The first week in November saw my 4th time demonstrating on the 1st year B.Sc. Marine Biology field trip. Its a week that I always look forward to, where I get to geek out and scour the seashore for the unique and cryptic organisms that inhabit our coastline. Back in 2008 I myself went on the field trip which was (until two years ago) held a further 30mins up the coast at Whitby and Runswick Bay.

2008 Whitby fieldtrip. Building sandcastles were not part of the marking criteria (sadly…)

Students usually come to the field trip in two groups split 3 days apart, however (somewhat thankfully) we only had one group for 3.5 days. The course is designed to give 1st year students (a month into their degrees) their first taste of marine and coastal ecology, where their days are divided into:

• Day One – Rocky Shore: An introduction to zonation of species on the rocky shore.
• Day Two – Sand Shore: Beach profile using theodolite, quadrats and identification of species collected from 30cm sand core.
• Day Three – Rocky Shore : Profile of the rocky shore using theodolite and identification of species within quadrats.

On the first day, the students are shy and their knowledge of common coastal organisms is limited, as demonstrated with a group quiz that usually yields scores of 1 or 2 out of 10. On the final day the students are given the same quiz, where they often collectively score full marks of both common and scientific names. Its fantastic to see their confidence and social skills develop over just a few days.

Teaching students is something I really get a buzz out of, especially when they’re enthusiastic. Here’s hoping I get to continue to do so for many years to come.