Sea Lab Program for New Bedford Students to be Held Online This Year

A nationally-recognized summer marine science program for New Bedford High School students will be held virtually this year, and field studies will have to wait until next summer due to coronavirus concerns.

Part one of Sea Lab Summer Session will involve six weeks of remote sessions including activities, experiments, and projects. Part two will continue on-site at Sea Lab next summer, the New Bedford Public Schools announced this week.

Sea Lab is a marine and aquatic educational facility located by the sea at Fort Rodman in New Bedford. Since 1968, the program has served New Bedford students interested in oceanography, limnology, meteorology, physics, chemistry, geology, and biology as they relate to marine and aquatic environments. Practical outdoor skills, such as swimming, sailing, and snorkeling are an integral part of the summer experience. Parents need not pay tuition for the opportunity thanks to funding from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center.

Students also participate in field studies along the Massachusetts and Rhode Island coastlines. In collaboration with area universities, Sea Lab students have had the opportunity to participate in ongoing scientific research. The teaching materials aim to achieve a balance between basic scientific concepts and the discussion of observable phenomena. The summer curriculum is designed to be progressive and cumulative from the fourth grade to the ninth grade.

The summer curriculum is designed to be progressive and cumulative from the fourth grade to the ninth grade. In the New Bedford shools, all grade five students study the marine and aquatic sciences in fifth grade.

Sea Lab Facilitator Simone Bourgeois said students who participate are "the best of the best." The program is a "high interest, hands-on, intensive study designed to appeal to the serious student." She said that this summer's program will be unique and challenging while focusing on safety.

All applications, including Spanish and Portuguese Applications, are available at every New Bedford Public School, including all New Bedford private and parochial schools.