Students in the Belfast Marine Institute’s flagship course Marine Studies recently wrapped the semester-long elective with presentations of their major marine-themed projects.

Wide-ranging, timely, scientific and/or commercial in purpose, these student-choice efforts were presented as powerpoints, posters, hands-on demonstrations and models showing their interests, curiosity and passions with the marine world. Topics ranged from establishing a Belfast fishing charter business, updates on the BMI social media pages, examination of the whale entanglement issue, public service announcements on plastics in the ocean and endangered coral reefs, the differences between movie sharks and real sharks (in honor of the 50th anniversary of JAWS), a 3D printing effort replicating the Institute’s Minke Whale bones, examination of marine species such as the weedy seadragon and whale sharks and seahorses, as well as aerial drone applications charting marine life or mapping extent of harbor ice, and a student-designed certification course in underwater ROV handling and operations.

For more information on the Belfast Marine Institute visit https://bahsmarineinstitute.rsu71.org/.