Everett Community College (EvCC) is awarded a grant to acquire a research vessel to enhance undergraduate research experiences for community college students and other educational partners in the North Puget Sound region. This research vessel provides the platform to conduct basic biological research relevant to two local community college education agendas, leveraging new levels of academic and scientific collaboration. Providing opportunities for students to explore the intersection between research and education while dissecting the biological connections to physical and geological dynamics in an estuary represents powerful teaching and learning.
The vessel will be equipped with a drop down bow for beach landing and swing through davit access for a CTD array and sediment dredge, as well as electronic interface for real-time display of water column profile and benthic surveys. The vessel will expand and enhance the research capacity on longitudinal research conducted by students, increasing research cruises from monthly to weekly, while providing greater research training opportunities for more students. A dedicated research vessel provides flexibility to adjust to weather conditions, allows for anchoring, provides shallow water access for eel grass surveys, increases data collection as well as accessibility, increases collaboration between community colleges, universities and state agencies and provides increased opportunities for community engagement.
Emerging partnerships expand the research opportunities beyond EvCC, through the partner institutions of the Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative. Ongoing partnerships with local universities, state agencies, K-12 institutions and community partners provide rich opportunities for increasing the sense of place and the connection to the local ecosystem which helps students make more informed decisions about the environment in which they live. By providing the tools and access, this vessel represents an innovative platform for teaching and training emerging scientists, many of whom are underserved in STEM fields. For more information visit www.everettcc.edu/orca
