As the sun sets on our adventure to Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) in the Bahamas, the 2015 JASON Argos will convey the core values of sustainability and how to manage our resources effectively through conservation and research to not just our schools and school districts but also instill them in our family and friends. This is not the end but the beginning of a new journey in our lives.
The Argonauts would like to thank the JASON staff, Pat and Jude, and the Education Program instructors at CEI, Stan and Ariel, for creating the BEST experience of our lives. But we are especially grateful to JASON Learning for providing us with this amazing opportunity and tremendous adventure. Without this program, we would not have met lifelong friends and mentors that will continue to guide us as our STEM careers begin to flourish.
The 2015 Argonauts were asked to reflect back on their week at CEI and share their JASON experience with the world. Here are their responses.
Student Argos
Regan Conner
Through my experiences with JASON I have learned so many new things from Aquaponics to things I’ve never even know about myself. When I go back to Ohio, I have to enlighten my school about the techniques of aquaponics. Aquaponics is an efficient way to grow plants without damaging the soil. This technique works by setting up two tanks, plants on the left and fish on the right. The plants’ tank will have a pipe that sends clean water to the fish (provided by the plants). The fish tank has a tube coming back to the plant tank, providing them with nutrients from the fish poop. This is also a good method of planting because there is basically no upkeep involved.
Something I learned about myself while on this trip is that I’m a lot smarter than I thought. I came to recognize that if I put myself out there great things will come. For instance, I’ve had my finger stuck in a lionfish which I dissected and ate, painted my face with ink from a squid (which I also dissected), caught, held, and tagged a green sea turtle, got stung by a Cassiopeia jellyfish, and jumped off a foot rock into the nicest waters ever, all in one week! I have my whole life ahead of me and this experience with JASON has shown me that I can do anything I want. All I have to do is get up and do it.
I know this may sound corny, but I would not change not change one thing about this trip. I wish the best of luck to all the future JASON Argos and the past ones as well.
Pilar Ibarra
I still remember the first time I released a baby turtle into the ocean. I remember the first time I got on a roller coaster ride, my first pet fish, and my first time on a plane a couple of years ago. I remember the adrenaline, the excitement, the curiosity and awe… And even the slightest hint of irrational fear that comes with venturing into the unknown.
Because of JASON, I’ve been lucky enough to have had so many ‘firsts’ in just one week that I may have otherwise gotten to experience sprinkled throughout my lifetime--or maybe not even at all. One of my favorite moments was definitely on our last day, when we went out to catch lemon sharks for research. We caught four baby sharks, and I netted two of them. Now, I can say that the first thing I’ve ever caught is a shark!!
If I was a JASON researcher in the future, that’s what I would like to bring back to my students; the ability to say that their first “something” was as exciting as mine was able to be and the fearless yearning to do it again and again because the first, second, fifth, or tenth time will always be different. The “firsts” are the little moments that remind us later of what we learned not only about the experience, but about ourselves in those moments. Thank you JASON for all my “firsts!”
“It’s hard to remember that this day will never come again. That the time is now and the place is here and that there are no second chances at the moment.” -Jeanette Winterson
Daniel Leon
This past week I had the most amazing experience of my life! I went to the Cape Eleuthera Institute in the Bahamas to be part of amazing and fun research. I met new people from places all over the world and heard of strange things I did not have back in my hometown. Thanks to JASON Learning for creating this opportunity and to Chevron for sponsoring me so I can have the most thrilling journey of my life.
Once in the Bahamas, we fed nurse sharks, squids and a couple of dead fish and watched the graceful creatures eat. We also went to a turtle presentation where I learned that there are only 7 species of turtles in the world and that they lay more than 160 eggs a week. Only one out of 10,000 eggs makes it to sexual maturity (and sexual maturity is when the turtle is 25-30 years old!). I also learned how to dissect a lionfish, which spear to use to hunt the fish, and where each of the poison spines where located. One of the scariest experiences I did was jumping off a cliff into a blue Ocean Hole down island. I conquered my fears and loved it so much that I jumped off again! That evening, I learned how to assemble the proper branches and sticks to make a one match fire. Once our fire got going, we had a campfire where we all shared our favorite moments and what we were looking forward to the next day.
One of the most memorable moments was snorkeling and seeing the beautiful reefs under the crystal clear water made me appreciate the beauty of nature. This had a great impact on my life and now I am thinking of pursuing a career that involves marine research so I can impact in the world in a positive way. In addition, I’m thinking of going back to the island for a full semester later in my life. I am taking back home the ideas of conservation, such as taking a 1 minute shower, and plan on using the CEI instructors’ motto ''hydrate or die'' by staying hydrated while at home.
A special thank you once again to JASON Learning and Chevron for providing me to have the most incredible adventure of my life.
