Going LIVE with Great Whites!
Mikki, in corrdination with a number of other researchers and organizations, delivered a live webinar for teachers and students from the shark lab at California State University Long Beach this past October. She shared her discoveries from her trip last week to observe great white sharks near the island of Isla Guadalupe. The island, recently declared a biosphere reserve by the Mexican government, is home to a population of over 120 great white sharks. Working from submersible cages 30 feet below the surface, McComb-Kobza used a laser tool, built by students from St. Vrain Valley School District, to collect data on shark length. While underwater, McComb-Kobza used a special mask to narrate the entire experience. She shared clips from her research trip during the webinar and discussed the wide variety of research questions being studied about one of the world’s most iconic animals. Students and teachers who participated in the webinar learned how to identify basic shark anatomy and differentiate between males and females based on unique markings.
Youth Science Explorations
Part of OFI’s mission is to get students in the field to help collect data. Recently, Mikki and her team took a group of 18 students to a research station in Belize to study boat strikes and habitat loss impacting the Antillian Manatee. Tune in and listen how much the students learn from this hands-on experience.
Connect
with
Mikki:
www.oceanfirstinstitute.org