From submersibles to seagrasses: education programs at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution

The J. Seward Johnson Marine Education and Conference Center is a well equipped new facility on the campus of Harbor Branch Oceanographic institution in Ft. Pierce, Florida. Programs for undergraduates and graduate students include accredited summer courses, research internships and volunteer opportunities as well as special programs for underrepresented minorities. The center provides laboratory and field facilities for visiting field courses and runs an annual workshop for college faculty who are interested in learning more about the center and adjacent marine and coastal environments. Because of HBOI's location between West Palm Beach and Cape Canaveral on Florida's east coast, the facility is an ideal base from which to explore the natural history, geology and marine ecology of South Florida. Existing JSJMECC programs emphasize the high biodiversity of the region and the range of easily accessible habitats including salt marshes, seagrass beds and high latitude coral reefs. Programs are being developed to introduce students to undersea technologies such as submersibles and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). The center has recently produced a video on marine science careers.