Class V Travels to Woods Hole for Day of Ecological Research

On May 4, Class V boys made their annual springtime pilgrimage to Woods Hole for a science investigation trip. Roxbury Latin’s host for the day was the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), located in Falmouth. For nearly 20 years, this hands-on experience has been the culmination of the fourth marking period studies in the Class V Introduction to Physical Science (IPS) course, and a complement to a spring unit focused on freshwater quality and global challenges that relate to this critical resource.
While in Woods Hole, students—accompanied by IPS faculty Paul Sugg and Dr. Peter Hyde—spent an hour on a boat used by WHOI for its scientific research. Using sampling nets they collected organisms from the ocean bottom to handle and examine up close, and learned about some of the oceanic flora and fauna. The boat was also equipped with an underwater camera rig that allowed students to examine the diverse habitats just offshore.

When students disembarked, they toured the WHOI museum and research labs, and enjoyed a fascinating lecture by Bill Mebane, a leader at WHOI in the field of sustainable aquaculture, who shared his team’s successful efforts in providing a sustainable source of protein for the people of Haiti.