Sharmonei Narcisse
My trip with JASON was a wonderful experience because I got a chance to do things that I have never would have thought about doing. I’ve done new things, such as snorkeling, dissecting and eating lionfish in one day, and jumping off a cliff at the Ocean Hole, that many of my friends have not done and learned new information about conservation and the fragile ecosystem at Cape Eleuthera, Bahamas.
If I were a JASON researcher and was able to bring back a group of students, I would want them to have fun on their adventures. I would have them search turtles to tag because I enjoyed this adventure the most. I would encourage all my Argos to go back and share stories with their friends and family about their trip to keep this moment alive! I can’t wait to go back! Thanks JASON for this incredible opportunity!
Because of JASON, I’ve been lucky enough to have had so many adventures in just one week that I may have otherwise not gotten to experienced. If I had I chance to do it all over again, I would because I want to continue my chance with JASON.
Dylan Orcutt
Before I went on this JASON trip I was aware of how fragile our planet is, but I never really realized how much more I could be doing. Staying at Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) really changed my outlook on the environment and how I can care for it better. For example, they have a bridge entirely made out of recycled tires. Along with a shed that has been decorated with "glass bottle bricks". They also have a great compost system where certain foods are placed in certain buckets as feed for the pigs and chickens (insert photo here!). After spending the week here at CEI I have decided to live by the quote " Cherish the fragile beauty of nature - it is ours to borrow, not to keep" (Debra F. Sanders)
Upon my return, I’ve gotten my family involved in cutting down on everyday things like water use and electricity. Which is what I love about JASON because it has taught me that to accomplish something big you must first start out small and work your way up. I soon hope to get my school more involved in caring for our planet instead of devastating it. We only have one planet and we should take care of it the best we can. The best time to start is now and I'm calling on you to make a change in you life style.
As I was thinking about what all I could be doing reusing and recycling I started to think a little more in depth about the whole process. That's when I realized recycling involves all 4 STEM fundamentals. SCIENCE shows how you can break down components aka recycled materials. TECHNOLOGY will help spread the word and get people more involved. ENGINEERING starts the building process of how you can turn recycled materials into a park bench. MATH will help guide you into knowing how much material it takes to build a park bench. Looks like we'll use math in the real world after all! Save the planet, we only have so many trips around the sun. Be careful and think before you use. JASON has taught me that.
Isaiah Osazuwa II
My experience here at Cape Eleuthera, Bahamas has been nothing but memorable. There were so many firsts for me, many new topics to challenge my mind, and surprise after surprise during the entire trip. There were many different adventures in our journey but my favorite was the sea turtle tagging. We were given the chance to help real researchers catch live turtles for the purpose of measuring. The activity was really exciting because how many people can say they a live 15 pound sea turtle! It was also a sight to see our team work together to catch a whopping eight turtles!! Even though my turtle used the restroom on me, it was still a fascinating thing to watch. This was my first experience working with actual researchers and was quite different from reading a boring textbook. We got to see how this information is actually gathered from REAL field work.
I realized all aspects of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) were applied in this research experience; science was used to figure out where we could find the sea turtles by using their food source to track them; technology was used to input their data into a spreadsheet to look at trends of the sea turtles; engineering was used because the net was designed to float at the top and sink at the bottom; and mathematics was used to measure and record the data from the sea turtles’ sizes.
I have made many bonds this week and found people that encourage me to go beyond the boundaries of mediocrity and explore the unknown. Well, I guess that is just the power of JASON! THANK YOU!!!
Elaine Pham
Picking one favorite out of millions of things my JASON group did this week is enough to fry my brain, but for the sake of blogging, I would have to say (with great difficulty) the turtle expedition.
The turtle expedition, hands-down, has to be one of my best experiences there. When I was learning about the different species of turtles in the conference room, I admit, I thought this was going to be a rather slow process. The facts were interesting (who knew turtles lay about a hundred eggs and only one in ten thousand makes it to adulthood) but I thought that was about as good as it gets. But like always, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Immediately after landing at the beach and having lunch, we jumped right into the water and started setting up the nets. As part of the scare team, I was responsible for “causing a disturbance” (madly splashing) on one side to cause the turtles to swim in the opposite direction towards the nets. Our first few of tries were unsuccessful, but on the third attempt we were able to catch a whopping eight turtles – two of which were untagged. Having held one of the untagged turtles, I received the honors of naming it Sora. Sora was, no offense to the other turtles, the most beautiful Green Sea Turtle I’ve ever seen. He (or she -- gender is determined at adulthood) had a blue-greenish shell with random spikes of orange and weighed a good fifteen pounds in my hands.
After carrying the turtles to shore, Megan, our turtle expertise, started taking the measurements of each turtle. I admired how quickly she worked and how she made estimations despite having the actual subject and tools there. Her attitude, both lax and serious, made me think about not just working in the field to work (good wording, no?) but actually taking the time to enjoy oneself out there as well. After measurements, I watched Sora get tagged on his fore flippers. It looked pretty painful but he relaxed once it was over. When everything was finished, we waded back out into the water, one at a time, and released our turtles. It was a bittersweet moment (Sora looked pretty happy to leave) but it was time to move on.
