Thirty Chicago-area students were chosen by Shedd Aquarium for the program and spent a week learning about marine life in the Bahamas.
(ENN) -- For nearly 30 years, teenagers from the Chicago area have been going to the Bahamas to pursue their interests in marine biology thanks to a program established by the Shedd Aquarium.

Each year, around 100 aspiring marine biologists apply to the program which is highlighted by a week-long trip aboard the aquarium's research vessel, the R/V Coral Reef II. Out at sea the students live among the coral reefs and conduct field studies while snorkeling in the Atlantic Ocean.

The aquarium selects 30 students from diverse backgrounds for the program, said Michelle Wildes, the program's director. The selected students, each of whom have completed a year of high school science, know how to swim and have an expressed interest in marine science, undergo a crash course in marine biology before they embark on their voyage.

Once in the Bahamas, "they will snorkel in the Atlantic Ocean and gather plankton (tiny floating animals and plants) to study the foundation of the marine food chain," said Wildes.

Beyond conducting experiments, the students "learn a lot about themselves and come back with great friendships," she said.

Selected participants in the past have included a young boy who had developed an interest in marine biology while snorkeling off the coast of Australia and students who have never left Chicago nor been on a boat.
When the students get back to the Chicago area they present their research results and an overview of the trip to their peers, parents and the aquarium staff.

Many of the students stay involved with marine biology long after the trip ends, said Wildes. Some of them become interns at the Shedd Aquarium to compliment their undergraduate studies at places like the University of Miami.

The program costs $2,200 per student, but a grant allows the aquarium to charge the students $1,200. There are scholarships available for students with a financial need.