Tag Archives: work-based learning

MBRP 2022-2023 END-OF-YEAR UPDATE

MBRP12 in La Habana, Cuba (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
Greetings MBRP PAC, colleagues, family, and friends,
Happy summer solstice! Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, this school year was a blast! Last year I had a wonderful group of scholars. But this year, my graduating seniors took things to the next level! This group is especially important because they bore the brunt of COVID lockdown as they started the program virtually and, ironically, had their last day of class a week ago virtually due to the forest fire school closing! Thank you to our MBRP parents Koko, Edward Smith, Angelic Martinez, PTA President Amy Koza & PTA crew, admins Jeff & Jackye, teacher Aliyah, custodian Goran, Benny, and Eric, lab techs Bhatti, Nick, Sergio, and Scott, our generous donors Con Edison’s Joshua Crespo, Jeffrey Gural, Jim Tripp, Econcrete Tech’s Ido Sella, Compliance Solution’s Jeff Kline, among many others, BOP Senior VP Matthew Haiken, our post-secondary and industry partners Henry Bokuniewicz, Jim Lodge, Rosana Pedra Nobre, Karen Holmberg, Marisa DeDominicis, Matthew Winchell, the DOE CTE staff Karen Koch & Kendell Samlal, our wonderful senior mentors Arlo Kane, Anna Sheehan, Julia Purrazzella, Sebastian Koko, and Jaylen Boyce, our senior trip leaders Megan, Soua, Trinity, Maribell, Diego, Sergio, our up-and-coming leader Sara Guevara-Martinez, and, last but not least, our parent-turned-Harbor School superstar, Nan Richardson. Vaya con Bios! And thanks to my wife and family for all your enduring support and patience. Thank you all again for making this one of my best years in the business.
MBRP10 sampling phys-chem from Buttermilk Channel, NY Harbor (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
General: The most important update is that most of my seniors will be getting the CTE stamp of excellence. I’m so proud of all their accomplishments. Another important update is that one of our alumni, Nicholas Ring, was hired to assist in lab tech and research work for the MBRP. Working side-by-side with him has also been a pleasure. It makes such a big difference to work with someone that knows the culture of the program and the rigors of research. There were so many times where we were able to read each other’s cues and know what to do next without having to say anything. Now that’s teamwork! We were also supported by 2 interns, Sergio Mallo and Scott Sugg Jr. I’ve never had this much support in my 21 years of teaching. I can now say that the MBRP lab is under control after COVID sent us for a spin.

Next, our program completed an arduous 5-year recertification process. I spent months compiling data, writing reports, answering prompts, and getting audited in order to recertify the program for the next 5 years. This year was also the year where the host organization for the New York Climate Exchange Center was announced. SUNY Stony Brook, my alma mater, will be spearheading the center on Governors Island. I’ve already begun the planning process to establish the courses that will count as dual enrollment in order for students to obtain up to 16 college credits on climate research and internship work. This will up the total to 22 college credits that students will become eligible for through the MBRP. This is the most credits of any program in the country.

We were able to implement our curricular updates. MBRP10 worked on monitoring phys-chem in the harbor and learning the basics of lab/field ecology. MBRP11 monitored and compared plankton populations with microplastics in the harbor while maintaining the recirculating aquaculture systems in the lab. MBRP12 built and deployed a new biodiversity experiment off of Yankee Pier, NYC. All their data was checked for quality following an EPA approved Quality Assurance Project Plan and is publicly available here. And, finally, after 15 years in the making, I was able to take my seniors on an international science excursion to Cuba! Vaya con Bios!

MBRP10 sampling phys-chem from East River, NYC (Photo: Edward Smith, PTA Rep)
MBRP12 Accomplishments: 18 of 19 students worked over 3,500 hours in internships and service learning projects. That’s over USD 52,000 earned. All 19 scholars earned at least one industry recognized credential in Lab Safety, Chemical Safety, and/or Financial Management. 12 of 19 scholars earned 54 college credits in Natural Resources Management and/or Oceanography. 16 of 19 scholars earned the CTE Certification on their diplomas. All 19 scholars completed their online ePortfolios which can be seen here. Our seniors built and deployed Econcrete experiments at Yankee Pier to test for its effects on benthic biodiversity. We also traveled to Cuba with this great class of scholars. Pictures of our excursion are below this post. Lastly, the top three scorers in this year’s mini-symposium were Anna Sheehan (100), Jaylen Boyce (98), and Julia Purrazzella (95).
MBRP11 scholars Charles and Olivia growing basil and radishes in a student-built aquaponics system (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
MBRP11 Accomplishments: 13 of our 14 scholars earned at least one industry recognized credential in Lab Safety and Chemical Safety. Their biggest accomplishment, however, was stabilizing their Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) after a die-off during the summer. Our scholars monitored and adjusted pH, salinity, nutrients, electrical conductivity, temperature, among other parameters. They repaired ultra violet filtration lamps, installed grow lights and automatic feeders. They maintained sumps, pumps, skimmers, pipes, hoses, valves, etc. They also led two field sampling runs to compare the relative concentrations of plankton and microplastics. 7 scholars led this initiative as part of a “Work Place Challenge” under the auspices of the Hudson River Foundation. This involved the formulation of a project plan, gathering of materials, a field sampling run, lab processing of samples, data analysis, and a final presentation to stakeholders. Lastly, the top three scorers in this year’s mini-symposium were: The WPC Team (95) composed of Brenda Genaro, Madison O’Brien, Nayan Smith, Christopher Tranchina, Elias Litman, Josiah Taylor, and Mark Garcia (95). The next projects were Olivia Eliseo (83) and Lucas Fernandez (83).
MBRP11 (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
MBRP10 Accomplishments: The first word that comes to mind when I think of the 10th grade is “Leadership.” These young scholars were incredibly self motivated and smart. They have brought our science work to a whole new level. From learning the basics of science in the lab, to leading near flawless physical-chemical sampling of the Harbor, to data management & quality assurance, to learning their knots, this group of young scholars excelled at every step along the way. Lastly, the top three scorers in this year’s mini-symposium were Sara Guevara-Martinez (97), Omisha Hossain (95), Emilio Munoz-Levine (95), and Oliver Palmgren (95).
MBRP10 (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)

