Island School Research Symposium
Join us for a day of research and learning presented by our Semester and Deep Creek Middle School students! The Island School Research Symposium is a community event to learn…
News
Education, Research and Innovation at The Island School
Read on for program highlights, research results, all-star alumni, sustainable living ideas, and more.
Casita Chaos: How do discards in the Bahamian Spiny Lobster fishery affect predator-prey dynamics?
BAHAMIAN SPINY LOBSTER FISHERY Have you ever eaten a lobster tail at a restaurant like Red Lobster? If so, most likely, you have eaten a Caribbean spiny lobster tail. These…
Alumni Spotlight: Saving the Great Barrier Reef
What does an Island School Semester alumna, with degrees in Computer Science and Marine Biology go on to do? Save the Great Barrier Reef, of course! Megs Malpani, a S13…
Alumni Spotlight: Tia Peterson
There are many opportunities that set an Island School Semester apart from a traditional school, but one of the most remarkable things is the real-world research students conduct alongside our team of research scientists through the Cape Eleuthera Institute.
How Plants Adapt to Climate Change
Fall 2021 Semester students in the permaculture research class commenced their project with the question, ‘What is the most vulnerable portion of our campus landscape to climate impacts and how…
Crab Fest 2021
“We all have something to learn from each other. While learning more about the ecology of these animals is crucial for their conservation, really understanding the importance of the fishery in the community context is equally as important. Events like Crab Fest are a great way to better grasp the significance of these animals from the stakeholder perspective.”
School Without Walls 2021
Last month, we held our third and final session of Schools Without Walls for the academic year. This week of experiential learning sees our Deep Creek Middle School students immerse themselves into other branches of the organization, which includes helping with research projects, working on our campus’s sustainability initiatives, and exploring iconic cultural and natural history sites across Eleuthera.
Coral and Hurricane Matthew
As Hurricane Matthew made contact with the Bahamas in early October, it brought with it many threats of damage and devastation. The Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) was extremely fortunate in…
Operation Wallacea students participate in sea turtle research
Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) are one of only seven remaining sea turtle species. These reptiles were classified as an endangered species on the IUCN Red list, following the abrupt…
Summer research focusing on critically endangered coral reef species
Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) and staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) corals are major reef-building corals found off the shores of Florida and throughout the Caribbean. In recent decades there has been a widespread…
Operation Wallacea
During the course of a six-week program, three students representing Operation Wallacea (Marcus Griffiths of the University of Nottingham, Rob McCalman of the University of Portsmouth and Lucy Arrowsmith of…
First Island School Student to Presents Research Poster at BNHC
CEI was well represented at the regional 2016 Bahamas Natural History Conference, with representatives giving talks on plastics, climate change, rare shrimp, turtles, conch, sharks and lionfish. More excitingly, the first…
Another outreach event with the Stingray Team!
Members of the Stingray Research Group from the Cape Eleuthera Institute’s Shark Research and Conservation Program have recently completed two days of outreach on Great Exuma. Following on from the…
Flats team takes Deep Creek Middle School students out for mangrove lessons
Last Friday, Deep Creek Middle School’s Grade 7 joined Georgie Burruss, CEI Research Assistant, for a snorkel through Page Creek as part of the School Without Walls program. The focus of…
A busy week with The Island School Research Symposium and Parent’s Week
Last Thursday was The Island School Research Symposium! It is a highlight of Parent’s Week, and a time for parents to hear about the good work being done by their…
Exploring the social side of sea turtle conservation in Eleuthera
Historically, sea turtles were considered to be an economically and culturally important food source throughout the Caribbean. Since the discovery of the New World, sea turtle populations throughout the Caribbean…
Shark Research and Conservation Program Begins Novel Deep-Water Shark Telemetry Project
Deep-water sharks are slow growing, slow to mature, and have a relatively small number of young, and as a result are extremely vulnerable to human-based disturbances. This, coupled with the…
Sea Turtle Earthwatch Team visits CEI
The Sea Turtle Research Team recently said goodbye to their first Earthwatch team of the summer, and we are sad to see them go. The group of 7 students and…
The Island School Partners With Hurricane Island Outward Bound to Offer Sailing Expeditions
Hurricane Island Outward Bound School (HIOBS) is partnering with The Island School to launch an expeditionary sailing program to be operated out of The Island School’s campus in Cape Eleuthera,…
The Island School Hosts an International Youth Summit with Musician Jack Johnson and 5 Gyres
Two weekends ago, The Island School hosted the SEA Change Youth Summit with musician, Jack Johnson and 5 Gyres to raise awareness about the impacts of plastic pollution in the ocean and to…
CEI/ Island School Research Expo a big success
On Saturday, June 6, Spring 2015 Island School students participated in the Research Expo, their final Research Class assignment, which coincided with the Youth Action Island Summit hosted at the…
IS Students shine in SP 15 Parents’ Week presentations
Last week The Island School hosted Parents’ Week. The week included an opportunity for parents to tour our campus, view a student art exhibit, parent-teacher meetings, and a day for…
You are what you eat… and what your dinner eats, too!
