Spring 2009 - Volume 13.3 - Cabrillo High School Aquarium
Transcription
Spring 2009 - Volume 13.3 - Cabrillo High School Aquarium
Letter From the Editors CABRILLO HIGH SCHOOL AQUARIUM PATRONS Dear Readers, Thank you for reading the Spring issue of the Coastal Current. I’d like to thank everyone who helped make all of our amazing trips and projects possible. We appreciate the wonderful opportunities and experiences that our students and staff recieve. Thank you! -Amanda Schaller and Amy Jenness Left: Mr. Eisen and our Tourism students wait to go inside the Santa Barbara Sea Center. The Coastal Current (Patron Newsletter) acknowledges those who contribute financially to the Patron Program on an annual basis. Benefactor’s Circle: $500+ Associate’s Circle: $250 Sustainer’s Circle: $100 Supporter’s Circle: $50 Contributor’s Circle: $25 Benefactor’s Circle Mr. Mike Del Prete Mr. Omer Dersom In Memory of Hank Hudson Louise Mollath Trust Patricia Nowell Grace & Richard Okita Foundation Associate’s Circle Cecilia Brown Walker (Class of ‘71) Sustainer’s Circle Patricia Briggs Ed Burnett (Class of ‘79) Dave & Linda Davidson Dennis & Jesslyn Deleissegues James & Barbara Berg Davis Lompoc Elks Ladies Auxilary M. Drew & Barbara (Gibbons ‘73) Lawrence Rebecca Lopez Tomas & Muriel Machin Carl & Jane Schlosser & Family Orlando & Joan Severo Virginia Shoemaker Michael & Sonya Taylor Debbie (Ancel) Van Hyfte Dr. & Mrs. Benjamin Williams Marc Whittwer Supporter’s Circle Coastal Current Staff Amanda Schaller........................................... Editor Amy Jenness........................................... Co-Editor Greg Eisen.................................Aquarium Director [email protected] Dave Long.................................Executive Director Elaine Long......................Administrative Assistant www.cabrilloaquarium.org Cabrillo High School 4350 Constellation Rd. Lompoc, CA 93436 (805) 742-2888 Helen Anglin John & Erin Bingle Dr. & Mrs. Arthur Hicks Dale & Laurie Litwiler Lompoc Valley Women in Chamber Dr. & Mrs. Robert Reiner Contributor’s Circle Mary Bingle Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Carter Ray & Martha Garrett In Memory of Maryann Goodwin Lillie Belle Greutzemacher In Memory of Arlene Hain Jana Hunking Carol Ann Johnson Nola Nowell Preceptor Eta Eta Rebecca Lee Patterson June Schwartz Janet & Charlie Travis Guy Truett Myra Wapner V o l u m e 1 3 I s s u e 3 S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 Road Trip! Monterey Bay Aquarium By Amy Jenness Cabrillo High School Tourism students recently had the privilege to venture to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for an exclusive behind-the-scenes visit. This world-renowned establishment has incredible exhibits which display over 550 different species of plants and animals. Although the average visit lasts around 3 hours, you can easily spend the whole day and still have more to see. Now, in its 25th year, the Monterey Bay Aquarium receives over 1.8 million visitors annually. The Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Cabrillo High School Aquarium both share the same mission: to inspire conservation of the oceans and to teach marine awareness. Although we operate on a much smaller scale than Monterey, we strive to achieve excellence at the same level. For many years they have served as a successful model for our program. Whenever we have visited their program our goal has been to learn as much as we can so we can apply some of their techniques in the operation of our Aquarium. The trip is also an excellent source of inspiration to our staff and students. Many project Left: Our guide, Mr. Covel, gives our Tourism students a behindthe-scenes tour of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Above: Smile! Our Tourism students come together for a group photo before heading to the Aquarium! ject ideas have originated from these excursions. During our stay at Monterey students are able to explore the entire Aquarium at their own leisurely pace during normal business hours. Then, after hours, the Cabrillo High School group has the chance to go behind-the-scenes to see the inner workings of this well established Aquarium. Students learn about the mechanics of Monterey’s unique sea water supply, filtration and protocols to maintain the facilities. Finally, after a long day of travel, marvel and amazement; the Cabrillo group settles down in front of the glow of the Outer Bay exhibit window for the night. The following morning, students and chaperones pack up and say their thank yous and goodbyes and are off again on the sojourn back home. After this trip, students are left with the memory of a lifetime and seeds of potential ideas for the future of our own Aquarium at Cabrillo. Time to Catch Some Waves! By Amanda Schaller On April 6, 2009, a group of Tourism and Advanced Integrated Science students earned the opportunity to go on a research expedition onboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) Shearwater research vessel. The Shearwater left out of Santa Barbara Harbor and cruised north along the coastline. Students had a chance to play the role of oceanographer during this very educational voyage. Students learned how to take water samples and learned various methods that oceanographers use to test the oceans. For example, we used a Van Dorn Bottle to sample the seawater at specific depths. We lowered this tool to a particular depth and triggered it to obtain the water sample at that depth. The bottle was then retrieved for sample testing. Some of the tests we performed were water temperature, salinity and pH. We were able to see how each of these variables changed with increasing depth. Students also learned how to use a Secchi Disk to measure the transparency of the ocean. The Secchi Disk was lowered into the water until it disappeared. We then measured that depth to determine the water’s visibility. One of the highlights of the trip was the opportunity to “fly” the Natural History Museum’s ROV. This professional ROV equipped with a camera, light, and other instrumentation flew deep into the kelp forest allowing us to see amazing Above: Another highlight of the trip was an encounter with two large pods of common dolphins. footage of that community in action. One student acted as pilot while others guided the tether to ensure a safe flight. We all had the chance to try the various roles. It was an opportunity of a lifetime. Upon returning to the harbor we visited both the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and the Ty Warner Sea Center. It was interesting and informative comparing and contrasting these programs to our own facility. Our students learned a lot of useful information that could be applied to our Aquarium Program. Ready. Set. GO! By Amanda Schaller State Standards learned in previous units, such as Archemidis Principle of Bouyancy and electricity, into the design and wiring of their ROV. Many students thought the ROV program gives them more than just academic knowledge. They learned how to work together as a team, complete a project on time, speak in front of a group of professionals and use simple household tools. There is no other program like this on campus and they feel like it was an amazimg opportunity to be a part of it. The enrollment and number of classes offered will greatly increase next year. This program is very popular and we are excited to see it grow and improve every year. Above: Students raced their ROVs, like the one shown above, during the ROV competition. Students designed and built their ROVs from scratch and competed in several missions thoughout the competition. Above: Students sit in the ship’s cabin discussing the vari- ous stages of seasickness. Below Left: Rob Bedell & Dani Wilson use a Secchi Disk. Below Right: Mr. Eisen shows Morgan Salm how to use a Van Dorn Bottle Ready. Set. Go! The annual Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) Competition was held on April 2324. Approximately 100 students from the Advanced Integrated Science program put their knowledge, skills and ROV designs to the test. The students’ competition consisted of four events. The first was an interview by a panel of judges from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), the UCSB REEF Program and two teachers from Channel Islands High School. Students then put their ROV through a tricky obstacle course which mimics flying ROVs through a shipwreck. Each group then competed in a tug of war contest to test strength and a relay race to test for speed. Students were also required to maintain a daily journal logging the progress of the designs and construction of their ROVs. The students had roughly two months to design, build, wire, and test drive their ROV before the competition. They applied California Above: Students put their ROVs to the test during the class ROV tug-of-war competition. Below: Three Advanced Integrated Science students show off their awesome ROV designs!