SEALs after school program: Our SEALs scholars continued their critical work recovering and quantifying marine debris from the rip rap surrounding Governors Island. This involved over 30 days of lab and field work, processing debris, managing data on complex data tables, updating stakeholders through social media, submitted project updates to our sponsor, ConEdison, digitizing data and making it publicly available; completing a final report, and submitting a new grant proposal for next year. The SEALs were invited to present their work to the king of the Netherlands and the United Nations for World Water Week. Our scholars continued working on their marine debris exhibit created in partnership with NYU. You can find the Cube outside of the school building by the lab along the road. I’m so proud of our scholars. Not only for giving back to their community and trying to restore our harbor so that our marine biodiversity can one day thrive along our coasts but for all the leadership they took to organize themselves and the program. They are now a truly self-organized and led program.  This year they were showcased in the media.

Press article 01

Press article 02  

Final Marine Debris Report  

Publicly available data

Harbor SEALs! (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
Trinity Jennings-Pagan, Communications Analyst in Cuba! (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
Arlo Kane, Communications Analyst Mentor (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
Universidad de La Habana, Cuba! (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
Plaza de la Revolucion, Cuba! (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
Vinales, Cuba! (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
Playing games with locals in La Habana, Cuba! (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
Touring La Habana Vieja, Cuba! (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
Return flight from Cuba! (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
Sunset, NY Harbor (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
MBRP10 scholar, Emilio, recovering marine debris from rip rap around Governors Island (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
MBRP10 scholars, Rory and Madison, measuring dissolved oxygen in NY Harbor (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
MBRP12 scholars, Maribell and Jada, building their Econcrete experiment (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
Sunrise over Fort Jay, Governors Island (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
MBRP Research Associate and alumnus Nicholas Ring and MBRP10 Lab/Field Technician Scott Sugg Jr. (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
MBRP12 scholars building an Econcrete experiment (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
MBRP11 Work Place Challenge scholars virtually meeting with mentor, Jim Lodge, from the Hudson River Foundation (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
3D print out designed by Ethan Kidd of a water sampler for use by Harbor SEALs civic science phys-chem team and a drone (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
Alumni visit! (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
Particulate matter over Battery Maritime Building and Lower Manhattan due to Canadian Forest fires that shut down the NYC School system, June 7, 2023 (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
SEALs scholars presenting their work to the king of Netherlands (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
SEALs scholars. Another day at work (photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)
MBRP10 measuring dissolved oxygen using the EPA approved Winkler Method aboard the Indy7, East River, NYC (Photo: Edward Smith, PTA MBRP Rep)
5th generation Tilapia alevines hatch in the MBRP lab bringing hope after the massive die off last summer (Photo: Mauricio Gonzalez)

