STUDENTS from Kingscliff High School and five partner primary schools joined marine scientists on the Tweed Coast last week as part of the internationally recognised Mission Blue Hope Spots initiative.<\/p>\n
Founded by oceanographer Sylvia Earle, Mission Blue Hope Spots are globally recognised marine areas identified for their ecological significance.<\/p>\n
The Byron Tweed Hope Spot was recently expanded from Byron Bay to include the Tweed region, with local students among the first citizen scientists contributing data from the newly extended area.<\/p>\n
Year 7 students conducted water quality testing and assessed seagrass ecosystems in Cudgen Creek, while Year 6 students from five Tweed Coast primary schools carried out biodiversity surveys.<\/p>\n
The Coastal Guardians Citizen Science Day formed part of Kingscliff High’s Coastal Academy of STEM Excellence (CASE) program, designed to give students hands-on experience in marine science and environmental research.<\/p>\n
STEM project officer (secondary) Mark Wiggins said the project aimed to build students’ understanding of local waterways while developing core scientific skills.<\/p>\n
“It’s about looking at preserving our local waterways and looking at how the students can have an impact through collecting data, working with marine scientists, getting to know a little bit about what marine science is all about and generating an interest in that as a possible future career,” Wiggins said.<\/p>\n
Marine conservation organisation Dolphin Research Australia partnered with the schools to provide scientific expertise and field experience.<\/p>\n
Dolphin Research Australia founding director Isabela Keski-Frantti said students used iPads and the iNaturalist platform to photograph and record local flora and fauna, contributing data for researchers and the broader community.<\/p>\n
“The fact that they can actually go out there and record and upload knowing that that data is going to be useful to so many different stakeholders and decision makers or to science, that kind of takes it to another level,” Keski-Frantti said.<\/p>\n
Kingscliff High School principal Damien Borg said hands-on learning helped keep students engaged.<\/p>\n
“Providing hands-on learning, providing authentic real-world learning, making meaning behind the reasons why we do things really does benefit the kids,” Borg said.<\/p>\n
The initiative was supported through partnerships with Southern Cross University, Griffith University and TAFE NSW.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
STUDENTS from Kingscliff High School and five partner primary schools joined marine scientists on the Tweed Coast last week as part of the internationally recognised Mission Blue Hope Spots initiative. Founded by oceanographer Sylvia Earle, Mission Blue Hope Spots are globally recognised marine areas identified for their ecological significance. The Byron Tweed Hope Spot was […]<\/p>\n