NC State
MEAS Undergraduate Updates

Applications close April 30. Scholarships available!

2022 Summer Courses at Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) 

Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) is accepting summer course applications.

This popular suite of university-level summer courses, designed to immerse an international cohort of students in an intensive 3-week program of coursework and research that is unique in marine science education. Founded in 1903, BIOS is a world-class ocean science research and education facility. BIOS summer courses provide undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to expand their studies into subtropical environments and/or to investigate topics in ocean science, which are not offered within the curricula of their home institutions. BIOS has quick and easy access to a diverse array of subtropical marine habitats and ocean locations which, combined with lectures, discussions and integrated field work and laboratory exercises, provide an optimal environment for experiential learning.

Applicants of all nationalities are eligible to apply for scholarships towards course fees which include tuition, campus accommodation and all meals (we do not award scholarships towards travel related expenses, visas or medical/travel insurance). Students may obtain academic credit for these courses, subject to approval from their home institution.

CORAL REEF ECOLOGY: FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY OF CORAL REEFS (July 4 – 22 & August 8 – 26)

Instructors: Dr. Eric Hochberg (BIOS) and Dr. Yvonne Sawall (BIOS)

The overall aim of this course is to study how the environment influences reef benthic communities and the fundamental processes of photosynthesis, respiration, and calcification. Production of organic and inorganic carbon underpins growth and maintenance of the reef ecosystem. These processes are strongly influenced by environmental parameters including water chemistry, hydrodynamics, light availability/capture, and temperature, as well as the taxonomic composition of the community itself. Reef geomorphological and ecological zonation demonstrates that benthic communities have adapted to (and influence) their prevailing environmental conditions. At the same time, conditions are never static, and communities must acclimate to short- and long-term changes in their environment. A vitally important question is how global change will impact this baseline of reef function. This course provides fundamental background in reef functional ecology, as well as training in the measurement and interpretation of reef processes and environmental parameters.

This is an intensive course, aimed at upper-level undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdocs. Course logistics include readings, lectures, discussions, presentations, and extensive laboratory and field work. Next to gaining a solid understanding of coral reef ecology and reef functional processes, students gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art instrumentation and techniques for collecting and analyzing reef community and environmental data, including building underwater photomosaics, measuring current profiles, characterizing the underwater light field, characterizing water quality, and quantifying rates of primary production, respiration, and calcification using traditional and advanced approaches.

RESEARCH DIVING METHODS (June 13 – July 1)

Instructors: Kyla Smith (BIOS) and Dr. Samantha de Putron (BIOS)

The Research Diving Methods (RDM) course aims to familiarize participants with the fundamentals of scientific diving, both theoretical and practical. Research methods and practices are taught in class and then subsequently rehearsed on SCUBA during open-water sessions in the field. Underwater research techniques imparted include: navigation, search and recovery procedures, rescue diving and mapping techniques. A series of introductory science lectures provide the basic understanding of why and how marine scientists study communities using SCUBA. These lectures are integrated with field work to practice data acquisition whilst underwater using a range of methods and equipment, such as: underwater video and photographic surveys to measure coral communities, coral condition monitoring to measure coral bleaching and disease, coral recruitment surveys, reef fish counts, seagrass surveys, common restoration techniques and underwater cementing, and blue water diving to study planktonic communities. By the end of the course, participants will be qualified Science Divers, as defined by the American Academy of Underwater Sciences, of which BIOS is an organizational member. During the course, participants will also have the option to elect into further specialist PADI qualifications, such as Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver.

This course is aimed at all SCUBA enthusiasts who are looking to expand their experiences and qualifications whilst being immersed in marine science. In addition, given the usefulness and increasingly common employment of SCUBA as a research tool for marine science, students, graduate students and professionals possessing underwater research qualifications will enjoy a competitive advantage.

Application deadline for all summer courses is April 30, 2022

Full course details, syllabi, prerequisites and application instructions are available here: http://www.bios.edu/education/summer-courses

Questions? Please contact us at education@bios.edu