From March 27 the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) will be releasing a weekly live education session each Friday for the next three weeks as part of its Reefs Go Live programme. All broadcasts can be found online along with a host of teaching and student activities.
Starting with ‘How Do Scientists Grow Coral’, the module will include a 5-10-minute video and a 30-minute live question and answer session from CCMI’s Education Coordinator, Maisy Fuller, and Marine Operations Coordinator, Giacomo Santoro. Supporting educational resources and activities for students can also be found online at reefresearch.org for extra projects!
The first of three modules, ‘How do Scientists Grow Coral?’ will include footage of researchers diving on the reefs in Bloody Bay Marine Park, where students will ‘virtually’ visit Little Cayman’s coral nurseries. Students will be introduced to CCMI’s coral reef research programme and learn what it is like to be a scientist. The video can be found here.
The project is structured to deliver curriculum-relevant lessons which are currently oriented to the Cayman Islands and UK national science curriculum for students in year 5 and year 6 classrooms, and which can be streamed directly anywhere in the world. This groundbreaking work was piloted in local schools initially and has the potential to become an international project, as students have tuned in from Bermuda, the UK, Peru and the United States.
Over the next three weeks, students will also learn how they can get involved in science. Topics such as endangered species, predators, coral bleaching, and climate change will be included.
This is a fantastic opportunity for those who are under home isolation to learn about the reefs in Little Cayman and CCMI’s research and education as it relates to unlocking the secrets of coral resiliency with changing environmental conditions.