MBRP 2021-2022 End-of-Year Update

(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
Greetings MBRP PAC, colleagues, family, and friends,
Happy start of the summer! What a year! In my 20+ years of teaching I have not felt as much joy and satisfaction teaching as I did this year. Sure, the year had its challenges but on the whole it was a good year with many successes and a wonderful group of scholars! This year they were my heroines and heroes!
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General: This last school year was a transition year back to in-person learning and adjusting to the fall-out of COVID. Our scholars needed a little extra support dealing with academics and adjusting to a new social/global context. (So did we, the adults, if I’m being honest.) The latter had on the balance a positive outcome, whereas the former was more of a challenge. Although students were eager to return and learn, I noticed that some of our seniors struggled with the more intense parts of the research process. Extra time was needed for most assignments that involved producing reports and analyzing data. Despite these obstacles, most of our scholars were able to complete their final projects and the ones who didn’t still put up a good fight to get to the finish line!
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Engaging Students in Learning: We were able to accomplish this by scaffolding the research process carefully. This involved breaking up the research process into various stages that students would perform. The initial phases of research included: learning sampling techniques and writing down procedures before doing field work; compiling field data and digitizing them; looking at the data and beginning to ask questions about patterns they observed; performing a literature review and reading background information; starting to put together a presentation of their literature review; and then processing the data to graph. The next phase involved assessing the scholars’ work thus far: students were evaluated using assessment in instruction from three research rubrics borrowed from SUNY Albany’s UHS Research Program and the New York Science and Engineering Fair; they also peer reviewed numerous times in order to assess themselves and improve their performance; they could then refine their presentations and add new elements to their research based on the feedback from these numerous, varied and rigorous assessments. The final stage involved project results: after another peer reviewed session, students proceeded to add analyses and conclusions to their work, and then defend their projects before their peers and the instructor. This scaffolding process allowed for them to take intellectual risks as evidenced by the numerous and unique questions that were asked based off of our data set. In spite of using the same data set, working interdependently, and investigating a single research topic, no two students had the same project!  Never in my entire teaching career have I seen students better prepared or more confident to present as they were this year. The high level of respect and rapport we had with each other, and the degree of accountability we held each other to, created the atmosphere needed to stand in front of an audience and speak impactfully for 5 -15 minutes. The peer review process also helped generate trust for each other (i.e. we always started our feedback celebrating a positive quality and then moved on to constructive criticism). Lastly, my questioning and discussion techniques help students dig deeper into their research while also creating an environment of exploration and excellence. My best classes are those in which students are challenging each other based on the same questioning and discussion techniques which they learned during class. I would have to say that despite the challenges of returning to in-person learning after a year and a half, and continued COVID disruptions, this was one of my most highly effective years as a teacher!
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Senior accomplishments: 100% of our seniors passed the written final exam; over 1000 hours of internship hours were worked for the Hudson River Foundation – a school CTE high for the year; 14 of our 20 seniors received the CTE endorsement on their diploma; and many of our seniors received college credit in natural resources management, oceanography, and research. This year’s valedictorian and salutatorian were from our program as has mostly been the case for the last several years. Below I share their presentations and publicly available data on plankton, microplastics, oyster restoration, and Randall’s Island fish monitoring:
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Junior accomplishments: Our juniors had a really busy year. From managing two major plankton-microplastics excursions aboard the Indy 7 to maintaining 6 major recirculating aquaculture systems, to managing and digitizing data, getting certified in lab and chemical safety, interning for the Hudson River Foundation, and perfecting their job seeking skills with a mock interview and resume building sessions offered by our wonderful parents Koko and Nan Richardson, they didn’t skip a beat. Below I share their culminating projects:
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Sophomore accomplishments: Our sophomores were able to complete much-needed Social Emotional Learning modules on EverFi, an online education company that we’ve partnered with for several years now. Next, they were able to sample plankton and microplastics using the Beta-bottle and Sedgewick-Rafter Cell technique. After that, they learned data management and processing techniques while beginning to formulate an interdependent project. In between this step and presenting their projects using the MBRP’s proven Project Management process, they were able to begin training and sampling for physical-chemical properties of the NY Harbor.
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SEALs after school program: Our SEALs scholars were very high-achieving this year. They successfully completed their project to recover marine debris from the rip rap surrounding Governors Island. They also updated project stakeholders using social media; submitted project updates to our sponsor, ConEdison; uploaded their data to this website to make it publicly available; completed a final report of their findings; and submitted a new grant proposal for next year. Lastly, we created an exhibit with some of the debris we recovered which you can find outside of the school building by the lab. We’ll be working with NYU to further build out the exhibit in September. In case you’ve gotten this far in this blog post, you’d also be interested to know that the SEALs were almost 100% student led this year! I’m so proud of these scholar interns, I wish you could’ve been there to see their work. But happily they were showcased in a documentary and a newspaper article which you can view below.
Access the article here. Scroll to the bottom.
Access the final Marine Debris Report here.
Access the publicly available data here.
Access the SEALs website update here.
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Changes: As you may have noticed, we didn’t run a large marine science symposium this year. Instead, we had a smaller in class symposium where students presented their projects to each other and practiced those critical public speaking skills. The reasons for the change were 01) our students struggled with their academic and social emotional needs so taking off a layer of stress was crucial, and 02) we don’t have the necessary school supports in place to run it effectively without burnout on my part. We’re in the process of trying to get support from other science teachers or propose running a CTE-wide exposition to replace the symposium. Secondly, we didn’t offer college credit in science research this year. With too many students on the roster and a wide array of abilities & needs, something had to give. Unfortunately it was the independent research I so dearly love to do. However, as you may have gathered from the above descriptions, we’ve transitioned to interdependent projects. We’re now focusing on 3 topics by grade: physical-chemical analysis of the Harbor for 10th graders, plankton/microplastics monitoring for 11th graders; and biodiversity on settlement plates, traps, and benthic grab studies for our 12th graders. Once we collect our data, students in groups can ask questions about them and build out a project interdependently. This model has proven very successful this year!
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Next steps: We’ll be applying for State re-certification in June 2023. We’ll be calling together a PAC meeting in January 2023 to discuss curriculum and internships. We’ll also be reaching out to some of you to renew articulation agreements. Please stay tuned for that important ask!
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Growing and Developing Professionally: I have obtained an administrator’s license and plan in the future to move into a leadership role. Although exciting, I’m taking baby steps in order to balance out my health needs and this potential opportunity. The lead-up to this was a two-year post master’s degree in school and district leadership. My final project on workplace bullying was published in a peer-reviewed education journal and can be found below. It was only one of four papers published from the whole graduating class. Next, I was able to partner up with Rob Markuske to pull together a work group composed of students and staff to begin creating a vision for a future partnership between NYHS and the game-changing Center for Climate Solutions scheduled to open on Governors Island in the near future.
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Thank you to our leader scholars for all their support with all aspects of the program! Aelish Mullaney, Marifer Sanchez-Gaspar, Maddie Novatt, Nick Pabotoy, Nick Dilella, Giovanni Nunez, Anna Sheehan, Jaylen Boyce, Julia Purrazzella, Sebastian Koko, Arlo Kane, Isaac Castillo, Nino Mazzola, Sara Guevara and the dozens of others in the MBRP. You’ve made this school year a wonderful one! Thank you to the parents, especially Koko and Nan Richardson, for their tireless support. Thank you to all the NYHS and MBRP parents for your donations, lab support, and words of encouragement throughout the year. Thank you to our internship partner, Jim Lodge from the Hudson River Foundation. Thank you to the office of Post-Secondary Readiness, Omari Gay, Florence Dennis, and the rest of the crew. Thank you to our many industry & post-secondary partners, and sponsor organizations who supported us this year: Marisa DeDominicis, Karen Holmberg, Rachael Miller, Joshua Crespo, Matthew Haiken, Zofia Baumann, Jackie Wu, Helene Hetrick, Mollie McGinnis, Melanie Smith, David Park, Billion Oyster Project, Con Edison, EverFi, Compliance Solutions, NOCTI, Earth Matter, Rozalia Project, Governors Island Trust, Hudson River Foundation, Randall’s Island Park Alliance, ESRI, SUNY Stony Brook, Bronx Community College, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Manhattan College, Roger Williams University, UCONN, LES Ecology Center, NYC Department of Education – New York Harbor School, and all our PAC members. And last but not least, thank you to my wife and family for all your support.
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Happy summer! See you in September!
Mauricio and the MBRP gang!
9:20

(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)
(Photo Credit: Mauricio Gonzalez)

Summer vacation!!!

