Spring 2009 - Volume 13.3 - Cabrillo High School Aquarium

Letter From
the Editors
CABRILLO HIGH SCHOOL AQUARIUM
PATRONS
Dear Readers,
Thank you for reading the Spring issue
of the Coastal Current. I’d like to thank everyone who helped make all of our amazing trips
and projects possible. We appreciate the wonderful opportunities and experiences that our
students and staff recieve. Thank you!
-Amanda Schaller and Amy Jenness
Left: Mr.
Eisen
and our
Tourism
students
wait to go
inside the
Santa Barbara Sea
Center.
The Coastal Current (Patron Newsletter)
acknowledges those who contribute financially
to the Patron Program on an annual basis.
Benefactor’s Circle: $500+
Associate’s Circle: $250
Sustainer’s Circle: $100
Supporter’s Circle: $50
Contributor’s Circle: $25
Benefactor’s Circle
Mr. Mike Del Prete
Mr. Omer Dersom
In Memory of Hank Hudson
Louise Mollath Trust
Patricia Nowell
Grace & Richard Okita Foundation
Associate’s Circle
Cecilia Brown Walker (Class of ‘71)
Sustainer’s Circle
Patricia Briggs
Ed Burnett (Class of ‘79)
Dave & Linda Davidson
Dennis & Jesslyn Deleissegues
James & Barbara Berg Davis
Lompoc Elks Ladies Auxilary
M. Drew & Barbara (Gibbons ‘73) Lawrence
Rebecca Lopez
Tomas & Muriel Machin
Carl & Jane Schlosser & Family
Orlando & Joan Severo
Virginia Shoemaker
Michael & Sonya Taylor
Debbie (Ancel) Van Hyfte
Dr. & Mrs. Benjamin Williams
Marc Whittwer
Supporter’s Circle
Coastal Current Staff
Amanda Schaller........................................... Editor
Amy Jenness........................................... Co-Editor
Greg Eisen.................................Aquarium Director
eiseng@lompoc.k12.ca.us
Dave Long.................................Executive Director
Elaine Long......................Administrative Assistant
www.cabrilloaquarium.org
Cabrillo High School
4350 Constellation Rd. Lompoc, CA 93436
(805) 742-2888
Helen Anglin
John & Erin Bingle
Dr. & Mrs. Arthur Hicks
Dale & Laurie Litwiler
Lompoc Valley Women in Chamber
Dr. & Mrs. Robert Reiner
Contributor’s Circle
Mary Bingle
Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Carter
Ray & Martha Garrett
In Memory of Maryann Goodwin
Lillie Belle Greutzemacher
In Memory of Arlene Hain
Jana Hunking
Carol Ann Johnson
Nola Nowell
Preceptor Eta Eta
Rebecca Lee Patterson
June Schwartz
Janet & Charlie Travis
Guy Truett
Myra Wapner
V o l u m e
1 3 I s s u e
3 S p r i n g
2 0 0 9
Road Trip! Monterey Bay Aquarium
By Amy Jenness
Cabrillo High School Tourism students recently
had the privilege to venture to the Monterey Bay
Aquarium for an exclusive behind-the-scenes
visit. This world-renowned establishment has incredible exhibits which display over 550 different species of plants and animals. Although the
average visit lasts around 3 hours, you can easily
spend the whole day and still have more to see.
Now, in its 25th year, the Monterey Bay Aquarium receives over 1.8 million visitors annually.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Cabrillo
High School Aquarium both share the same mission: to inspire conservation of the oceans and
to teach marine awareness. Although we operate on a much smaller scale than Monterey, we
strive to achieve excellence at the same level.
For many years they have served as a successful model for our program. Whenever we have
visited their program our goal has been to learn
as much as we can so we can apply some of their
techniques in the operation of our Aquarium.
The trip is also an excellent source of inspiration to our staff and students. Many project
Left: Our
guide, Mr.
Covel, gives our
Tourism students a behindthe-scenes tour
of the Monterey
Bay Aquarium
Above: Smile! Our Tourism students come together for a
group photo before heading to the Aquarium!
ject ideas have originated from these excursions.
