Spring break a mix of learning and fun for biology class
By KATIE McVOY
News Writer
For 15 Saint Mary's women, spring break was full of fish, culture, friends and education.
A marine biology class, accompanied by Platt and his wife, spent the week in Jamaica learning about the culture and the marine life that lives in the waters surrounding its coasts. The trip gave the women a hands-on experience of what they have spent the semester studying.
"The real focus was for the students to be able to observe first-hand the marine life they have been looking at this semester," said Dr. Thomas Platt, who teaches the marine biology course. "They looked at rocky shore habitats and explored zonation, distribution of organisms, and related that to wave action and tide cycles."
The group left Monday and spent the week near the town of Ocho Rio. Each day the women went snorkeling and collected samples of algae, snails, and other marine creatures. They then identified their finds and classified each one accordingly. At the end of the week, the women had a comprehensive quiz on the specimens they found.
"I learned a lot about the habitats," junior biology major Chris Diana said. "I learned about what kinds of specimens the coral reefs could support."
The women also learned about the effects of humans and natural cycles on the coral reefs that surround Jamaica, both of which have seriously damaged the reef in recent years. Hurricane Allen in 1980 destroyed a major coral species and the long-spined Black Sea urchin was almost totally eliminated by an epidemic in the early 1980's.
"It's important to see what effect these have on the human population of the island, such as effects on the nutrition of a third world country, as well as the effects on the reef," Platt said. "The women could look at these systems and really appreciate the impact of both man and nature."
In addition to snorkeling, the women also enjoyed other activities in the surrounding waters of Jamaica. One evening was spent taking a night walk in the shallow waters. The students also went octopus hunting, Diana catching an octopus.
The women also took a trip to explore a mangrove swamp. Platt described the complex ecosystem as one that is very important in terms of stabilizing the seashore and producing new land. Very few mangrove swamps still exist due to deforestation of the mangrove trees.
"The swamp is a very messy place," Platt said. "The students were tremendous in taking on the challenge of exploring it."
Along with learning about marine life, the women spent time learning about Jamaican culture.
"I'm glad we didn't stay in a hotel," sophomore Lauren O'Neil said. "We had the chance to interact with the people of Jamaica and I really enjoyed that."
The women did not spend the entire week learning, however. They had some time for fun activities that were just for themselves. The women visited Dunn River Falls, a 600-foot waterfall they could climb, stand under, and jump off of into the surrounding waters.The women also heard a lecture one night about Jamaican history and culture. They learned about the Jamaican language, Patois, and even went to mass at a Jamaican church.
"It was loud and there was a lot of clapping," O'Neil said. "It was very different than mass here."
The women also spent one day exploring a local Jamaican market. The staff of the Hofstra University sent the students on a scavenger hunt to find various native products. The scavenger hunt encouraged the women to speak to the people of Jamaica, as well as learn about some of their customs and beliefs associated with the articles they were looking for.
"It was a good experience for the students to talk to the Jamaican folks," Platt said. "It provided good, concrete interaction."
"I learned a lot about Jamaican culture itself," Diana said. "I learned about the history of Jamaica and also, how to integrate our culture with theirs so that we could interact with them. It was a great experience."
This is the first year the marine biology class has been offered as a semester elective at Saint Mary's. Platt offered the course as a two-week summer course in 1992, but found the semester class more effective. He hopes to offer the class every other year.
"It was a lot of fun," O'Neil said. "We're all science majors, so it wasn't just the tourism. It was the science that made it fun."
All News Stories for Thursday, March 23, 2000
