Twice a year F L Chamberlain School offers a group of students a truly unique educational experience in Marine Biology and Oceanography. Those students participating in the program begin their studies on the Chamberlain campus prior to their departure to the official overseas territory of Great Britain, – the island of Bermuda. Once on the island, the students along with the staff, stay at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science (BIOS) located in Ferry Reach in the Parish of St. George’s. BIOS was established in 1903 and is one of only a few “blue water oceanographic centers in the world where scientific experiments can be carried out on the ocean and with its inhabitants without the variable of mainland anthropogenic pollutants influencing results”. Here students learn firsthand from the leading experts in Bermuda’s extensive oceanic environment. It is said that because of BIOS’ commitment to the marine environment and the proper management of its resources, the waters around Bermuda are some of the most studied on the world. At BIOS, Chamberlain students participate in classroom studies on the island’s diverse eco-system, including fish identification and the abundance of marine life all around the island’s extensive coral reefs and deep ocean.
In addition, students learn about the impact of global climate change on the ocean and the critical importance of marine conservation and stewardship. Students learn about important efforts being made to protect and even restore these unique marine ecosystems so that future generations may continue to enjoy them. Students then apply their classroom curriculum in the real marine environment. Hands-on, authentic learning naturally occurs while snorkeling, swimming and boating in and along Bermuda’s clear, warm waters fed by the Gulf Stream.
This past June, another group of Chamberlain students and staff set off for an unforgettable school trip to Bermuda. For six days, student immersed themselves in the program at BIOS. When asked about their time in Bermuda, many were amazed that in just a brief two hour flight they felt a million miles away. Certainly Bermuda’s subtropical climate and “unique blend of colonial history and African heritage” lend to the aura of being somewhere so much further away from the US eastern coastline. Students recalled their experiences of snorkeling near a shipwreck and swimming in caves, and seeing such marine wonders as fire coral and a school of sergeant majors. With BIOS’ continued outreach to the international community and Chamberlain’s enthusiasm for its educational travel opportunities, the Bermuda Biological Studies Program remains an important component to the vitality and authenticity in which Chamberlain students learn.
