Bermuda 2025

We made it to the island of Bermuda! After a quick lunch, our group got a tour of the BIOS campus before taking a nice walk out to Whalebone Bay. At Whalebone Bay, everyone braved the chilly temperatures and performed our swim check. Then, we ate dinner and participated in our first lecture - Bermuda: An Oceanic Island. This gave us a great foundation about the formation of the island and many of the plant and animal species we will encounter this week.

Here are some highlights so far from the students: 

"My favorite part about the trip so far is how amazing this group of people is and how much fun we have together, even though many of us just met!"- Shay Bakunas '27

"My favorite part of the trip so far has been getting to know everyone on the trip through playing games in our free time." - Andreas Visan '27

"My favorite part of the trip thus far has definitely been the view of the water that we have at BIOS and all of the scenery." - Magdalena Tenreiro '27

Check out this reel from our Day 1 highlights on Instagram!

 

Hello from Bermuda! 

With a lot of rain last night and showers throughout the day today, we had a slight shift in our planned itinerary. We were able to accomplish many of our indoor-based laboratory exercises today so that we can maximize our outdoor time later in the week when the weather is better!

This morning’s labs focused on how researchers learn about parts of the deep ocean, especially parts that are currently inaccessible to humans. We learned about different types of marine monitoring, including using DNA remnants in the environment, video cameras, and marine acoustic listening devices. The students were also able to practice their micropipetting skills, run a DNA electrophoresis gel to compare species in a sample, and had to identify the sounds they heard on their hydrophones. 

After a break for lunch, our focus was on using technology to aid in the study of the ocean. We heard from Jonny Chapman, one of BIOS's robotics experts who runs the glider program to collect many types of marine data. Students competed to extract model corals and other objects from the pool while piloting ROVs (remote operated vehicles) as well as using simulation software to neutralize invasive Crown-of-thorns starfish from coral habitats. We even got to experience life as plankton using VR headsets! We wrapped up the afternoon with an opportunity to hear from an expert in the field of UAVs (underwater autonomous vehicles) and other emerging marine technologies, Dr. Brennan Phillips. Dr. Phillips spoke to the group about many of the devices that he has developed to study the ocean including specially designed cameras for underwater imaging and using fiber optic lines to collect data. 

Here’s what students had to say about their experiences on the BIOS campus today: 

“My favorite part of today was learning about how machine learning is used to automate video data collection at BIOS. I also loved the ROV driving competition we had, even though my team’s robot ended up breaking several times…” - Nicholas Kuntz '25

“I enjoyed the lecture from Dr. Phillips and seeing the work of some of BIOS’s ocean engineers first hand.”- Jamey Bergeron '25

“My favorite part of the day was definitely the labs we did. We listened to animal sounds and tried to differentiate them from each other, analyzed DNA samples, controlled robots in the water and had a little competition (sadly my team did not win!), and learned about the ocean through VR.”- Ava Sherry '27

“The best part of today was getting to use ROVs in the pool pretending to grab samples from the ocean floor.”- Colleen Simmons '25

“My favorite part of today was when we listened to ocean acoustics and had to match up the sounds with what was making them. I learned how difficult it was to identify sounds under the water and I have a newfound admiration for those who study that long term.” - Tasha Lawson '27

Check out a day two recap here from Ms. Holloran, Chair of the Science Department .

 

Good evening from Day 3 in Bermuda! It is hard to believe we are already halfway through our trip to BIOS!

We spent the day focused on the study of microplastics. This morning, we headed to Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve where we set up quadrats along both Well Bay Beach and Long Bay Beach so that we could collect samples of the sand to bring back to the lab. The students enjoyed getting to dig out their quadrats and sieve through to eliminate the looser particles while collecting their samples. 

Once we returned to BIOS, we headed into the lab to further process the samples that we took. Students worked on separating out the plastics from the pieces of rocks, sand, seaweed, and shells. The data that we collected will become part of BIOS’s ongoing citizen science project. Students also had the opportunity to help input and analyze some of the data that has been collected and search for trends and patterns by creating spreadsheets and graphs of data.  

We wrapped up the day with a video history of Nonsuch Island - one of the most important locations in Bermuda for the conservation and preservation of rare and threatened species.

Here are a few student highlights from today: 

“My favorite part of today was experiencing some of what I would be studying in college by going to the beach and collecting microplastics, then working in the lab examining what we collected.”- Mya Buendia

“My favorite part of today was being able to go to Cooper’s Island. It was really nice to be outside and do our microplastic activity! I also loved the nature walk!”- Molly Cinquegrano '25

“My favorite activity was our microplastics lab! We first took our sieved sand from earlier in the day and removed all the microplastics from it. It was very eye-opening to see the small particles floating in water that I never knew were there!”- Leila Musto '26

“My favorite part of the day was walking through Cooper’s Island and learning about all of the native species and getting to see the beach from the observation tower!”- Charlize Jeannot '25

“My favorite part of today was being able to explore and learn about the beautiful Cooper’s Island while also conducting a microplastic experiment.”- Bianca Renzullo '25

“My favorite part of today was doing the microplastics project and getting to compare the plastic that is in different parts of the sand.”- Abby Ventullo '27

Check out Instagram to see what Vanessa Privitera '25 and Gabe Guerra '27 had to say about our Microplastics lab!

