On Thursday we boarded the Coral Reef II to talk to a group of high school students who were doing a program with the Shedd Aquarium. While Kel was really the main attraction, Nicole and Salma were asked a couple of questions about colleges and majors/degrees. Kel gave a wonderfully animated presentation about the goals of DCP and the research that DCP conducts. The students asked lots of good questions about the dolphins, really showcasing their genuine interest and curiosity on the subject. We were on board for a little over two hours and the talk was really directed by the kids’ questions, which was really impressive! The current became a little rough at times, which made Salma feel particularly queasy. In the end it turned out great! The kids all wrote down their emails to receive newsletters from DCP and we hoped on the dinghy back to shore.
Once back on shore, we had time to regain our land legs and to grab some lunch, and Salma and Nicole learned where to get water on the island. The interns then got to work analyzing some Bimini data for
social quality, something we are used to doing from our recent time at the DCP office. A few chunks on the tape proved to be quite challenging and a bit frustrating to sift through. There were dolphins on dolphins on dolphins and it became a bit strenuous on the eyes (and mind) to get a definitive sense of what was going on. But we made it to dinner and hopefully a new day will give us clearer eyes to analyze some more data!
We’re really glad that we found a groove today, and we hope to keep up the work. Maybe next week we’ll get to really test out the snorkeling skills that we’ve been practicing on the beach!
Until then,
Salma, Nicole & Kel