Our understanding of the environment gained a boost this summer with ten interns participating in the eight week Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) Internship Programme 2002.

The research was funded jointly by the Ernest Stempel Foundation and Friends of the Bermuda Aquarium (FOBA) giving them the opportunity to work with and gain experience from environmental professionals. One of the most significant components of this programme is the development and implementation of study within the Bermuda Biodiversity Project.

There was also an opportunity for those interested in animal husbandry to participate in a programme designed to enhance understanding of fish and exotic animals. The goal was to gain animal care experience by assisting with the care of animals in both the aquarium and zoo.

Jack Ward, Director of Conservation Services and Principal Curator of BAMZ said: "Our goal of effecting positive change in the lives of young people through our Bermuda programmes in education and conservation along with our commitment to shaping the future are unwavering. We are proud to provide this unique environmental education opportunity at BAMZ."

He added: "The Stempel Foundation has generously supported the conservation education and research goals of the Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) and BAMZ since 1998 and this year it provided scholarships for six Bermudian students to study within the Bermuda Biodiversity Project."

"Every Bermudian who applied for an internship was accepted into the programme and one student who has interned with the Biodiversity Project before returned as a mentor," said Mr. Ward. FOBA also work to educate people of all ages to the importance of conservation.

Lynda Johnson, Membership and Programmes Co-ordinator for FOBA, said: "Without our Corporate Partners and charitable contributors to the Education Fund, FOBA would not be able to maintain its conservation focused education programmes."

She said: "In particular Mr. and Mrs. Ron Lucas who in 2001 established a scholarship, the John L. and Karen C. Pye Memorial Scholarship that is awarded annually to a FOBA intern.

"The purpose of the scholarship is to provide education and research opportunities for American or Canadian student interns at BAMZ.

This year the Pye Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Corey Neatrour who is studying Biology at Essex College in Maryland.

In addition to the summer intern programme, the Stempel Foundation also provides some support for longer-term Bermudian interns and postgraduate students at the BZS and BAMZ.

Currently, these include, Lisa Kitson, who is interning with the Biodiversity Project and working towards her Ph.D. and Patrick Talbot, a BAMZ Aquarist, who did a comparative study of the "Longtail" - more properly called the White-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) - population of Castle Harbour from 1975 - 2005. Mr. Talbot is working towards his Masters at the University of Cork, Ireland.

The students were Jonathan Starling, a Bermudian studying the great mangrove and giving it a health check. He received a bachelor in Biology and Anthropology from Trent University, Ontario.

Bermudian, Maryellen Goodwin, looked at the Protected Species Act. She has three degrees, a degree in economics from the University of Western Ontario L.L.B., University of Exeter; L.L.M. and environmental law at Vermont Law School.

Quincy Burgess, looked at the variation of fish by depth in a Seagrass Bed. A Bermudian, he earned a degree in Biology from Acadia University this year.

Alex Lines tracked the distribution and survival of our native and endemic fauna. He is a Bermudian entering the second year of studies at Brown University. Looking at the population survey of the West Indian top-shell was Candace Jantzen-Marson. She is a Bermudian studying at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and entering the second year of bachelor's degree in chemical engineering this fall.

Alison Copeland looked at habitat restoration and the planting of seagrass in Bermuda. She is entering her fourth year of studies towards a degrees in Geography and Biology at Wilfred Laurier University.

Corey Neatrour studied the calico clam census update. She an American and is participating in the Friends of the Bermuda Aquarium (FOBA) internship programme. Ms Neatrour is entering the second year of studies toward a B.Sc. in Biology at Essex College in Maryland.

Another American was Darcy Gibbons who is exploring the underground wilderness of Bermuda. She is participating in the FOBA internship programme. Using her research as part of the requirements for a Masters in Marine Biology at Texas A&M University.

Using the Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Ms Gibbons investigated data collected from the caves, including water quality monitoring and threat assessments.

Rebecca Belcher studied the anchialine shrimp of Bermuda. She is from the US and is also participating in the FOBA internship programme. She is using her research as part of the requirements for a Master's degree in Marine Biology at Texas A&M University. Ms Belcher conducted intensive biological DNA studies of Bermuda's unique and rare aquatic species, including a small shrimp known only so far from the deep salt water well at the Aquarium.

Kathryn Manley was an Aquarium & Zoo Husbandry intern. She is an American who is participating in the FOBA husbandry internship programme. She is a junior at Florida Institute of Technology and is working towards a degree in Marine Biology.

Lisa Kitson, a Bermudian, is studying the ecology of the Bermuda skink. She is interning with the Biodiversity Project and working towards her Ph.D. at the University of Cork, Ireland.