Intern from Down Under

Aloha!

My name is Ben and I'm another intern which has recently touched down at the HIMB Community Education Program. As the title suggest I am from Australia! I hail from a city called Wagga Wagga (try not to laugh too hard), which is about halfway between Sydney and Melbourne. The aboriginal name for this is 'the land of many crows,' yet ironically there are no crows to be seen! I am here for three months as apart of my environmental science and management course in which I am in my final year.
                                           

While I have had limited experience working in the marine sciences, I have always had a strong interest. When I came across this internship opportunity I knew that it was an opportunity which I could not pass up. I have had previous experience working in environmental education in summer camps abroad in Canada, which I found to be extremely rewarding. Although I have only being at HIMB for 3 weeks, I have already gained some valuable insight into the marine science field.

          Unexpected turtle encounter times two!

Over last three weeks I have become involved with the coral reef monitoring program as well as becoming familiar with the various community education programs. Currently I am assisting in compiling an online teachers resource module which teachers can access before coming to the island to provide to their students. The main purpose for this is to ensure that the students who visit have a basic understanding of relevant vocabulary and species identification for the lab programs.

If you see me around, dont be afraid to come and say hi! I always love meeting new people!

Cheers
Ben