After a brutal introductory class, we took our first steps today in becoming marine biologists.
Dr. Gruninger refreshed our memories as he overviewed the scientific method. Using his own experiments from his study at Texas A&M, Dr. Gruninger showed how he took a simple question about the natural world and turned it into a controlled, organized experiment which used data to answer his question.
We then broke into groups to research exactly what careers are available in the marine world. My group researched marine mammalogists. Marine mammalogists research mammals who either live in the ocean or rely heavily on the ocean. I found out that a polar bear is considered a marine mammal because of it’s reliance on fish as a food source. In addition, I also learned that hydrologists, people who study water, it’s composition, and it’s quality, can be employed by builders to learn how both the water table and weather will affect their construction.
I’m looking forward to tomorrow where we will learn about currents, waves, and plate tectonics!