Studying Air Quality Phenomena by our SEALs scholars

Figure 01. Our Harbor SEALs scholars using Gather.town in a break out session located in our virtual NYHS garden.

The goal of our COVID-19 project is to measure air quality around New York City and the New England Area by using a new device known as an “air quality egg” near students’ homes https://airqualityegg.com/home. With such data, air quality can be compared in real time which leads to the brainstorming and creation of many smaller student-led research projects. We have successfully installed EGGs in two states, all five boroughs, and soon, two countries! Students will process their data and answer their own inquiry question. We will meet on Wednesdays through Google Meet and Gather.town. Students will assume leadership roles and manage the project. The younger students learn teamwork and leadership skills virtually. A new virtual reality platform called Gather.town will be used that visually demonstrates the MBRP classroom setting, such as including our main lab, garden, and green room. Gather.town helps us efficiently get into breakout groups that the facilitator and team leaders can travel between quickly. More detailed information on our data will be forthcoming. See the images below for a virtual image of MBRP lab120.

Team Updates

Team Air Benders

So far our group has gone over the basics of a peer review journal article and how to find a reliable one. Most of my group is composed of sophomore’s so we have a lot of fresh faces that are new to our procedures in the Marine Biology Research Program and SEALs. So we got to discuss finding accurate journal articles as well as things we wanted to implement going further a as team.

Team ConEd

Our team, ConEd, has come up with a rough question on how we can compare particulates in our air before and after the pandemic. We’re currently working on making the question more specific. We have been reviewing multiple peer review journal articles to get a better understanding on what particulate matter we want to focus on. We have seen in numerous articles that there has been a decline in air pollutants, like particulate Matter (PM).

Team Poseidon

Our question: How is the human body impacted by particulate matter and how do the effects differ between the 5 boroughs? What we have done so far: refine our question and get some peer reviewed articles. What we have planned: Looking further into peer reviewed journals, begin looking and testing data quality.

Team members:

Scholars: Kate, Marifer , Maddie, Sebastian, Dakota, Jaylen, Julia, Anna, Arlo, Dayanara, Aelish, Nicholas, Prophet
Facilitator: Mauricio (NYHS)
Technician: Natan (BMCC)
Industry Sponsor: ConEdison
Internship Host Organization: Hudson River Foundation
Post-Secondary Partner: BMCC

Figure 02. Our virtual MBRP lab 120.
Figure 03. Our virtual scholars’ avatars.
Figure 04. The air quality EGG.
Figure 05. The EGGs we have around New York City!
Figure 06. Our SEALs scholars.
Figure 07. Our SEALs scholars

9th Annual, 1st Virtual NYHS Marine Science Symposium

9th Annual, 1st Virtual NYHS Marine Science Symposium

On June 17, the Marine Biology Research Program hosted an historic 1st Virtual Marine Science Symposium. The program was packed with wonderful people from NYC’s marine science community. Guests and scholars learned about ecological restoration, how fish use tools, how COVID has affected school life, the economy, politics, etc. and even judged projects! We had two inspirational keynote speakers, Heather Eisenlord and alumnus Grace Carter, talk to us about their career and school journeys. Click here to view the results of our Awards Ceremony, look at some pictures of our class of 2020, and download some resources. Next, we recognized the dedication of those PAC members that have gone above and beyond the call of duty to support our scholars year-after-year! They were Dr. Kathleen Nolan, Dr. Neal Phillip, Dr. Sunil Bhaskaran, and our all-star mom, Nan Richardson!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the judges that dedicated their time to review videos and slideshows throughout the week following up to the event. Our scholars received invaluable feedback. These efforts contribute to the immeasurable effects communities have on their youngest of budding scientists. I cannot express my gratitude enough.

Passionate, creative, and kind – these are the three words that first come to mind when I think about the MBRP class of 2020. I will miss the passionate care for fish and marine life that always came up when something would go wrong with our systems and you were there to solve the problem. I will miss the challenging conversations we had on gun violence, “knowing thyself,” the broken school system, systemic racism, and, yes, research… I won’t miss pushing all of you to produce the best work you could produce! I will miss the teamwork you demonstrated often when it came time to support your fellow classmates. This is one of the things that kept me motivated to keep on pushing day in and day out, through the flus and the back aches. I recall seeing you teach each other and the younglings all the things you learned “on your own.” “Don’t ask Mauricio …” I’ll miss eating my PB&J sandwiches and my wife’s soups in front of you. I’ll miss the stories of cutting in the bathroom, mess hall, basketball court, and food truck. I’ll miss how some of you helped me track them down and saved me the phone call to guidance! I’ll miss the use of long nails to screw on tiny bolts on crab traps on the edge of the dock. I’ll miss the talks about politics, philosophy, and environmental justice. I’ll miss the hugs and hellos. I’ll miss your projects, your brownies and your holiday greetings. I’ll miss trying to not take pictures so as not to offend. I’ll miss seeing you use power tools and mixing cement. I’ll miss the movie and video suggestions. I’ll miss the sneaking up from behind to scare me. So, don’t ever forget that in my imperfect way, I always pushed you to be better than who you were yesterday and to be more mindful, thoughtful, and sensitive about this mysterious world around us and in us. You’ll remember our adventures in the MBRP, I “know.” You will always be my marine scientists! Best of Luck and Skill.

