Sea lab science class at Leeds Middle School

Published 12:00 pm Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Expanding the scientific minds of Leeds Middle School (LMS) students took on new meaning when Jenny Cook, Marine Educator at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, schooled them on the numerous careers they could have by pursuing marine biology.

“Dauphin Island has scientists of all types of expertise and our campus on the coast at Dauphin Island has students of all ages,” said Cook.

Discussing everything from whale vertebrae to favorite habitats of various sea animals Cook told the students about summer camp opportunities available through Dauphin Island Sea Lab.

“Our middle school camp is Gulf Island Journey,” Cook said. “This is for students in 7th to 9th grades. It’s a marine science camp. We do offer scholarships and some students have even gotten people to sponsor them so, they got their own scholarships.”

Seen on http://dhp.disl.org/ learners can “Enjoy fun and education in the sun at “Gulf Island Journey,” the weeklong residential summer camp at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Participants will immerse themselves in a variety of hands-on marine science programs, taught by a team of experienced educators. Activities include a trawling expedition aboard the Sea Lab’s research vessel Alabama Discovery; exploring the salt marshes of Dauphin Island; beach-combing and bird-watching on nearby Sand Island; and much more.”

Day camps are also offered starting at age five.

Interacting with Ms. Aurica Tanas’ seventh grade science class students, the class told Cook (after she asked) that Mobile Bay is an estuary.

“An estuary is a body of water where fresh water would flow down and mix up with the ocean,” Cook said. “It’s a brackish water—kind of salty, kind of fresh.”

Covering topics such as exoskeleton, DNA (which Cook called “fascinating stuff”) and all things life science, Cook along with the class determined that every living thing wants to stay alive and in order to do so they all develop a strategy.

“We want to thank Ms. Cook for coming to tell us about her work,” said Tanas. “This helps you get a better look into a profession you might want to embrace later in life.”

Adding to that, Cook said, “I love marine biology and I love what I do.”

To discover chances for your children to explore the world of marine biology visit the Dauphin Island Sea Lab website at www.disl.org.