The Tribune

TWO more Bahamians will have the opportunity of an internship at the Bimini Biological Field Station (BBFS), more commonly known as ‘The Shark Lab’, this summer.

Applications for the internships are being accepted under the Alf Thompson Memorial Scholarship (ATMS), which was started in 2011 to honour the passing of the Bahamian scientist and engineer.

Since then, 12 young Bahamians have been given internship opportunities, at first at NASA in the Kennedy Space Center and then at the BBFS. All have said that the opportunity afforded them has impacted their lives, their studies and career choices as a result.

Tristan Guttridge, Executive Director BBFS, said the institution would be delighted to accept more Bahamian scholars. “Bianca (Barone) and Jewel (Thompson), who interned at the Shark Lab during the summer of 2016, were indeed stellar and popular members of our team,” he said.

Dr Samuel Gruber, Director and Founder of BBFS, emphasised the importance of the internship. “It should be clear that we really love the ATMS interns. The students have all been first class and are very helpful to the station and BBFS’s Foundation,” he added.

Open to motivated Bahamians between 20 and 26, the internship offers the unique opportunity to work and live at the BBFS with shark and marine biology research scientists, graduate students and other interns from around the world. The scholarship covers expenses for travel, food and lodging during the four-week internship.Deadline for submitting applications is May 1 and the announcement of awards on June 1.

Jewel Thompson described her time at the BBFS last summer as an “extraordinary experience” with no two days the same. She said she went through “multiple levels of trainings including scientific data collection, boat handling and safety and GPS navigation to name a few”.

“As an intern, I gained new hands-on skills such as repairing gill nets, maintaining shark behavioural study enclosures, boat navigation/driving and proper shark handling,” she said. “I’ve also had the opportunity to be directly involved with data collection and handling of multiple elasmobranch species including Galeocerdo cuvier Tiger sharks, Ginglymostoma cirratum Nurse sharks, Dasyatis americana Southern stingray, Negaprion brevirostris Lemon sharks, Squalus acanthias Spiny dogfish sharks, and Mustelus canis Dusky smooth-hound sharks.

“This experience further roots my appreciation and enjoyment of working with likeminded scientists from around the world, as well as in lush coastal environments.”

Bianca Barone echoed Ms Thompson’s experience, praising the staff for their creatively planning of activiites every morning. “Each day was a new and exciting adventure from scrubbing pen mesh or mending gill nets to “working-up” nine foot Tiger sharks at 3am in the morning and everything in between, not excluding fighting off gigantic “out-island” mosquitoes,” she said.

“As I left the lab, I felt a great sense of empowerment having garnered new knowledge and skills that I could immediately put into action in my current position as an Aquarist and having made new friends and connections with such a diverse group of talented, highly educated and like-minded individuals from various parts of the world.

“If it were not for the generosity of Mrs Barbara Thompson, Mr Alf Thompson, the ATMS through the Bahamas Marine EcoCentre, the vision, tenacity and dedication of Dr Gruber, Shark Lab staff, volunteers and countless others I would not have been afforded this amazing, life changing and inspiring experience. If given the opportunity, I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

Information and applications can obtained by emailing info@tropicbirds.org or phone 242-324-7060.