Today, we hosted some very special guests at the Bolinas Field Station: students from our MESA program, along with program director Nicole McIntyre and physics faculty member Marceline Bonilla.
We started by getting to know the animals in our live specimen sea tables, where students were asked to observe the animals and the adaptations they have evolved to survive in the harsh environment of the rocky intertidal zone. How do they keep from being washed away by the constant pounding of waves? How do they survive being exposed to the air for long periods when the tide goes out?
Then, students tackled an engineering challenge, designing solutions inspired by the evolutionary adaptations of marine animals. Half of them worked on a design that would allow a “monitoring sensor” to hold fast to the substrate when being pounded with waves, and the other half designed an apparatus that would protect the “sensor” from drying out too much when not submerged in water. We provided them with a variety of different building supplies – craft sticks, mesh, plastic film, string, museum putty, tape, shims, etc. They then had a to “purchase” their supplies, staying within a “budget” of 30 points. (Most of the items cost 1 point each, but some cost 2 or 3, or even 5 points). It was so much fun to watch them working together to create their designs – and compete against the other teams to build a successful design that cost the fewest number of points. Once everything was built, we tested them by simulating waves to see how well the designs would hold up. Afterwards, students had the chance to explore the quirky and fun town of Bolinas.
I really enjoyed seeing biology and engineering come together at the field station, and I think everyone had a good time, and learned a thing or two. I’m putting this one in the category of “successful” events, and I think we’ll be hosting MESA groups many times in the future.
(Photos courtesy of Nicole McIntyre)
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