Holidays with a difference for students off the Goa coast By Frederick Noronha
PANAJI (Goa), April 30: For over a hundred students in Goa, the summer heat and holidays took them to the beachside with an unusual mission: learning from scientists what secrets the shores holds under their sands. In late-April, the students, in two batches took part in a 'summer course', being organised by the Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography. "We aim to create an awareness about the seas, flora and fauna and the sensitive ecosystem such as mangroves (tropical maritime trees that grow in coastal areas). It includes lectures, films slide shows and field trips to a beach and mangrove area," said NIO scientist and course coordinator S.R.Bhat. Students are being given a chance to work in the lab to analyse the samples they have collected during field trips and prepare observation reports. The National Institute of Oceanography, one of the 38 constituents of the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), is an oceanographic research organization based at the Dona Paula locality of Goa, some eight kms from here. In an attempt to make its skills better known to denizens of this coastal state, NIO recently announced short duration summer courses for the students of classes VIII to XII. NIO said it got some 100 students responding by the due date, and requests from another 25 students came afterwards. In the already-concluded first batch, some 49 students -- 21 girls and 28 boys. They came from some 25 different schools, as far apart as Assonora, Calangute, Mapusa, Margao, Panjim, Pernem, Ponda, Porvorim, and Dona Paula itself. NIO provided the students with free copies of articles and excerpts of the topics relevant to the subject proposed for the course, like benthic fauna,algal blooms and mangroves. Students taking part in this unusual summer break were also provided with free observation sheets, lunch, tea and snacks and free transport for field work and to reach them to the Panaji bus terminus at the end of each day. Bhat says this short course of four days would just touch upon water, sediment and the associated environment such as mangroves, but possibly enough to "enkindle an interest about seas around youngsters and to make them realise their importance". NIO, he said, was enthused by the "overwhelming response" and was considering holding such courses on a regular basis. NIO director Dr.Ehrlich Desa, now at the helm of a research centre sometimes critiqued for not making its work widely known to the local community, has been behind pushing such outreach activities for students and others. Desa told students that the NIO has been one of the "finest institutions of ocean" research and a place for the younger generation to choose for their career developement. NIO, he noted, is also open to visitors during other days of the year. It has formal Open Days on NIO foundation day on 25 January, National Science Day on 28 Februray, National Technology Day on May 11 and CSIR Foundation Day on 26 September. Desa invited the students to make use of NIO library, computer facility and interact with the scientists. This should be done as a matter of right from this publicly funded laboratory, he suggested. Students were made familiar with the Institute activities, and were given guidelines on field and lab work.Forenoons of two days were devoted for field work, including a visit to the beach -- for a different kind of joy though -- and a mangrove area. Once in the field, students were divided into smaller batches. One group studied beach fauna using methodology followed by the marine biologists. The second observed sand dunes and vegetation, while the third got involved in beach profiling by laser track and dumpy levels. During the field trip, to Chorao -- an island off Panaji which is a densely populated mangrove area -- students studied mangroves and plankton. Chorao island's ferry boat, normally just used by the commuters to cross the Mandovi river that divides the island, was this time used as a platform to demonstrate the water sampling method for analysis of plankton (floating minute animal and plant organisms in water) and its chemical composition. Afternoons were used to carry out lab observations on the samples collected. Students were later given a two-minute slot to present highlights of their observations, learnings and suggestions (ENDS) Feedback and responses to [EMAIL PROTECTED] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
