Programs Blog

August 1, 2025

This morning SEASCape had a lecture about the biology aspect of Oceanography. Focusing mainly on marine ecology which is the scientific study of the interactions between marine organisms and their environment. Afterwards, we further explored the topic of biology by dissecting a shortfin squid examining its external and internal body parts while filling out a diagram of the squid. We dissected the squid using scissors, tweezers, and scalpels. We extracted the gills, ick sac, heart and spine which can be used as a pen. After our first class period we made lunch which included quesadillas and salad. Moving on to our second class block we did our final day of field work at Trunk River Beach. Here we completed many forms of oceanography including geology, human impact, chemistry, and biology. This includes sifting through sand, collecting trash along the beach, gathering fish in a net, and testing the pH and salinity of the water. Through these different fieldwork groups we were able to better understand what we wanted to pursue in our own thinking about Oceanography. We were also able to make some connections back to our lecture from earlier especially when it came to the biology group. Although the weather wasn’t ideal and the water a little rough it was still an amazing experience. 

We learned that every day may not be the ideal weather conditions but we were still able to behave as real scientists, who deal with unpredictable weather everyday. After our fieldwork, we then came home, bonded with our peers before having dinner and then enjoying a tea and movie night our PA Amenya set up for us. Overall, our day was very science heavy and created an abundance of questions within my mind that made me better think about my thoughts about the field of oceanography I would want to pursue. 

Ryan Vincent Pasquale