 

What a wonderful, sunny day we had today all over the island! Our patience with the weather was certainly rewarded as we basked in the sunshine while exploring native, endemic, and invasive species and spent some time in the waters of Bermuda. 

Our first outing today was on one of BIOS’s boats which transported us to Nonsuch Island. Nonsuch Island is a critical location in Bermuda, with a rich history of conservation efforts for a number of both native (naturally occurring) and endemic (only found in one geographic location) species. We heard stories about the Bermuda cahow birds which were thought to have been extinct for almost 300 years before being discovered again in Bermuda in the mid-20th century. We also learned about many of the plant species, including the blight that wiped out about 90% of the Bermuda cedar trees that used to cover much of Bermuda. The students had a blast leaping into the ocean from the boat (as boats are not permitted to dock on Nonsuch Island) and swimming into the beach before beginning our nature trek. We also had the opportunity to snorkel around a small shipwreck before boarding our boat back to BIOS for lunch. 

In the afternoon, our guides took us to Walsingham Nature Reserve to continue learning about the biodiversity of Bermuda. We focused on the plant species at Walsingham, including the mangrove trees. Additionally, we learned about the limestone formations and the cave system that can be found throughout Bermuda. We got to explore some tidepools as well as a few of the caves, and even swam inside of one! A highlight for many students was also jumping into the waters of a blue hole that formed from a sinkhole that filled in with salt water. 

Our final activity of the day was centered around the plankton species that inhabit the waters around Bermuda. We once again boarded the boat for a short ride, towing the plankton net behind us. Once we arrived back on campus, we were able to observe the plankton under the microscope and identify the different types. 

“I really liked this morning when we went to Nonsuch Island. It was so cool swimming to the island and swimming back to the boat. It was very interesting hearing about the native and endemic species on the island and the ways people in Bermuda try in order to protect those species. The boat ride to and from the island was also very fun!”- Sofia Cataldi '26

“I really liked the afternoon nature walk we did since we saw so many cool endemic and native species. My favorite part was definitely getting to explore the caves and we got to swim in one and jump off of a ledge into a blue hole, which was really fun!”- Celia Sensale '26

“My favorite part of today was going out on a boat to do a plankton tow and then continuing our research in the lab with an evaluation of the different plankton species.”- Madison Mangino '26

Check out our day four recap here.

 

Hello from our last full day in Bermuda! 

A brave group of students and chaperones set their alarms for 3:00 this morning in order to view the peak of the Blood Moon Total Lunar Eclipse. This special event occurs when the moon passes directly through the penumbra (shadow) of the Earth, blocking out all direct sunlight. The moon takes on a red coloring during this time and is quite a spectacle to see. Due to the low light pollution around the BIOS campus, we were able to watch the eclipse clearly just steps from our rooms! 

After a quick nap and some breakfast, we all gathered and traveled to Tobacco Bay for some snorkeling and relaxation after a hard day’s work yesterday. In the afternoon, our student research teams put the finishing touches on their research posters and presented their findings to the group (be on the lookout for more information about these!). We capped off our evening with a nighttime snorkel at Whalebone Bay, bringing flashlights with us so that we could observe the species that live there at night. It was a great finish to our week here in Bermuda!

Everyone is now back on the BIOS campus, packing up their bags for our early departure to the airport tomorrow. Although we are sad to be leaving Bermuda, everyone is excited to return home and tell their friends and family all about their trip!  

Here's what they have to say for now: 

“My favorite part of today was exploring Tobacco Bay with my friends, spotting fish below and skipping rocks from the beach.” - Nicholas Bianco '26

“My favorite part of today was a bright blue lionfish swimming right up to me at Tobacco Bay. I got to swim near beautiful rocks and see various species of fish.” - Chloe Russell '25

“My favorite part of today was looking toward the setting sun while at the night snorkel. Seeing the sunset was beautiful against the crystal water and very memorable.” - Douglas Brindle '26

“My favorite part of today was getting to watch the sunset and seeing all the different fishes while night snorkeling.” - Kendryk Aquino '25

“My favorite part of today was the night snorkeling. I enjoyed seeing the massive spiny lobster.”  - Cat Bajoras '27

“My favorite part of today was snorkeling twice. The beach and water in Tobacco Bay was beautiful and clear. During the night snorkel we saw a spiny lobster which was so cool. The sunset and beaches were gorgeous because we could go so far during the snorkel.” - Meredith Rhodes '25

Check out our day five recap here.