A huge thank s to our superstar symposium moderators: Marifer Sanchez-Gaspar, Sunita Pearson-Siegel, Randy Maharaj, Aelish Mullaney, Mimi Katz, and Heavenly Davis!

Finally, find here the Program for the 9th Annual, 1st Virtual Marine Science Symposium and here for our book “THE EFFECTS OF COVID19 IN A HYPERCONNECTED WORLD.”

In these difficult times, we wish you peace and health.

Mauricio and the MBRP gang

MARINE BIOLOGY RESEARCH 2018-9 FALL SEMESTER IN REVIEW

Front to back – Emily Lysakova (class 2021), Nicholas Ring (alumnus class 2018) ,Jonah Florholmen-Bouman (class 2020) calibrating a fathometer to measure the depth and change of a sand quarry off the coast of Staten Island in a joint project between New York Harbor School’s Harbor SEALs and SUNY Stony Brook with Professor Henry Bokuniewicz  (Photo credit: Mauricio González).

SAVE THE DATE: May 15 we will host our 8th Annual Marine Science Symposium at the New York Harbor School. We have the privilege to present as our guest speaker Ms. Rachael Miller, Director of the Rozalia Project and one of the pioneers in ocean plastics research.

The Fall Semester of the 2017-2018 school year has been another successful season for the Marine Biology Research Program (MBRP) and the Harbor SEALs in particular. We began the year with a recruitment campaign for the new cohort, led by our junior and senior leaders, which managed to attract and retain over 25 team members. For those of you unfamiliar with after school science clubs, this is an impressive feat. Next, our grant proposal to ConEdison was successfully submitted and rewarded, with the help of Matthew Haiken from the New York Harbor Foundation. Funds from this grant have allowed us to run our ambitious STEM program preparing the next generation of marine scientists. They also benefit the various animals we house in our Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) including Valrie and Amaya, Red-Eared Slider turtles and hundreds of tilapia. Next, we initiated a special collaboration with one of our professional partner organizations, SUNY Stony Brook, to monitor an underwater sand quarry in the Harbor originally dug out decades ago to provide sand for major construction projects around NYC. Our students plan on compiling and comparing spatial-temporal data to discern changes in sedimentation that may have occurred over time.

In November we celebrated our 8th annual Harbor SEALs-giving with scholars, alumni, colleagues, and friends. Next year we plan on hosting an alumni after-party in lower Manhattan.

December was a busy month during which we convened our Professional Advisory Committee, I took a Master Class on the history of Eugenics run by Dr. Allen Spiegel, Head of Einstein’s School of Medicine, and visited ConEdison’s Learning Center in Queens with our senior research scholars thanks to an invitation by our PAC member, Michael Kessler. Our scholars got a tour of their world-class learning facility and learned about ConEdison’s unique employment programs and benefits as part of their Work-Based Learning program at the New York Harbor School.

In January our senior scholars took their culminating Career and Technical Education assessments. All seniors took and passed the NOCTI Natural Resources Systems exam.  Most scholars also qualified for three college credits through the assessment in Natural Resources Management. We also implemented for the first time the Precision Natural Resource Science assessment. This assessment will replace the NOCTI as part of the Career and Technical Education’s program re-certification process.

Also in January, five of our senior Marine Biology research scholars received notice that they have been accepted to compete in the prestigious New York City Science and Engineering Fair in March! This ranks them among the best science scholars in New York City. Our senior scholars have been busy with their Career and Financial Management course updating their Work-Skills Employabilty Profiles, updating ePortfolios and regular binder portfolios, creating LinkedIn accounts, and initiating an on-line writing exercise called the Self-Authoring Suite thanks to funding from NYC’s Department of Education Office of Teacher Recruitment and Quality. I have also had the privilege of meeting with NYC Chancellor of Schools, Ricardo Carranza, to discuss topics in school equity, bias, and diversity, among others, as part of the opportunities offered by the Big Apple Award.

Lastly, the Harbor SEALs monitoring team has accomplished the following objectives this season:

01) Installed heaters to an experimental tank to grow Red-Eared Slider turtles. We were also able to install new air and water pumps.

02) Our Biodiversity team has been hard at work planning the design of a long-term experiment to test for the biodiversity of marine invertebrates using Econcrete tiles in the Hudson River. We are in the process of purchasing the materials and plan on beginning the mixing of Econcrete cement in the coming weeks.

03) Our Physical-Chemical team has also been hard at work calibrating and maintaining their instruments in order to start sampling the Hudson River in February. They have been adding pH probes and conductivity probes to the machines and calibrating them in order to ensure precise and accurate measurements.

04) Our Microbiology team has been training the younglings to sample for E. faecalis and the relative concentrations of plastic and plankton in the Harbor.

05) Our Data Management team has been producing data tables and data flow strategies for our Team’s data collection efforts.

06) Our whole team has gone out for mock sampling events twice in the Fall semester. We plan on starting our field sampling this month.

A heartfelt thank you to all our colleagues, family, friends, post-secondary, and industry partners for your continued support! Happy Lunar New Year!

Go New York Harbor School Science!

