SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Students from Central Falls High School and Paul Cuffee High School in Providence were recruited by the University of Rhode Island to participate in the school’s first-ever Summer Shark Camp.
The four-day program will run from July 23-27 and students will spend their time conducting empirical research on sharks and ocean life in general.
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Students will be bused to URI and head to Point Judith, where they will board URI’s Cap’n Bert research vessel. They will spend six hours on the water each day. While onboard, they will fish for sharks, tag them and release them back into the ocean.
Biological sciences professor Bradley Wetherbee, who began studying sharks more than three decades prior, said the students will learn everything about the different species, morphological features and what sets sharks apart from other ocean life.
Michelle Fontes-Barros, assistant director of diversity recruitment and retention for the College of Environment and Life Sciences, said this camp is about more than just learning about sharks.
“Exposure is huge,” said Fontes-Barros in prepared remarks. “A lot of students … come to our university with a specific focus, to be a nurse, doctor, or pharmacist, but they don’t learn all of the different ways to explore what they’re interested in.”
Those students recruited must meet a variety of standards, including academic performance metrics.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
