has submitted an article to the National Science Teacher Association.
When asked by a student what inspired him to take the cruise, Bergamini expressed his love for oceanography. “Most of my life I was convinced oceanography was in my future,” he said. “So, when the opportunity to participate in this cruise came my way I was very excited about going.”
According to his journal entries, although Bergamini has a passion for oceanography, he said he cannot imagine doing this type of work for a living and being away from his family for extended periods of time. “ It's really hard being away from my family and home for three weeks. I simply can't imagine doing anything like this on a regular basis. I truly look at this as a one shot deal, the opportunity of a lifetime.”