Harbor Current Vol 4 No 2 by Billion Oyster Project

Vol. 4 No. 2

June 26, 2015

The

Harbor

Current

Sanguinem cæruleum portus effundimus Late Island Final

Founded 2011

Photograph: Emma Garrisonk More oysters, more skills, more progress: students, volunteers, staff hard at work as the 2015 season starts

Photograph:Susannah Black Malachi Harewood, Capt. Gordon Loebl (USCG Cmdr. Sector NY), Connor Brady

Blue Vision:

BOP Update

Harbor Students Speak Up on BOP and Marine Policy

by Alyssa Giacinto and Angelika Koscinski

by Jessie Floyd Washington, D.C.-On May 12-13, I had the pleasure of going to the 5th Blue Vision Summit Conference with four other students and two teachers. Back in January, the organizer of the conference came into my Vessel Operations class along with Billion Oyster Project program manager Sam Janis. The organizer spoke briefly of the conference he was working on. The conference would take place in Washington D.C. Hundreds of passionate environmentalists would share their perspectives on ocean conservation. The next day we would all go out to Capitol Hill to talk to politicians about specific bills they could support that would help the ocean. The conference was as good as it sounds and better. We went down to Washington D.C. on a long Megabus ride. On the conference day, my Continued on Page 3

Corwith Cramer: page 2

On the Bridge:

Governors Island-- What’s up in The Billion Oyster Project? Spring cleaning has been happening everywhere from the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the Eco Dock. In the Brooklyn Navy Yard aquaculture students went to organize and set down oysters. Some oysters were full grown while others were just spat on shell. Meanwhile, on the Eco Dock it's time for cages to be swapped. Over the winter cages collect biofouling, organisms that stick to the cage, and it's very important for the oysters survival that we change those cages. Volunteers have been coming in every Friday to help with that. The next step will be to sort out the dead and the living. Back in the MAST Center lab, we’ve just concluded a successful spawn, and we have spat on shell! Bags of shells were placed in a huge blue remote setting tank with water always flowing through it to prevent any nitrogen build up that would kill the spat. This perpetual flow system worked: the spat on shell should be about ready to graduate to the Eco Dock. Continued on p. 2

Captain of the Port page 3

Vessel Ops Log page 5

It’s a simulation, but it’s no game by Joseph Roberto Governors Island-- When I was a sophomore, the bridge simulator was just an idea. We-- the vessel ops students-- wrote essays on why we thought the bridge simulator was something the Harbor School should have. It was initially just a dream, but then junior year came around and I remember hearing that the shipment came in: the components of the simulator were dropped off in the workshop of the MAST center. I was excited because just year prior I was thinking that it was only something we asked for, not something that we’d actually get. But thanks to a rather large donation from the American Bureau of Shipping, we managed to acquire the components of a bridge simulator from a company called TRANSAS. It was because they saw the potential that this type of simulation could have to train

For the Win: Sailing at NYHS page 6

Continued on p. 5

Marine Biology page 7

--BOP Update: cont’d from p. 1 Here in Aquaculture we have been learning about, contributing to, and trying to expand the Billion Oyster Project ever since our sophomore year. We have seen a lot of success throughout the years. In our first year, we ordered our oyster larvae, but now, we spawn our own from the broodstock that we select. Our students are greatly involved as we do most of the steps involved in oyster production in our Aquaculture lab. We like to acknowledge that this is a group effort as all the CTE programs work together and make the Billion Oyster Project a success. Without the support of all the other programs and students, the process would be a lot longer and more costly. There have been a lot of eye opening experiences going on right now. The oysters that are now spat on shell and about to be moved to the EcoDock or the Brooklyn Navy Yard are ones that spawned in our lab just a few weeks ago. This is most exciting because just a couple months ago our class was picking out the broodstock and now we've gotten to see the broodstock-produced oyster larvae under the microscope. This is senior year, and our job was this spawn--and it was a success! The Billion Oyster Project is a great program that our school is proud to carry the reputation of. The Billion Oyster Project and the New York Harbor School’s CTE programs make all of our high school experiences unique and exciting. In the future we would love to come visit and see how the students’ role expands. The project is a big success and a noteworthy one in New York’s history.