During our stay at Monterey students are
able to explore the entire Aquarium at their own
leisurely pace during normal business hours.
Then, after hours, the Cabrillo High School
group has the chance to go behind-the-scenes to
see the inner workings of this well established
Aquarium. Students learn about the mechanics
of Monterey’s unique sea water supply, filtration
and protocols to maintain the facilities. Finally,
after a long day of travel, marvel and amazement; the Cabrillo group settles down in front of
the glow of the Outer Bay exhibit window for
the night.
The following morning, students and chaperones pack up and say their thank yous and
goodbyes and are off again on the sojourn back
home. After this trip, students are left with the
memory of a lifetime and seeds of potential ideas
for the future of our own Aquarium at Cabrillo.
Time to Catch Some Waves!
By Amanda Schaller
On April 6, 2009, a group of Tourism and
Advanced Integrated Science students earned the
opportunity to go on a research expedition onboard
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) Shearwater research vessel. The
Shearwater left out of Santa Barbara Harbor and
cruised north along the coastline. Students had a
chance to play the role of oceanographer during
this very educational voyage.
Students learned how to take water samples
and learned various methods that oceanographers
use to test the oceans. For example, we used a
Van Dorn Bottle to sample the seawater at specific
depths. We lowered this tool to a particular depth
and triggered it to obtain the water sample at that
depth. The bottle was then retrieved for sample
testing. Some of the tests we performed were
water temperature, salinity and pH. We were able
to see how each of these variables changed with
increasing depth. Students also learned how to use
a Secchi Disk to measure the transparency of the
ocean. The Secchi Disk was lowered into the water
until it disappeared. We then measured that depth
to determine the water’s visibility.
One of the highlights of the trip was the opportunity to “fly” the Natural History Museum’s
ROV. This professional ROV equipped with a
camera, light, and other instrumentation flew deep
into the kelp forest allowing us to see amazing
Above: Another highlight of the trip was an encounter
with two large pods of common dolphins.
footage of that community in action. One student
acted as pilot while others guided the tether to ensure a safe flight. We all had the chance to try the
various roles. It was an opportunity of a lifetime.
Upon returning to the harbor we visited both
the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and the Ty
Warner Sea Center. It was interesting and informative comparing and contrasting these programs
to our own facility. Our students learned a lot of
useful information that could be applied to our
Aquarium Program.
Ready. Set. GO!
By Amanda Schaller
State Standards learned in previous units, such as
Archemidis Principle of Bouyancy and electricity, into the design and wiring of their ROV.
Many students thought the ROV program
gives them more than just academic knowledge.
They learned how to work together as a team,
complete a project on time, speak in front of a
group of professionals and use simple household
tools. There is no other program like this on campus and they feel like it was an amazimg opportunity to be a part of it.
The enrollment and number of classes offered
will greatly increase next year. This program is
very popular and we are excited to see it grow
and improve every year.
Above: Students raced their ROVs, like the one shown
above, during the ROV competition. Students designed and
built their ROVs from scratch and competed in several missions thoughout the competition.
Above: Students sit in the ship’s cabin discussing the vari-
ous stages of seasickness.
Below Left: Rob Bedell & Dani Wilson use a Secchi Disk.
Below Right: Mr. Eisen shows Morgan Salm how to use a
Van Dorn Bottle
Ready. Set. Go! The annual Remote Operated
Vehicle (ROV) Competition was held on April 2324. Approximately 100 students from the Advanced
Integrated Science program put their knowledge,
skills and ROV designs to the test.
The students’ competition consisted of
four events. The first was an interview by a panel
of judges from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), the UCSB REEF
Program and two teachers from Channel Islands
High School. Students then put their ROV through
a tricky obstacle course which mimics flying ROVs
through a shipwreck. Each group then competed
in a tug of war contest to test strength and a relay
race to test for speed. Students were also required
to maintain a daily journal logging the progress
of the designs and construction of their ROVs.
The students had roughly two months to design, build, wire, and test drive their ROV before the competition. They applied California
Above: Students put their ROVs to the test during the class
ROV tug-of-war competition.
Below: Three Advanced Integrated Science students show
off their awesome ROV designs!