This Spring, the Mensinger lab graduate students got to join 20 undergraduates at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Cape Cod Massachusetts for a 2 week intensive course entitled field studies in marine biology. Students participated in individual research projects and studies amidst other activities highlighted below.
Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution and an affiliate of the University of Chicago.
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| The Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratories on Eel Pond |
From the MBL Site: "The MBL’s oldest and most singular strength is our convening power, attracting the world’s leading scientists and students to Woods Hole. Once largely a feature of summers at the MBL, this convening power is now evident year-round, with research programs, courses and conferences in all seasons. Well over 500 scientists and faculty are involved annually in our research and educational programs – some based at MBL full-time in our research division, some coming to the MBL for portions of the year, and some leading or lecturing in our broad range of research courses."
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| The UMD students, grad students and professor in MBL. |
Activities included but were not limited to: Inter-tidal collections, whaling museum, seining, collection trawls aboard the Gemma, duck boat tours in Boston, cycling in Martha's Vineyard, whale watching and fishing charters.
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| Brooke Vetter and I hold a Horseshoe crab (Limulus) |
We took many opportunities to visit different tidal areas at low tide. Here, students would collect specimens (both flora and fauna) that they need to identify as part of a lab practical. Collection methods included kick nets and seining.
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| A humpback consumes krill caught in its bubblenet |
Students were able to visit a whaling museum in New Bedford where they learned the history of whaling. On a brighter note, students were then able to take a trip to Provincetown and the end of Cape Cod to take a whale watching trip where we witnessed many humpbacks feeding.
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| Lee Austin examines some plankton |
We did a collection trawl aboard the RV Gemma, and students were able to collect fish and other specimens to identify
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| Kelcey holds a bluefish she caught on our fishing trip |
Students were also able to join a fishing charter and angle for fish off the coast of the cape. Fish caught include sea robins, scup, sea bass and bluefish.
For more info on the MBL, visit the link at the top of the page.
