Tampa Bay educator hopes to bring 'once in a lifetime’ shark research trip into the classroom
Tampa Bay educator hopes to bring 'once in a lifetime? shark research trip into the classroom
FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla - Getting up close and personal with sharks may not be your idea of a week well spent, but Remus Bulmer doesn’t feel that way.
"We were going to meet them where they are to observe them in the natural habitat, so that was a very amazing experience," he said.
Bulmer, the academic program director at St. Pete Collegiate’s STEM High School, was one of just 28 people the Bimini Shark Lab chose for the nonprofit’s week-long research excursion last month in the Bahamas.
"Two things kind of led me to apply for this program. One is we are working on incorporating a marine science program here at the Collegiate STEM High School. The second thing is I am working on a graduate project with the University of Florida. So, it aligned perfectly with what I'm doing in the building and what I am doing in my own academics," Bulmer said.
Dig deeper:
Bulmer studied tiger sharks while he was at Florida State University, and is also studying them now as a graduate student at the University of Florida.
Right now, he’s looking at the migration patterns of tiger sharks in and around Florida’s waters.
Back on land, Bulmer is helping the teacher they just hired at St. Pete Collegiate’s STEM High School with the curriculum and research opportunities for the students.
The first phase of the marine science program starts in a few weeks in a classroom on St. Pete College’s main campus, which the STEM High School is a part of. It will begin with marine science electives.
Bulmer hopes to translate his trip into the classroom.
What they're saying:
"We're hoping that this marine science program takes off, that we start to generate future scientists like we've been generating future technology professionals and that, you know, research just becomes a part of what we do year after year. So, the goal is to get students liking science and get students doing science," he said.
"It elevates the experience for me even more. It's one thing to kind of speak to it from a curriculum standpoint, but to be out and doing the research that I'm also expecting my students to do, I think is just once in a lifetime," Bulmer said.
It’s a once in a lifetime experience, he says, to learn and teach about what lives under the sea.
"I’m not encouraging everyone to get in the water with sharks, but to appreciate them even from afar and understand that our impact as humans impacts them and impacts our oceans and our planet overall," he said. "They're not mindless eating machines. They absolutely pose a level of threat, but most of the shark attacks that we hear about in the news are caused by three or four of the species of sharks. Most of them aren't interested in you, and you're not on their diet," Bulmer said.
He is continuing his shark research later this week in South Florida, where he’s partnering with a couple of organizations in the area.
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The Source: FOX 13’s Kailey Tracy spoke with Remus Bulmer for this story.