As any angler will tell you, fresh fish is the best fish (Fig. 1)! Even non-anglers would insist that grilled wahoo, dockside yellowfin sashimi, or fried dolphinfish fingers are best…
Island School Research Class helps assess the local reef invertebrate populations
In the Bahamas, the fishing industry is crucial for the economy of the country, worth about $100 million annually. This mainly comes from the three main fisheries of The Bahamas, spiny…
An excerpt from Link School’s visit to CEI
Here is an excerpt of her Island School experience, by Link School student Medina Purefoy-Craig: I can now safely say that I can jump into water and actually not drown. Early…
OAK Leadership visits CEI Campus
OAK Leadership Institute from Cleveland, Ohio joined us the first week of April for an action packed week. The five students and two teachers had the time of their lives exploring…
Williams College visits Eleuthera and works on sustainable food systems
Eleuthera was recently visited by a group of students from Williams College (Massachusetts). Their trip focused on Eleuthera’s food systems, with a focus on sustainable production. Over the past two…
Earthwatch Sea Turtle Programs have a successful year in 2014!
9 expeditions, 92 volunteers, 115 turtles, and 145 Baited Remote Underwater Video Surveys – just a taste of the successful year the Earthwatch-funded sea turtle research program had in 2014! This…
Fall 2014 IS/CEI Symposium Focuses on Outreach
The Island School and Cape Eleuthera Institute Research Symposium was held last Saturday, November 29. As with previous years, The Island School students prepared scientific posters about their Applied Research…
Students at The Island School Introduce Their Research Projects
Last week students in the Fall 2014 semester of The Island School gathered with their peers, teachers, faculty, and visitors to present introductions to their Research Class projects. Presentations contextualized…
The Sustainable Fisheries Team Searches for Stone Crabs
Stone crabs have been a popular and principal commercial fishery in Florida for many years, and have comprised a portion of the local fishing take here in The Bahamas for…
Oceanside and Camden Hills- visiting programs at CEI
Earlier this month was the return of Camden Hills Regional High School for their sixth visit to CEI, and Oceanside High School’s second trip alongside Camden. It was another stellar…
IS students help with deep sea trapping research project
The Island school summer term went out with the deep-water research group, led by Mackellar Violich to pull up traps from 1200 meters deep. The baited traps are set off…
CEI and Island School Research Symposium a big success
Congratulations to all of the Spring 2014 Island School students who gave oral and poster presentations at the Research Symposium. This event is a culmination a semester-long research class, where…
Early Learning Center students get to investigate real deep sea creatures!
The Island School’s youngest students have been able to get up close and personal with some deep sea creatures over the past couple of weeks without even setting foot in…
Island School students present their research at Parent’s Weekend
Last week, the Island School campus was inundated with the parents of the Spring 2014 students. Aside from campus tours and a breathtaking art gallery, parents also got to witness…
Visiting Program from Muncton gets involved with all aspects of CEI!
