Hands-on Experiential Education
One of the core components of the SRC Program is providing experiential learning opportunities to young adults. Tag a shark, plant a coral, measure a mangrove. The Shark Research & Conservation Program provides educational experiences to groups of middle and high school students year-round. Your class will take an active role in real scientific projects, learn the scientific method, and assist in protecting threatened marine resources.
Students connect with marine science in an exciting, participatory setting, augmenting traditional classroom education. SRC scientists, staff, interns and volunteers serve as mentors and teachers during field trips. With a ratio of one mentor per every four students, SRC trips are personalized learning experiences.
Things you wouldn’t get inside a typical high school class are brought to our interest, in the most extraordinary way.
— Vilma Sooknanan
South Broward High School Student
While many students participating in these trips dream of becoming marine biologists, their experience with SRC often expands their career horizons within the field of marine conservation.
I have studied the scientific aspect of marine biology since the 6th grade, but one opportunity I have recently come across from shark research is as a marine photographer/videographer. Therefore, aside from gaining personal skills that help me in life, and benefiting the marine environment, I have been introduced into new career paths that I may take up in the future.
— Chelsea Currie
South Broward High School Student
National Ocean Science Bowl – Team President
Shark Research Expeditions
Our longest running outreach project is the shark research field experience. Middle and High schools from across South Florida partner with SRC to provide their students with a truly unique field trip, learning hands-on from active shark scientists in the field.
Each school coordinates their schedule with SRC’s Lab Manager to arrange between one to three trips per year. The trips are chartered through local Miami vendors and depart out of Key Biscayne. The trips depart the dock at 8:30am and return around 4:30pm.
Onboard, students learn from SRC Shark Researchers about the state of shark populations, why sharks are important to our oceans, how SRC research is answering key questions about ocean ecosystems, and how the research is conducted on these boat trips. Once the boat arrives at the designated fishing spot, the SRC interns not only begin deploying the fishing gear but also include the students in the process. Even at the height of action, when the team catches a shark, the students are responsible for taking a variety of measurements and samples, under the attentive guidance of SRC scientists and interns. The whole day is an interactive, empowering, and rewarding experience.
