Michael Russo

The project I am leading is a fishing tournament to benefit the marine program at RHS. I got community engagement from the local businesses and some companies across the nation. By getting donations and running the tournament I hope to raise money to be able to feed the fish for a year and any money on top of that would be a huge help. It will be an inshore fishing tournament with raffle prizes, and I hope to raise money by selling raffle tickets and tournament costs.

Emily Richford

The project I am working on with Andrew is based on Florida invasive species. We are doing research on plants as well as some animals to find out how they came to Florida and what we can do to prevent them from spreading. We also want to educate residents of Florida, or anyone who visits here, what these plants look like specifically so they can be protected or stop the spread by getting rid of them. Andrew and I are putting this research into a page off the Riverview Marine Science website. We created a draft for an invasive species section where we can include information both on invasive plants and animals. In the future of this project, we hope to be able to develop an interactive identification game of some sort to extend the reach of education we have on this subject. 

Elizabeth Natherson

The project I am leading is changing the data collection process for the Carefree Learner boat. I am entering the data collected by the boat into a database from data collection sheets made by students. To make this process more efficient I will create a new data recording sheet that already has the species listed on it allowing clear, concise data. Along with the recording sheets, I will create a species guide for students to help identify what they find on their field trip. I am working the teacher at Sarasota High School in charge of the boat and we are working toward the best solution to make the experience best for the students. 

Jack Young

For my project I am creating a 360-degree model of the aquadome for presentations to little kids. This project is necessary due to Covid-19 and the fact kids are not allowed on school campus. This virtual tour of the aquadome alone side of students who can explain the images and videos inside will continue the learning through the pandemic. This will also be a fun way for kittle kids to learn because they will be able to interact and explore as they would if they were in person. This has been possible through images and footage taken with a go pro and uploaded to a website called Thinglink. I was able to bring the marine animals out of their tanks and onto the screen of the kids. We will be able to transfer the virtual tour to the website for anyone interested in visiting the aquadome without the ability to see it in person.

Izy Burns

My project is about teaching students in Sarasota County and all over the world about different ways they can participate in citizen science as well as teach them about the ecosystems we have in Sarasota, FL. These different ways include water quality testing, cloud observation through GLOBE, and collecting soil moisture data for NASA. While I am currently focusing on the water quality testing with students, I have made many training videos for Scistarter and GLOBE. My hope in teaching students about these fun scientific tests they can run at home is that they learn how awesome science is and can be. I also hope to teach them by contributing to these projects they are making a big difference in the community and the world. 

Prashil patel

The project I am doing  is making a kayak rack for the class set of 24 kayaks. The kayaks will be used for Philip Creek clean ups. Also,  they will be used to educated kids about Philip Creek and its environment. The kayak is made out four 2x4s  and  nine 2x2s. We will then dig two-foot-deep holes to put the 2x4s in the ground and then pour quick create to secure them against any weather conditions.

Brooklyn Cline

The project I am leading is about how radiation effects the DNA of coral. I will be placing frags of leather coral, Sinularia, in the irradiator in Mr. Mocherman room. I will be testing how the radiation changes proteins and or the DNA. I will be measuring how the radiation effects the DNA and the water. This is important to the world because we have nuclear bombing in the oceans such as the Bikini Atoll, and the mariana trench explosion. 

Tessa Etchison

For my project I am working on research on the effect that chemicals from cigarettes have on coral. Last year I did a research project for IB Marine Science that was based on leachate of chemicals from cigarettes in freshwater and salt water. I am going to choose a chemical that was found most in the water from my project last year and test that chemical on coral another student grows here. I loved the project I did last year and can’t wait to find out more on the topic. I plan to collaborate with the chemistry department here at Riverview to obtain the chemicals I need to test on the coral, and I will also be collaborating with Savannah Tucker while testing.