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Campers get to dip their toes into marine science

The pilot program lets 13 students have a literal hands-on involvement with sea life, possibly whetting their interest in the world of wet..

By CASEY CORA
Published June 26, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - Hacksawing the head of a 25-pound red drum fish, fisheries biologist Brent Winner asked a group of teens, "You guys want to see the heart?"

For the handful of students brave enough to participate in the dissection, the answer was a resounding "Yes."

Thirteen students, ages 12 to 15, were participants in the Pier Aquarium's first-ever Junior Biologists Summer Camp.

Karen Henschen, the education coordinator for the Pier Aquarium, said the response to the pilot program has been "overwhelming."

Funded by local environmental agencies, the program aims to steer interested students toward careers in the marine sciences.

Volunteers from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Hillsborough Community College, and the University of South Florida College of Marine Science have donated their time to educate the junior biologists.

Two scholarships were offered for this summer's program courtesy of Girls Inc. and the Academy Prep Foundation.

With a schedule that includes scuba diving and testing custom-built remote operated vehicles at North Shore Pool, students receive hands-on education of the work of environmental scientists.

"We're trying to make it so fun that they don't actually know they're learning," Henschen said.

A fisheries biologist for the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute for six years, Jenna Tortorelli, 28, said that children are constantly amazed when they get involved in marine biology.

On Wednesday, the campers went to Tampa Bay Watch, a nonprofit stewardship program and learned about the restoration and protection of Tampa Bay's marine life. They built about 20 monofilament tubes designed for safe fishing off piers.

The group finished the program Friday exploring the Clam Bayou Nature Park in Gulfport with USF marine biologists, followed by a graduation ceremony.

But on Thursday, the mettle of the junior biologists was officially tested as the dissections of two larger red drum fish began.

"Although it smells in here, it's nice being inside in cool air," said Sarah Realbuto, a 14-year-old student at the Canterbury School of Florida after a week of outdoor activities.

Fourteen-year-old Michael Mazzo was front and center for the dissection at the lab at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute at Bayboro Harbor.

"I got to go cut up a fish," he said. "It's awesome."

[Last modified June 25, 2006, 22:17:57]