Corwith Cramer: Maritime Adventures in Research by Ariel Ron Brooklyn-- On May 21, 2015, we had some visitors across Buttermilk Channel. Aquaculture juniors took Indy across to Brooklyn Bridge Park to see SSV Corwith Cramer of the Sea Education Association— science research at sea in action! Getting onto the ship was an adventure in itself. I gripped the railing as tight as possible as wakes hit the bow of the ship and rocked the boat. I ran onto the deck as my peers followed. The group listened as one of the crew members offered us some very interesting information about the equipment they use to retrieve data for water quality. Afterward, we gently stepped down the ladder to the galley of the ship. Some of my fellow students lingered in the doorway of the kitchen and admired the crew members as they prepared the meals for later. Typical of high school students to be hungry

2 all the time, some even ordered food in hopes they`d get to eat again, even though they had just 2 hours before. We proceeded up another ladder and entered the lab. Various ornaments were along the walls and jars collected along the shelves. A disco ball hung from the ceiling and one of the scientists sat on the table. In front of her were various jars of preserved organisms. Each one of us chose jars to observe, some of us were very meticulous in our observations since these were deep sea creatures, who knows if we`ll ever see them again. The woman in the lab explained to us how much plastic they collect at sea, and I could see the disheartened glances among my classmates, but the research the sail ship collects will offer more insight in the effects plastic has on the environment. Some of us asked questions about where she went to college, and were surprised when she said SUNY Stonybrook. Maybe some of us will attend there, and then maybe spend a SEA Semester on Corwith Cramer.

Other recent BOP highlights include: • BOP’s public exhibit at Nolan House opened on Governors Island on Memorial Day. • Our public volunteer program, which will continue throughout the summer, has been very active. • The Billion Oyster Party, in Brooklyn on June 3, was a blast! • BOP teachers and scientists gathered for the First Annual BOP Symposium on June 19 to share data and best practices. • Shell collection has restarted thanks to our new site at the green energy company NRG’s Staten Island location • We have a new truck to help the Earth Matter team schlep shells, along with our old truck Pearl: she’s been christened Shelly. Thanks to our BOP/Shell Collection Partners the 1772 Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.

Photograph: Susannah Ceraldi Belowdecks: Harbor School students in Corwith Cramer’s lab

Editor-in-Chief: Melanie Smith Contributing Writers and Collaborators: Jessie Floyd, Alyssa Giacinto, Angelika Koscinski, Joseph Roberto, Ariel Ron, Luis Negron, Malachi Harewood, Syed Hoque, Exavier Figueroa, Peregrine Donaldson, Rachel Anderson, Jelani Wiltshire, Andrew Sommer, and Samuel Wilson. Special thanks to Carrie Christensen, Matthew Haiken, Murray Fisher, Sam Janis, Mauricio González, Pete Malinowski, and Aaron Singh.

Adviser: Susannah Black Principal: Kim Swanson New York Harbor School Battery Maritime Building 10 South Street, Slip 7 New York City, NY 10004

We always welcome opinions, feedback, letters to the editor, and news tips. Reach us at newspaper@newyorkharborschool.org The HarborCurrent is an open forum for the expression of student views. The opinions expressed herein should not be taken to represent those of the administration or faculty, or of the student body as a whole.

Civic Action at Harbor

--Continued from Page 1: Blue Vision

Photograph: Courtesy of Jessie Floyd At the Blue Vision Conference: Our meeting with Congressman Jerrold Nadler

The Captain of the Port: Harbor Students Visit USCG HQ by Luis Negron Staten Island-- March 16, 2015 was the first annual Captain of the Port Day, a chance for three Harbor School students to shadow the Captain of the Port of New York, Captain Gordon Loebl, for the day. In the morning, I along with two other Harbor School students met a 4 AM wake up call. This was all in the attempt to make the 6:50 AM ferry heading toward Staten Island. Upon arriving at Staten Island we met a Coast Guard member who drove us to the Coast Guard base. After arriving at the Coast Guard base we met with Kenneth Schnetzler who helped me to organize the event along with Aaron Singh and others in the weeks leading up to this day. We rushed to breakfast and had a swell meal. Meanwhile Mr. Schnetzler ran us through the day’s agenda. Following our breakfast we then had a morning briefing. During this time we were briefed on any events that happened during the weekend as

