Planet Day Marked with Educational Workshop
For the Planet Earth Day celebrated on April 22nd, in the Institute of Marine Biology there was a two-day educational workshop organized Knowledge for Preservation of our Sea. Workshop was attended by students of seventh grade of Elementary school Njegos from Kotor and students of seventh and eighth grade of elementary school Ivo Vizin from Prčanj.
Aim of the workshop is to inform young people about importance of biodiversity, understanding its role. Through various activities students could see methodology f sampling by defining water parameters, characteristics of Boka Bay, sampling plankton with specialized nets and analyzing collected samples with loophole and microscope. They also had the opportunity to see sessile shapes out of which medusas are formed which inhabit our sea more often.
The second section was about marine habitats, types of marine habitats, introduction to basic organisms that live on the seabed, identifying species using books/keys, talking about protected marine areas as well as protected species and the importance of protection for the preservation of ecosystems. Special time is dedicated to invasive species that can be found in the Adriatic Sea.
In the section on fishing, children are presented with basic external structure of fish, followed by a dissection of the internal structure. With the help of assistants, children had the opportunity to perform dissection and isolation of otoliths and their importance in determining the age of individuals. The final section included a tour of the Bok Aquarium and the application of what was learned to specific species, inhabitants of the aquarium.
With help of input and output tests completed by the students, it can be concluded that the workshop was successful and that it gave very significant results, as well as space for teachers to process some of the topics in more detail during school lessons.