Chatter, shouts and students racing around the room is not the traditional school setting, but then John Paul Skinner never wanted it to be.

Mr. Skinner, the education officer for the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) is the driving force behind the Institute's Waterstart and BIOS Explorer programmes.

The programmes are intended to expose Bermudian students to the world-class scientific research being done on the Island and pique their interest in science — and they seem to be working.

"It started as a replacement for JASON and it was a good excuse to showcase the local science and research being done at BIOS," Mr. Skinner said of the new initiative.

"It is really well-received and the teachers keep saying it's good to see a local connection."

The two programmes replace the JASON Project, which was a standard programme for 11 years at BIOS and is currently on hiatus.

JASON was started when Dr. Robert Ballard, who found the Titanic, broadcast his adventures to students, pioneering a new way of learning and seeking adventure in the unknown — not alone or with a small crew, but with millions of students watching.

From broadcasting Dr. Ballard's adventures to students, the programme evolved to including students in the adventures and an extensive educational component.

To replace this successful project, Mr. Skinner founded the Waterstart programme, which enrols students between the ages of 14 and 17 and calls them BioNauts.

It runs for six weeks during the summer and each week has 12 new Bermudian students participating.

The whole time a camera is running, capturing the images of Bermudian students doing Bermuda research.

A separate Beginner programme is also held at BIOS for students ages 12 and up, which helps them attain a diving certification and gives them a glimpse at scientific research taking place locally.

The hours of filming the BioNauts are then edited into an hour-long presentation for schools around the Island called Bios Explorer.

When we visited the Bios Explorer programme, Spice Valley Middle school students were participating in a scavenger hunt, which related to the film of the BioNaut.

The reaction from the students was overwhelmingly positive.

Trae Trott, a 12-year-old Spice Valley M2 student, at the BIOS Explorer programme, said: "I liked that it was Bermudians and because Bermudians are learning about Bermuda waters."

The BioNauts work with scientists at BIOS spending days on a boat, diving for octopuses to tag or investigating of coral reefs, the Deep Ocean and sea grass communities.

And as the Spice Valley Middle school students watched the film, squeals of shock and wonder rang out to see the BioNauts trying to catch octopuses.

Jahnae Tucker, 12, also an M2 student from Spice Valley said: "I thought it was really educational. It told us about sea grass, changing climate and how our barometer depends on the earth.

"My favourite part was the octopus. I don't know how they squeeze through such tiny places. I will apply to be a BioNaut because this made me more interested in science."

And this is exactly what Mr. Skinner had in mind when he began where the JASON project left off — giving Bermudian students the chance to work with scientists one-on-one.

Not only would the Waterstart programme for the BioNauts introduce a select few students to the world of science, but also filming their experiences would open up their experiences to students around the Island.

By February this year, over 1,650 students had participated in the BIOS Explorer programme.

To find the right students for the programme Mr. Skinner often approaches the schools.

"We've asked teachers for recommendations of students interested and who might need a scholarship," he said. "Other students can apply on their own and the deadline is the end of April.

"There is a charge, but scholarships are made available so everyone can participate regardless of their financial situation.

"The theme of the first Waterstart Summer programme in 2006 was 'Changing Climate, Changing Coast' and this year Mr. Skinner hopes the theme will be 'Explorer on the Rocks'.

The programme will focus on the geology and the bedrock in Bermuda in particular how the acidity increase in the seawater affects the Island.

If anyone is interested in applying for a place in the Waterstart programme, the applications can be found at www.bbsr.edu/education/waterstart/waterstart.html.

In the future, Mr. Skinner hopes the programme can expand, but first he needs to train Bermudians and he hopes with each new Waterstart programme, the students from the previous years will come back as instructors.