Programs Blog

SEA Pre-College: Marine Biology

August 14th, 2026

Woods Hole, MA

This is John, Cece, and our PA Kameran collecting samples in the salt marsh.

For our last day of field research, we started early at  Waquoit Bay. We learned about the ecosystem and history of the bay and how scientists have been working to restore the incredible estuary. Working in teams, we gathered data for the groups working on salt marsh-related projects. As we did, we also saw some lady crabs, herons, and oysters. 

After our morning field work, we headed back to campus for an extended lunch break. The PAs put together quesadillas, leftovers, and assorted veggies. After some relaxation, we headed back to the classroom to work on our research projects.

The professors taught us some best practices for data entry and sent us into our groups to work. We then compiled the data we collected into some spreadsheets. Plankton groups worked on calculating biodiversity, abundance, and water quality measurements, while salt marsh groups looked at soil samples, crab burrows, and marsh vegetation data. After entering all the numbers, we began to visualize our data and discuss what it means for our hypotheses. 

Following a productive afternoon and a short break, the kitchen watch got to work on dinner prep with pesto chicken and tofu for our vegetarians. Afterwards, B house went for a quick beach walk and then both houses went to Walmart and Shaw’s to grab some snacks and ingredients for the week (get ready for some great baked goods!). What a marshful day! 

Sadie Despres, Sam Knorr

Sam putting his face in an osprey cutout.

Brennan doing the same