On Thursday, April 6, local officials and Pacific Beach Middle School students toured the Seaport Climate Science Program at Pepper Park, a new program teaching local students about climate science with hands-on experiences on the ocean.
During the field trip, students conducted a few science experiments such as dissecting lancetfish stomachs and examining the slimy contents, using echosounder technology to monitor fish populations, gathering ocean water samples for testing, and examining plankton under a microscope. They discovered the difference in water temperature between surface and deep water using a water quality testing station. They also explored ocean populations by finding fish and plankton.
“This program offers us new activities that we didn’t experience before. Sometimes school work is boring, but we can find out new pieces of stuff here,” said Alarycia Coenon, 13, Pacific Beach Middle School student.
Pepper Park has been underutilized in recent years. The program gives it a new purpose.
“There are many, many residents that haven’t had the opportunity to come to the park because of access, transportation, and for years it’s been closed off. But not anymore. This program is going to show that we are going to engage our students to get here to learn and to have the opportunity,” said Sandy Naranjo, Port of San Diego Vice Chair. “In the future when we have the Climate Science Learning Center, it’s going to be the whole region— all the communities in South Bay to San Ysidro.”
After two years of prototypes, the Seaport Climate Science Program is a proof-of-concept for the future proposed Seaport San Diego Learning Center. This is a partnership program between Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, San Diego Unified School District, and Seaport San Diego.
The Seaport Climate Science Program is designed to give students an opportunity to get an authentic STEM learning experience outside the classroom. The objective is to make students curious about the environment and the planet as well as inspire them to protect the ocean. Hopefully, this program encourages students and prepares them to seek professions in the emerging “blue economy.”
The program is a long-term investment in getting the next generation interested in San Diego’s greatest resource: the ocean.
“These are the kids who are our future environmental stewards. Today is the day we start an investment in that for all of us, living in the community,” said Harry Helling, Executive Director of Birch Aquarium. “Through these partnerships, this program will help lower barriers, ease access, and allow kids to see themselves pursuing STEM colleges in STEM careers.”