Things are heating up here at CEI! Students are on campus, summer is on the way, and the adventures are everywhere. The Educational Programs team wrapped up the month of…
First Earthwatch team assists in Sea turtle research at CEI
The first of 8 teams for 2014 were at CEI last week assisting with sea turtle research. 9 volunteers, from across America and Canada, spent 9 days collecting data from…
Exeter field course visits CEI
Visiting CEI for the first time, 26 students and 4 professors from the University of Exeter, UK, completed a 12 day program during 6th- 17th January. As part of a field…
MSSM presents on the effects of longline capture stress
The Maine School of Science & Mathematics blessed us with their presence for the 4th year in a row here at the Cape Eleuthera Institute! Dr. Debbie Eustis-Grandy and Dr.…
Spring Gap students are here!
The Spring Gappers are on campus! Our first week was busy getting oriented to all the exciting opportunities that are waiting for us in the next two months. While we’ve…
Plastics outreach with Preston H Albury school
This past fall, CEI’s resident plastic researcher, Kristal Ambrose teamed up with local high school teacher Joanna Parker’s geography class to conduct two consecutive beach plastic surveys for their BGCSE course work,…
Monmouth University students continue ongoing research projects at CEI
January at the Cape Eleuthera Institute is an exciting time: a new year, new interns, and a heap of new students visiting during their university’s January term!Monmouth University joined CEI…
Outreach in Spanish Wells
In November, Kristal Ambrose, working for the Center for Sustainable Development, and CEI’s outdoor educator Tiffany Gray, made the trip down island to visit Ms. Thompson’s grade 12 geography class at…
Visiting program from Exeter University visits Schooner Cays for juvenile conch surveys
This weekend saw visiting Exeter students and professors heading to the Schooner Cays with the CEI Queen Conch team. A 30-minute ride and short swim allowed us to conduct shallow…
The Shark Research team posts footage of their deepwater research with the Medusa!
The Cape Eleuthera Institute and The Island School have recently begun their deepwater exploration of The Exuma Sound with almost 100 hours of footage from the deep ocean. This study…
Intern Bio: Kylie Bloodsworth
Kylie grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She received in a Bachelor’s of Arts in French Language Studies and a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from the University of St. Thomas…
Gap Year Students Perform Shallow Water Conch Surveys
This fall the gap year team has undertaken the task of completing Fall 2013 shallow water conch surveys. Once complete this data will be a part of a larger effort…
Meet our Fall Gap Year Students
Here are short bios from our three Gap Year students:Eryn Dioli: My name is Eryn Dioli and I just graduated from high school in June of 2013. I’m taking a gap…
A Spotlight on CEI’s new Research Assistants
Here are brief bios from CEI’s three fall research assistants:Ian Bouyoucos graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in ecology and evolutionary biology. This research assistant position is…
Abaco Flats Program – a joint effort between CEI and Friends of the Environment
Last week Justin Lewis, from Grand Bahama, Zack Jud, from Florida International University and Tiffany Gray, from Cape Eleuthera Institute, worked with Cassandra Abraham at Friends of the Environment in…
Camden Hills returns for their fourth year joined by Oceanside and Medomak
This blog was written by the 18 incredible students visiting us from Maine.Campus Life The Island School/CEI is located in Cape Eleuthera. The campus faces the water with exotic beaches…
Space 2 Explore Camp teaches Eleutheran youth about marine conservation
Space 2 Create, a non profit summer day camp for the youth of Harbour Island, Eleuthera, joined forces with The Cape Eleuthera Institute to initiate Space 2 Explore, a program…
Save the Date for the Fall 2013 Island School and CEI Research Symposium
Seatrek Fathoms sail into CEI for a 10 day trip
This week we said ‘bon voyage’ to an amazing group of students, staff and crew from Seatrek Fathoms. They graced us with their presence for 10 days of science, fun,…
Newcastle University from the UK sends undergraduates to collect data at CEI
Seven undergraduate students from Newcastle University have been on campus since July 1, assimilating with various research groups at CEI. Each student is working on an individual project for their…
South Eleuthera Explorers Camp at CEI
Last week the Cape Eleuthera Institute and the Island School welcomed 18 South Eleutheran children to campus for a sleep away camp focusing on the world we live in and…
Deep Creek Kids Discover the Life in the Creeks
Last week our Educational team led a three day natural history camp for nine kids from Deep Creek and the surrounding settlements. In addition to camp songs, rounds of the…
Senior Students (Re) Visit CEI!