Everything that occurred that afternoon was action-packed and stimulating, but the factor in determining it to be the best was because of how big mysteries turtles still are to scientists and the world. Sure, we know about what they eat, where and how long they live, but what is the explanation behind how their eggs’ sex change with the climate? How they can navigate almost perfectly back to the same nest they were born? Questions bring the need for an answer, and because I love discovering and creating ideas – making my own research and connecting it to the world – sea turtles would be a perfect subject to study. Not only does it give me an opportunity to explore the unknowns, it also allows me to help preserve these endangered creatures.
So in a way, JASON has been a big game changer in my future plans. Without its help, I would’ve still been answering “doctor” or “IT specialist” (something typical) to those career questions I keep getting. Now that I’ve learned so much on this trip with the rest of the Argos, I’ll be a little more creative when choosing my future career. THANK YOU, JASON!
Heather Porter
“It’s hard to remember that this day will never come again. That the time is now and the place is here and that there are no second chances at this moment.” -Jenette Winterson
This quote to me resonates the feeling of this past week. It has been a very long journey for some of us to get here and finally we consider ourselves JASON Argonauts! Now that we are here, we must remember this moment.
The experience that I have had over the last week is one I will never forget. From being in the CNN control room in Atlanta, Georgia one day to snorkeling on the coral reefs in the Bahamas the next day is incredible. I have learned so much from everyone around me; the researchers, the teachers, and even the students.
I am so grateful to JASON for having this amazing program in place. This experience has definitely given me the guidance to pursue a career in STEM and hopefully be able to conduct my own research someday. Throughout this week we have grown together and as people. We have all learned new things, not only about marine life, but also about healthy living and how to make the place you live in better; which is something I will continue to do once I return home. It’s hard to believe this is all over, but I have no doubt that the people around me will go on to have incredible careers in the future.
Teacher Argos
Lorraine Marcis
Beautiful sandy beaches, outdoor classrooms, field trips, indoor and outdoor labs. These are a few of the things that made my experience at Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) enjoyable. Add on the enthusiastic staff and researchers working together to bring real world science to the students and you have an unbelievable experience. The JASON project has found the perfect environment that illustrates STEM science and shares opportunities for STEM careers. It doesn't seem enough to just say thank you to The JASON project and NYSIR insurance for making it possible. That gratitude will be evident in my classroom as I take the enthusiasm, the creativity and the love of science to my students. I look forward to seeing what JASON has in store for us next.
Carol Waters
JASON Learning and Chevron has afforded me an experience of a lifetime to travel to Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) in the Bahamas and work side by side with marine biologists and I am forever grateful.
A typical day at CEI begins with morning exercise, yoga or beach volleyball, at 6:30 am while watching the exquisite sunrise. After breakfast and morning chores, we headed out for that morning’s adventure. We biked to Stan’s favorite classroom where we learned about the life cycle of coral reefs while sitting on the beach and then snorkeled along the reef and tried to identify different species.
One afternoon after lunch, we went with the marine biologist that studied the sea turtle population. We helped the scientists capture eight green sea turtles by using a scare line. Each Argonaut held their own sea turtle while the scientists recorded specific measurements and scars. The Argos named the turtles that were not tagged and then tagged them.
Evenings were a time of reflection. Each Argo came up with a rose (best part of your day), thorn (something you struggled with), and bud (what you were looking forward to the next day). Everyday brought new “roses” like low crawling through the creeks of the mangrove trees, watching the lemon sharks swim by, feeding the nurse sharks, capturing green sea turtles, learning how to become sustainable and use our resources wisely, and my personal favorite combination of roses was yoga on the rooftop followed by biking to a coral reef to snorkel at. I had so many roses that I could open up a flower shop on the island!
Thank you JASON Learning and Chevron for such a unique and wonderful adventure that I can share with not only my family and friends but also my students and colleagues.
Valerie Wolterman
Our experience at CEI was amazing; all the new people that we traveled with and got to meet there, as well as the activities that we participated in. My personal favorite was netting, measuring and tagging the green sea turtles. This process with the scientists and their interns was an awesome example of STEM education; S - the science of studying the green sea turtles and what the eat and their life cycles, T - the technology they use to measure, tag and track the turtles, E - the engineering of the nets with special weighted bottom used to capture the turtles without injuring them, and finally M - they use mathematics to calculate the size and growth of the turtles that we captured. Our group captured eight turtles of varying size and condition on our third attempt to scare them into the net which was harder work that you would expect. Each of the group then held a turtle while the scientist and interns quickly went to work measuring, weighing and check the health of each of the turtles. The turtle that I was in charge of was the largest and not a happy camper with the experience; he/she keep trying to get loose by slapping me we the flippers that are very strong and have claws on the edge. The bruises and scratches were very worth the experience to see how the these scientists track and study the health of the green sea turtles and their habitat to help insure their survival.