John Abbott College
AC-5: Immersive Experience

The course Biological Marine Science (101-DDJ) offers a 2-week-long interdisciplinary experience that directly engages students in the fields of ocean science and marine conservation. The course includes seven days of in-class interdisciplinary training on ocean dynamics, the role of the ocean in the global carbon cycle, ocean ecology, and coral reef biology and conservation. Following the in-class training, the students take part in a week-long immersive learning experience in Roatan (Honduras) during which they actively document marine biodiversity, monitor coral reef health and measure ocean pollution. This immersive learning experience is conducted in close collaboration with Honduran guides, biologists and divers working with the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences. Tangible outcomes include the production of a book documenting the local marine life. This photographic identification book written by the students is shared with the local stakeholders. In particular, local dive guides use the book to further their knowledge of the local marine life and to better educate local and foreign divers about the biodiversity of the area. The students also conduct rigorous surveys of the diversity and abundance of coral reef fish species, and submit their data to be included in the REEF Environmental Education Foundation’s Volunteer Fish Survey database. The survey data submitted by the students represents a significant contribution to the ongoing monitoring effort of the health status of the local reef ecosystem. A third tangible outcome is a project designed to measure the extent of plastic pollution on the shorelines of Roatan. Students collaborate with each other, under the supervision of their instructors, to measure the abundance and mass of plastic debris found on the shore, and to identify the main factors that contribute to this type of ocean pollution.