Coastal Science Camps

Offered September & October, March – May each academic year.

J.L. Scott Marine Education Center’s Coastal Science Camps provide the opportunity for students in grades 4 – 12 to experience the coastal ecosystems of Mississippi.  These fun and engaging camps place students in field and laboratory activities designed to not only enlighten and inform, but also to foster appreciation and stewardship of our precious marine resources. The campus of the University of Southern Mississippi - Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, MS provides the all-inclusive base of operations for Coastal Science Camps. The GCRL campus features research laboratories, technology enabled classrooms, recently renovated dormitory and a cafeteria serving three meals per day.

Coastal Science Camps may accommodate groups of 20 to 75 participants in two – five day experiences covering a wide variety of coastal science topics.  These topics may include: beach and barrier island ecology, marine organism identification & classification, saltmarsh ecology, botany, ornithology, coastal geology and numerous other interrelated disciplines.

One of the most popular of the Marine Education Center’s programs is the two-day, Beach & Barrier Island Camp. Typically, groups arrive the afternoon prior to the program.  A sample itinerary follows below:

If you are looking for an extended program, our staff will assist you in custom designing a three-five-day coastal science experience along the Mississippi Coast for your students.

For pricing and availability please cal Bathsheba Cole at 228.818.8833 or email Bathsheba.Cole@usm.edu.

Beach & Barrier Island Sample Itinerary

Day One – Mississippi’s Coastal Marshes
7:00 a	Breakfast at GCRL Cafeteria
8:15 a	Program orientation & pre-lecture
8:45 – 11:45 a	Saltmarsh Interpretation & Sampling (Students are divided in to smaller groups (15 – 25) to participate in each of the following field activities) Dip net sampling – Students tread carefully through a fringe marsh to sample a variety of vertebrate and invertebrate organisms. Seine sampling – Students work in teams to draw a hand seine through the water column. Sieve sampling – Students use bait pumps and sieves to sample organisms that live in the sediment below the water.
12:00 – 1:00 p	Lunch at GCRL Cafeteria
1:00 – 3:00 p	Marine Organism Identification & Classification Students work in small teams to identify and classify sample organisms from the morning’s activities.  For this activity, teams will utilize microscopes, texts, and identification keys, then present their findings to their classmates.
3:00 – 3:15 p	Break
3:15 – 4:30 p	Beaches & Barrier Islands An interactive presentation designed to prepare students for the following day.  Educators use Google Earth™ as a teaching tool to cover topics in island geology and geography.  Students also learn about marine mollusks and other island associates with our “Beach in a Box” activity.
Day Two – Mississippi’s Barrier Islands
7:00 a	Breakfast at GCRL Cafeteria
8:00 a	Depart GCRL campus for Ship Island Excursions, Gulfport Harbor
9:00 a	Depart Gulfport Harbor aboard passenger ferry to Ship Island
10:00 a – 2:15 p	Ship Island Activities Beach Walk – Students walk around the western tip of Ship Island to explore and collect shells & fossil shark’s teeth on the island shores of both the Mississippi Sound and the Gulf of Mexico. Sieve Sampling – Students repeat this activity to contrast organisms found on a high-energy beach with those found on a low-energy beach. Fort Massachusetts’s – Tour this Civil War era military fortification to learn about the area’s rich coastal history.
2:30 p	Board passenger ferry for return to Gulfport Harbor
3:30 p	Arrive Gulfport Harbor – Groups have the option of leaving directly from Gulfport to return to their home destination or returning to GCRL Campus

Coastal Science Camps Printable Brochure