Valrie and Amaya, Red-Eared Slider turtles (Photo credit: Mauricio González).
8th annual Harbor SEALs-giving!
“Team Fathom” on a mission to measure the Harbor’s depth changes.
“Team Fathom:” Nicholas Ring, Emily Lysakova, Gabriel Castro, Kyle Walter, and Jonah Florholmen-Bouman.
Leo McGuinness, Team Microbiology Co-mentor showing off his Sedgewick-Rafter plankton counting cell.
Marine Biology Research scholars, Class of 2019
Marine Biology Research Program alumnus, Seth Rivera, class of 2018.
December Professional Advisory Committee members meet and greet with our Marine Biology Research Scholars. Many of our scholars are being mentored by our PAC members in long-term research projects (Photo credit: Mauricio González).
Dr. Allen Spiegel and Mauricio González.
Our visit with Con Edison’s Andrew Simpson and Michael Kessler at their world-class Learning Center.
Celebrating Winter Solstice with our senior marine research scholars. Rosalia prepared special treats for us.
Our Harbor SEALs Junior leadership: Lisette Mejia and Jacqueline Obermayer, Project Manager and Operations Analyst respectively.
Our unofficial NYHS pool/ice skating rink!

MBRP: Year 08

Aaniyla Allen-Sutherland showing off a rare larger-than-normal specimen of the Eastern Oyster at Bush Terminal Park (Photo: Mauricio González)

Greetings MBRP partners, alumni, scholars, and friends. Embarking on our 8th year of operation we “push off the dock” with the momentum of our achievements of the past year (see below). This year our Harbor SEALs Citizen Scientists are working with the Billion Oyster Project to monitor the ecological conditions off of Pier 101, Governors Island. Our MBRP senior scholars have been hard at work on their mapping curriculum, research projects, and career and financial management projects. Take a look at this year’s gorgeous senior web site portfolios. Our 11th grade MBRP scholars have also started their mapping curriculum and their research plans. Next, over the summer our scholars read the book “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” and completed a creative project based on their reading. Check out 11th grade research scholar Tyler Simpson’s compelling video. Our 10th grade MBRP scholars have just completed the first unit entitled: Introduction to Scientific Methods. They have also completed their first MBRP lab reports. Way to go 10th grade researchers! When you get a chance, glance through some of last year’s culminating research projects. Lastly, we have two upcoming major events: 01) join us for our 7th annual SEALs-Giving dinner on November 21st, 2018 between 3:30 and 5:30 at the NYHS Mess Hall; 02) join us for our 7th annual Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting on December 5th (details TBA). We hope to see you soon. Gobble, gobble!

2017 – 2018 MBRP Achievements:

  • NYCSEF : Two 2nd place winners, a 3rd place winner, & 6 scholars competed in total for an all time Program high,
  • CIVITAS:  NY Harbor SEALs Harlem River restoration Phase 02 project completed,
  • NYHS Marine Science Symposium : We celebrated our 7th Annual Symposium on May 16th (253 projects completed to-date),
  • NOCTI: 99% pass rate for 7 years (62 to-date),
  • GIS SPACE Certification: Three of three students took and passed Digital Quest’s Geographic Information Systems assessment (5 have passed to-date; first HS students to pass in NYS),
  • College credits: 92 credits awarded to MBRP scholars last year alone!!! (310 awarded to-date; $54,648 SAVED!!!),
  • CTE Endorsements: 12 stamps awarded last year (52 to-date is highest in school),
  • Internships: Successfully paid out 1638.25 hours to over 15 interns which amount s to roughly USD $18,000.00,
  • Nailea Rodriguez: Record hours worked in internship (288.5),
  • Nicholas Ring: National Chemical Honor Society,
  • Marcus Charles: Winner of the MBRP TRIDENT Award.
Leo McGuinness shows off his Sedgewick-Rafter loading skills to a group of 10 and 11th grade SEALs scholars. (Photo: Mauricio González)
Team BIODIVERSITY measures oysters to support Lauren Salitan’s (Senior Project Manager) research project. (Photo: Mauricio González)
Destiny Coley – Team BIODIVERSITY Captain. (Photo: Mauricio González)
Leo McGuinness – Team Microbiology Co-captain. (Photo: Mauricio González)
WBL: Maritime Career Fair, 10/23/18. (Photo: Mauricio González)
Halloween 2018 at SEALs. Jacqueline Obermayer (Junior Project Manager) and Lisette Mejia (Junior Operations Analyst) prepared muffins and cheese cake to celebrate. (Photo: Mauricio González)
Hildeberto Sierra and Hailey Ayala monitor oyster cages for BOP. (Photo: Mauricio González)
Hispanic Heritage Month organizers Deyana Sanchez, Karla Cortes, and Hassan Meheraj. (Photo: Mauricio González)
WBL: Preparing Training Plans off the 7:30 a.m. ferry! (Photo: Mauricio González)
1st Annual NYHS Hispanic Heritage Month culminating feast. Students, staff and parents showed up to share a round of Futbol, eat arepas with churrasco, and listen to some Latin salsa. Big thanks to my wife, Anita Morawski, PTA President, Nan Richardson, and 10th grade MBRP scholar, Pedro Vieira, for bringing in the delicious munchies. (Photo: Mauricio González)

MARINE BIOLOGY RESEARCH 2017-8 FALL SEMESTER IN REVIEW

Our Harlem/East River Lab. PHASE TWO of our CIVITAS consulting work to provide the necessary information on restoring the marine natural environment.  (Photo by Mauricio Gonzalez).

The 2017 – 2018 school year marks the Marine Biology Research Program’s (MBRP) seventh year of operation and fifth year as a New York State Education Department (NYSED) certified program. This year we’re up for NYSED re-certification and it would be fitting to highlight the achievements of just the last six months with some stats. At the close of our last semester 80% of our students obtained the Career and Technical Education endorsement on their high school diplomas; sixty-four college credits were awarded; seventeen paid internships with over 1200 hours were worked as science consultants with our partners at CIVITAS Citizens, NYU, and Earth Matter; two of our three Geographic Information Systems scholars were the first in New York State to be certified in Digital Quest’s SPACE program; and 100% of our marine research scholars passed the industry assessment: NOCTI’s Natural Resources Systems Management. Most of these achievements are school bests.