The week of May 20th we had four senior students Ian, Kyle, Annie & Cyrus, join us at CEI to work on their senior projects. Three of the four students…
REU group has 2 week stay at CEI
The Research Experience for Undergrads- Bahamas group just completed a two week stay in Eleuthera. While down here, they participated in some archaeological research, and blogged about it! Check out…
Spring 2013 CEI/IS Research Symposium was a success!
This past Saturday, CEI and IS hosted their Spring 2013 Research Symposium. The event consisted of research presentations and poster sessions, where Island School students got the chance to present…
Parents Weekend Spring 2013
This past weekend, the CEI and Island School campus had many visitors eager to hear about CEI research- Island School parents! Parents attended presentations given by IS students on current…
More beach plastic surveys around Cape Eleuthera
The plastic pioneers of CEI have struck again! Recently the Cape Eleuthera Institute embarked on a historical project studying macro and micro plastic pollution on beaches in South Eleuthera. This…
Deadlines extended for summer camps at at CEI!
Attention! Deadline for registration for CEI’s Eleutheran Explorer’s Camp, Shark Week, Flats Week, and the new Turtle Week has been extended to JUNE 15. Please see the links below for…
Lyford Cay at CEI
Lyford Cay grade 8 had a busy 3 days here at CEI diving into the plastics curriculum as well as some of the fun yet educational activities typical of our…
St. Andrews visits CEI
Last week, Educational Programs at CEI had their hands full with two classes hailing from St. Andrew’s School in Nassau, home of the Hurricanes. The first class, a group of…
Island School students present introductions to their research projects
This past week, the SP13 Island School students presented Project Introduction presentations to their peers, staff, faculty, and the many visitors on campus. These presentations gave the students a chance…
Plastic Pollution Project starts at CEI
On Thursday of last week, the Marine Plastic Pollution Team at CEI embarked on their first full day of plastic research. The team, which was led by Kristal Ambrose and…
Another visiting program experiences Eleuthera!
This eyewitness account was written by a student in the University School-Hathaway Brown Program: Before getting started, allow me to explain one reason why the Island School was such an…
Carleton University visits CEI to study coral reef communities
From December 27th, 2012 to January 10th, 2013 a field course from Carleton University, led by Dr. Nigel Waltho and coordinated by the Ontario Universities Program in Field Biology, came…
28th Research Symposium recently held at the Cape Eleuthera Island School
This past Saturday, December 1st, marked CEI’s 28th Research Symposium. During the Symposium, Island School students got the chance to showcase the culmination of a semester’s worth of research to…
Parents’ Weekend Fall 2012
This November, CEI was flooded with over 100 guests as The Island School hosted Parents’ Weekend for all 45 students. The week was full of tours around campus, a student…
New shuttle box trials being conducted at CEI
CEI recently started performing shuttle box experiments in the wet lab. The set-up of the shuttle box system is simple: two tanks are connected through a short “walkway”, and above…
Island School Students’ First Week of Research Class
Research classes kicked off this week for The Island School students. On Tuesday, students broke into their 8 different research groups and spent the afternoon getting to know their research…
On Plastic Research Expedition with Kristal Ambrose
Cape Eleuthera Institute’s Kristal Ambrose embarked on her epic journey to of plastic research, leaving on April 24th.. From Nassau, Bahamas to Texas, USA; from Tokyo, Japan to Guam; and…
Recreating a Historical Shark Research Project
[slideshow]The joint CEI and University of Illinois shark research team just returned from the second of four, 2 week field expeditions to a shallow bank known as “the bridge” that…