National Junior College Students Dive into Coral Conservation
DISCOVERY YACHT STAR OF THE SEA
Singapore
Janaury 2024
On January 19, 2024, 24 students from National Junior College's JC1 class embarked on an enlightening journey aboard a floating classroom organized by The International SeaKeepers Society, Asia, in collaboration with Marina @ Keppel Bay and MY Star of The Sea. This marked NJC's second year participating in this unique experience, hosted on the MY Star of the Sea as a SeaKeepers Discovery Yacht. The session was enhanced by the presence of two researchers from the Tropical Marine Science Institute of the National University of Singapore, who shared valuable insights on coral conservation.
Biodiversity protection has always been a concern in Singapore, yet many fail to think of the overlooked coral population. Through this learning journey, NJCians delved deeper into the topic of corals and learnt more about its biology, diversity, and threats. Corals are important in maintaining a healthy marine ecosystem, acting as food, shelter & home for many marine creatures. However, they face countless threats due to human activities such as climate change, land reclamation, blast fishing and more.
Through engaging presentations and a Q&A session with the lecturers, students learnt to better appreciate corals and take action to conserve our natural heritage. The students were also given a chance to handle a variety of specimens of coral fossils. In addition, the researchers also got into the nitty gritty of their career and role as Marine biologists. This piqued many of our students’ interests, steering them towards considering a potential career in marine biology & environmental sciences.
After a short break with refreshments prepared by the organizers, the students were brought on a short walk around to look at the corals found right in the Marina. They got to identify different coral species and look out for marine animals living with the corals, and coincidentally even met with divers conducting research. A tour of the yacht was also given, and students got to see the different control systems located at the yacht’s bridge. In a gesture of gratitude, the student organizers presented tokens of appreciation to the lecturers and organizers.
In conclusion, the students left with newfound knowledge of Coral Conservation & related career paths. Their perspectives were widened, and the overall experience was undoubtedly meaningful.
Original article: By Isabelle Ang, Choo Ying Ern and Qiang Kaixin
Partner Sites
MY Star Of the Sea
National Junior College
Marina at Keppel Bay
Tropical Marine Science Institute
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