From April 16-20, our Grier girls braved traveling a long and grueling four hours, almost 200 miles from the safety of Grier’s campus to Chincoteague Bay Field Station on the shores of Virginia. These girls banded together under the guidance of Grier’s Science Department Head Dr. Burke for a four-day long trip revolving entirely around coastal ecology.
This trip has been long anticipated by those participating in Dr. Burke’s Marine Biology class. During this pilgrimage, the girls finally had a chance to use in the field what they’ve learned all year in the classroom. Grier girls did it all: from going on excursions to gathering specimens to identifying them.
Meg Lewis, a current junior, claimed that the girls participated in such a multitude of things, that it was hard to name only one. She explained that their activities were divided by days. The first day the girls “traveled to a swamp area and pointed out the different tidal zones in the water there,” showing how the girls applied the knowledge they gained in class to the real world. Pia Rock, a sophomore who decided to join the marine biology trip last minute, said that the girls also, “went out to the beach and marsh and collected samples, trolled for organisms on a boat, and looked at the organisms they caught under microscopes.”
Over the four days, their activities built off the day before, making the trip a rich learning experience, and allowing the girls to participate in a variety of things. “We were in the water a lot,” Meg said, “and we also went to Chincoteague Island and got to see some wild horses, which I liked a lot.” The wonderful resources provided by Grier and the facilities in Chincoteague enabled the girls to have fun whilst also getting to discover new things and learn more about ecology.
Pia added that the experience was overall, “a lot of fun,” saying her favorite part was “looking at the plankton under a microscope.” She claims it was cool “because you can’t see them until you actually look at them under there.” Her experiences with biology were definitely broadened by the trip.
Overall, the marine biology trip is always something Grier girls enjoy, and this year was no exception. The trip combines fun and education in a way that allows girls to gain real field experience surrounded by friends, who always make learning more enjoyable. So, if you are thinking about taking marine biology next year, do consider this awesome trip in your list of pros.
