The Niceville students have been working on a ‘NaGisa’ coastal surveying project for many years now, and tour the world each year to survey different shores.  This year they came to the UK, to sample the demanding and diverse shore that our coast has to offer.

To find out more about the school and their programme go to:  http://www.nagisa.gknu.com/

The Florida group arrived on Wednesday, 14 of June, after a 20-hour journey, but did not hesitate to make the most of our collaboration, inviting the students to join them for dinner at The Mount Batten Centre, where they were staying.  As well as being a very culturally enriching experience for both sets of students, this was a great opportunity for both parties to get to know each other and talk about each other’s lives and studies before getting to work the next day.  It did not take long for the conversation to start flowing, and as one might imagine, the discussions soon strayed away from the topic of Marine Biology.

Thursday was survey day.  We met the Florida group at the MBA in Plymouth, and the leading students on the NaGisa project inducted our students into their survey techniques and collection protocols.  It was a great opportunity for the ICC students to see a truly scientific approach to survey work that had been constructed and put into practice by students of a similar age.  The NaGisa protocols, basically the methods by which they undertake a survey with the aim of collecting fair and comparable data, were very strict, and carried out by the Niceville students with great pride and discipline.  Initially I think our students were very impressed with the systems and equipment that the Niceville students had put together for the trip.  As we headed to the shore however, it soon became clear that local knowledge was going to pay off, and that the south west shore was going to prove a little more challenging than the desert like beaches of the north coast of Florida.  Both groups of students put their heads together and adapted well to carry out some very effective survey work, and gather some great collections for next day’s analysis.  The students should feel proud that through their combined work, the NaGisa project now has a ‘Plymouth Protocol’ specially designed for our rocky shores.

Friday was analysis day, and once again the colleges combined into groups to pick through the various collections, identify what had been gathered, and preserve samples for transportation back to America to be displayed in the Florida State University.  Again, the ICC students' local knowledge was invaluable, and there was high praise from teachers on both sides for how well the students gelled together to work effectively.  As a result of the work, the NaGisa team were delighted to complete their analysis in one day, something that they claim was only possible with our help, and which in turn allowed them a day to explore Plymouth on Saturday.

A proud moment and an incredible experience all round, and one that has inspired me and the group to work a little harder in the new year on our own project.  There are lots of possibilities for us, and the partnership with the MBA goes from strength to strength and who knows, one day in the future maybe we will be able to honour Mr Hernandez and his team’s offer of a return trip to Florida?