GIS SPACE certificate. Kaila is one of the first high schoolers to be certified in GIS in the State of New York.

This year we were able to secure critical lab equipment that were in the plans for over five years. Among these were genetics gear to barcode the marine organisms of the Harbor, stereoscopes to study and identify these same organisms, updated laptops to run our GIS curriculum & complete our long-term research projects, and dedicated table tops to calibrate YSI meters.

Seth (Class of ’18) genetically barcoding shark mouth swabs. He works on this project with Isabella. (Photo by Mauricio Gonzalez)

Our Senior Project Managers, Nailea Rodriguez and Nicholas Ring (Class of ’18), together with our twenty-five Harbor SEALs Citizen Science after school program team members are near completing PHASE TWO of their work for CIVITAS Citizens. This year’s work has been the best on record in terms of planning, communication, operations, data management, and report writing. Our Junior project manager and Operations analyst, Lauren Salitan and Cyd Bloomfield (Class of ’19), have led near flawless sampling runs up the East/Harlem River. For more images of our sampling on the East/Harlem River click here.

Cyd and Lauren, Junior Operations Analyst and Project Manger respectively.

Our professional Advisory Committee met on 6 December to meet our seniors and convene as our Scientific Review Board. Every year our partners come together to review new project proposals and research drafts. It can never be stressed quite enough how the PAC’s level of commitment to the MBRP has elevated the quality of the work we do. For more images and information on our 2017 PAC please click here.

2017 Marine Biology Research Programs Professional Advisory Committee

This year we’d like to highlight two of our partners: Bronx Community College (BCC) and ConEdison. BCC and its Chemistry Department Chair, Dr. Neal Phillip, donated a professional grade weather station and ten high-volume printers to the New York Harbor School-BOP and have agreed to sign a five-year articulation agreement between our GIS labs. ConEdison, under the representation of Michael Kessler and Michael Porto, has renewed a grant to perform lab experiments on contaminants found in the Harbor and their effects on oyster larval development. On 15 December, ConEdison’s Andrew Simpson gave us an exclusive tour of their world-renowned education facility located in Long Island City. Thirteen of our scholars got the inside scoop behind ConEdison’s techniques to maintain the largest underground power grid on the planet. They also gave our scholars a perspective on careers offered, and priceless advice on adapting to the ever changing world of work, namely, “learning how to learn.” For more images of the tour click here.

Work-Based Learning tour of ConEdison’s Education Facility (Photo by Dorick Lee)

Starting July of 2017, Liz Burmester joined the MBRP family as our very own BOP Professional. She comes to us with expert training in community ecology after having finished her doctoral work at Boston University. She’s passionate about science and education. Her doctoral thesis was on a temperate coral species and its recovery based on biological and environmental conditions. She has also taught at the New England Aquarium and mentored many undergraduates. Because of these experiences, she has enhanced the quality of our research at the MBRP. Specifically, she has personally met with all our scholars and reviewed their project proposals and drafts. She’s also brought a fresh perspective on the complex world of secondary education. We are grateful to have her as our newest team member.

Liz Burmester, BOP Pro.

Lastly, as is our tradition every year, on 22 November we celebrated our SEALs-giving meal together. It was exciting to see our alumni interacting with our youngest members and sharing their best experiences in the Program. My favorite stories dealt with the countless times we had to go out and sample in Manhattan’s sub-freezing winter weather or having to run to the ferry – to the school –  to incubate bacteria, clean up, and get back on the last ferry in less than forty-five minutes! For more images of our celebration click here.

Thanks for all your support! The MBRPers and SEALs family would like to wish you a  HARBOR NEW YEAR!

SEALs-Giving 2017

Work-Based Learning and Career and Technical Education in the MBRP

MBRP scholars deploying an experiment on the Harlem River for the Non-Profit group CIVITAS Citizens.
MBRP scholars deploying an experiment on the Harlem River for the non-profit group CIVITAS Citizens aboard the NYHF vessel, Virginia. Real-World experiences give scholars the opportunity to practice the technical and professional skills they learn in the MBRP (Photo Credit: Mauricio González).

The New York Harbor School’s Marine Biology Research Program (MBRP) provides Work-Based Learning (WBL) experiences to its students in the 10 through 12th grades. WBL gives our marine scholars opportunities to study complex subject matter as well as gain vital workplace skills in a hands-on environment. WBL experiences also provide students with career awareness, career options exploration, appropriate workplace skills development, and the opportunity to relate academic skills to real-life applications. For more information take a look at our 2016 MBRP annual report

MBRP scholars visit the premiere sociology research organization mdrc where they get to participate in a mock research experiment.
MBRP scholars visit the premiere sociology research organization mdrc where they get to participate in a mock research experiment. Work site visits allow scholars to  feel they have access and fit in to places they would otherwise feel are inaccessible.

Some WBL activities appropriate for every grade level are: guest speaker visits to the classroom, career fairs, job site tours, job shadowing, work with professional mentors on research projects, and internships. Internships are considered the pinnacle of the WBL spectrum. As students see the connections between their lab/field work and what is required at the work site, they gain an understanding of the importance of learning and are able to make better decisions about their futures.

