Students Trade Lazy Days of Summer for NOAA Science Camp 

Lauren Koellermeier, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
Lisa Hiruki-Raring, NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center

August 18, 2009 — As the wind blew and water currents swirled, black globs of oil fanned out across Puget Sound, while boats raced in to help contain the spread — fortunately, this time it was not for real.

Instead, this was how middle school students, using a paper map and props (including small play boats), re-enacted a response to an oil spill. They had to think hard about how the wind, tide and currents could alter the oil’s movement and consider how the Sound’s habitat and wildlife might best be protected.

Welcome to summer camp, NOAA-style.

With partners Washington Sea Grant and the University of Washington’s Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, NOAA held its seventh annual NOAA Science Camp at the agency’s Sand Point  campus in Seattle, Wash., for two weeks this July. This year’s camp hosted a total of 80 campers.

This collaborative effort featured offices located at NOAA’s Western Regional Center, including NOAA Fisheries, National Ocean Service, National Weather Service, NOAA Research, and NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations. NOAA Science Camp’s exceptional “One-NOAA” approach demonstrated the agency’s wide diversity of science specialties; campers and their families learned how NOAA offices work together to provide information and address environmental issues that affect their daily lives.

The students, who assume the roles of scientists for the week, worked in teams with educators and NOAA scientists on a variety of hands-on activities highlighting NOAA’s work. Campers experienced firsthand how NOAA scientists conduct research — whether that means sampling water to test for dissolved oxygen, counting beluga whales on video, creating a seafloor map or restoring a stream habitat.

The middle school “scientists” also were presented with a scientific mystery to solve, one that was similar to what a NOAA scientist would face. They were given minimal information about a fish kill incident on a beach in Puget Sound and were expected to hypothesize what might have happened and come up with a list of research questions to help answer their hypothesis.

For the exercise, campers gathered weather data, tested water for contaminants, identified the fish killed and the marine mammals seen in the area, found underwater obstructions using nautical charts, and investigated the spread of an unknown substance in the water. At the end of camp, the students presented the results of their investigation at a poster session before an audience of their families and NOAA researchers. 

“Science is very fun!” said one camper. “I always thought it was only about work, but now I know it’s not [just] a subject in school.”

Visiting the NOAA Dive Center was a highlight for many of the campers. Students took turns speaking with a submerged scuba diver and trying on dive gear.

“Watching the excitement and wonder in the campers’ eyes as they pressed their noses against the porthole, watching my every move, was a rewarding experience,” said NOAA Corps Cmdr. Mark Pickett, who demonstrated his diving skills in a 35-foot-deep training tank.

“If you are passionate about your career, you can make people have fun learning about it,” concluded one student.

At the close of camp, Darcy Nothnagle from Rep. Jim McDermott’s office (WA-7), and Pete Mills from Rep. Jay Inslee’s office (WA-1) told campers that one day, congressional representatives may be calling them, as expert scientists, to help address and solve future marine-based environmental issues.

You can learn more about NOAA Science Camp by visiting the Washington Sea Grant Web page.