Professional visits by Mr. Michael Kessler from ConEdison. He invited a team from the Coast Guard Auxxiliary and Bronx Community College to help instill the value of a good work ethic and striving for the top.
Professional visits by Mr. Michael Kessler from ConEdison. He invited a team from the Coast Guard Auxiliary and Dr. Neal Phillip from Bronx Community College to help instill the values of a good work ethic and striving for the top (Photo Credit: Mauricio González).

Some of our yearly professional visits include Mr. Michael Kessler from the Consolidated Edison Corporation of NY  (CON-ED), Capt. Matthew Leahey from the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and Mrs. Rachael Miller from the Rozalia Project. Our year wouldn’t be the same without the dedication of these professionals to making not only our scholars into better professionals but also improving the world around us.

The MBRP has produced over 1989 Work-Based Learning opportunities for its students in the last 5 years. Every year has been better than the previous.
The MBRP has produced over 1989 Work-Based Learning opportunities for its students in the last 5 years. Every year has been better than the previous (Data: 2016 MBRP Annual Report).

Since 2012, the MBRP has helped scholars access over eighty-eight (88) paid internships, seventy-five (75) service learning opportunities, four hundred twenty-three (423) professional visits, forty (40) scholar presentations in conferences, and twenty-five (25) work-site tours. Scholars have also had the opportunity to generate over twenty-eight (28) ePortfolios and forty-four (44) Work-Skills Employability Profiles. For more information take a look at our 2016 MBRP annual reportSome of our internships partners include CIVITAS Citizens, Cell Motion Labs, Earth Matter, The Nature Conservancy, The River Project, NYU, St. Francis College, Roger Williams University, and Columbia University.

Cezanne Bies and Zain Bin Khalid present at the Finals round of the NYC Science and Engineering Fair. They eventually went on to win 3rd prize.
Cézanne Bies and Zain Bin Khalid present at the Finals round of the NYC Science and Engineering Fair. They eventually went on to win 3rd prize. Professional presentations give scholars the experience needed to gain self-confidence in public speaking (Photo Credit: Ms. Ronnie Woodhouse).

2016 NEW YORK HARBOR SCHOOL MARINE SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM

160427_5th_annual_marine_scieence_symposium_cezanne_2You’re cordially invited to attend our 5th Annual Marine Science Symposium at the New York Harbor School on May 18 starting at 12pm. Experience cutting edge science from our very own Marine Biology Research Scholars and our special guest Mr. Charlie Fitzpatrick, ESRI Schools Program Manager. Mr. Fitzpatrick will be sharing his journey through the exciting world of Geospatial technology. Also presenting are this year’s NYC Science and Engineering Fair participants and finalists including Cezanne Bies and Zain Bin Khalid who received the third award among NYC’s top science scholars for their project on oyster restoration. Go New York Harbor School science!

Please RSVP at: mgonzalez@newyorkharborschool.org

Marine Biology Research!

Team MBRP Cezanne Bies and Zain Bin Khalid swimming circles around NYC's brightest on March 6's NYC Science and Engineering Fair.
Team MBRP Cezanne Bies and Zain Bin Khalid swimming circles around NYC’s brightest on March 6’s NYC Science and Engineering Fair. (Photo credit: Ms. Woodhouse, MBRP mom)

This was a big week for Marine Biology Research Scholars. On March 6 four of our advanced marine research scholars presented at the NYC Science and Engineering Fair. Competing with over four hundred of the City’s brightest science scholars, Cezanne Bies, Zain Bin Khalid, Marc Jimenez, and Luca Goldmansour showcased their long term research projects to judges from NYC’s top research institutions.

Advanced marine science scholar Luca Goldmansour, class of '16.
Advanced marine science scholar Luca Goldmansour, class of ’16.
Advanced marine science scholar Marc Jimenez, class of '16.
Advanced marine science scholar Marc Jimenez, class of ’16.

On Friday, March 4th, four of our intermediate research scholars presented their research to their partners CIVITAS, the Hudson River Foundation, and the Environmental Defense Fund. Led by Melanie Smith (Project Manager) and team members Grace Carter (biodiversity team leader), Katha Conklin (plankton team leader), and Cindy Isidoro (benthos team leader) they successfully presented the project’s final Quality Assurance Project Plan for approval.

Left to right: Jameson Mitchell, Maura Smotrich, Cindy Isidoro, Katha Conklin, Grace Carter, Susan Maresca, Melanie Smith, Mauricio Gonzalez, Kate Boicourt, Jim Tripp.
Left to right: Jameson Mitchell, Maura Smotrich, Cindy Isidoro, Katha Conklin, Grace Carter, Susan Maresca, Melanie Smith, Mauricio Gonzalez, Kate Boicourt, Jim Tripp. (Photo credit: Maura Smotrich, CIVITAS)

And finally, on Monday, February 29, the Department of Education’s Office of Post Secondary Readiness recognized our Professional Advisory Committee member Captain and Scientist Matthew Leahey from NGO Seasavers and the Coast Guard Auxiliary with a plaque of recognition for his outstanding support of the Harbor School and the Marine Biology Research Program specifically. Captain Leahey got our team started on monitoring plastics in the NY Harbor before any other organization on the City was doing so. He led the MBRP on multiple expeditions aboard his vessel, the Nomad. He also custom built a manta tow to perform the sampling at the Verrazano narrows. When not on the water, he was leading workshops at our lab on water resources, plastics contamination, and the difficulty of environmental measurements for monitoring. We’d like to thank all our Professional Advisory Committee members and partners for making all these accomplishments possible. And a special thank you goes out to Captain Leahey for his amazing dedication to our future scientists and our city at large. Go Harbor School Science!

Captain and Scientist Matthew Leahey with our Harbor scholars preparing for a plankton tow.
Captain and Scientist Matthew Leahey with our Harbor scholars preparing for a plankton tow.