well as having a chance to hear from every officer in the room on what they are tasked with on a day-today basis, and to learn how they joined the Coast Guard and the many different routes taken. After this we got the chance to enter the Vessel Trafficking System, known as the VTS, and the Vessel Trafficking Center, or VTC. The main priority of this area is to ensure that vessels that enter New York Harbor are safe to do so; that they meet all security requirements and pose no threat. Along with this they also ensure that all May-day radio calls and calls along those lines are responded to correctly and that traffic in the Harbor moves safely. It’s a highsecurity area: no phones are allowed beyond the doors. Following this, I along with the other two Harbor School students had some down time with Captain Loebl, which led to us asking questions of him as well as vice versa. After this we were then shown around the Coast Guard Base. We saw their fitness center along

favorite event was hearing from the Waitt Institute. I was really inspired by their method of conservation. This nonprofit asks the locals on the islands they’re working with which areas need to be protected and which species need to be cared for. The conference day also marked the day of the Youth Panel. For the youth panel, I gave a brief talk on the Harbor School and its programs which inspire teenage environmentalists. People were impressed with the school’s Billion Oyster Project, the way that each CTE is involved with that project, and the overall attitude that each Harbor student learns. On the second day, the whole conference of Seaweed Rebels descended on Capitol Hill. The Harbor School crew spent the first half of the day meeting with staff of congresspeople and discussing two bills with maritime significance: one, a bill on offshore drilling, and the other, a bill on pirate fishing. We also discussed our school and what had brought us in particular to the conference. We met some amazing and receptive people. Then, with the help of an email to Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Harbor students and teachers got to meet with New York City Congressman Jerald Nadler. Congressman Nadler was great. He had been to the school and enjoyed hearing from us on how the Billion Oyster Project was going. He was also interested in how oysters in the water could lessen the blow of a storm like Superstorm Sandy. Overall the trip was a great learning experience and an important way to spread the vision of this high school, and the mission of Billion Oyster Project.

Cont’d on Page 4

Photograph: Jessie Floyd (L-R) Thomas, Avrielle, Syed, Jessie, Halcyon

Photograph: Susannah Black Lieut. Cmdr. Walsh instructs Waleska & Luis in operations of USCG cutter

4 Join Us Online Twitter: @HarborSchool @BillionOyster @Lettie_Howard @harbordiving Facebook: /NewYorkHarborSchool /billionoysterproject /harborschooldiving

Photograph: Susannah Black Briefing: Brendan Maisonet, Waleska Montilla, Capt. Gordon Loebl, USCG official, Steven Fernandez, and aide receive briefing on New Jersey explosion.

--Captain of the Port: cont’d from page 3 with the Coast Guard Exchange, and lastly the newly named dinning hall. Shortly after this we had the chance to be part of Capt. Loebl’s meeting with the New Jersey Senator Cory Booker’s representative, Steven Fernandez. Here we discussed what the Coast Guard’s role is in the United States since this was an area that was new to Mr. Fernandez, and Senator Booker had just received an assignment to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Then we rushed to go get lunch in the dining hall before it ended. After the lunch we once again went to the VTS and VTC stations to allow the Senator’s representative to see what a large role Coast Guard Sector New York plays not only in New York Harbor but also in New Jersey waters.

Now for the best part: after touring the VTS and VTC we were driven to where sector New York stores most of their vessels. Here we met Lieutenant Commander Wash who oversaw the boating operation and spoke to the Harbor School visitors as he allowed us to board some of their 45 foot fast boats. After touring some of the vessels, we were brought back to the Coast Guard base, where we sat in on a briefing about an explosion that had happened recently in New Jersey involving hazardous materials. It came under the Coast Guard’s juristriction since there was a chance that the chemicals might reach the water, and the explosion was in a coastal area. Lastly I had the opportunity to have a one on one interview with the Captain of the Port of New York. It was a long and vigorous day– however this is not meant as a sad note. It was truly an extraordinary opportunity, as it should be.

Instagram: /billionoyster /harborschool /harbor_school_diving www.newyorkharborschool.org www.vesselops.com www.nyharbor.org harborseals.org www.billionoysterproject.org nyharbor.tumblr.com www.nyhsmst.org

CALLING ALL STUDENTS! Be a Correspondent for the Harbor Current! What are you doing outside of class? A job, an internship, a project: We want to hear your stories! Write us an email or an article about your

Internship Report:

adventures, and send it to:

South Street Seaport Museum

newspaper@newyorkharborschool

by Malachi Harewood

chosen for inclusion in the next

Pier 16, Manhattan--The South Street Seaport Museum. It is a monument I have gotten to know quite well in this past year. Between the schooners Pioneer and Lettie G. Howard, the Barque Peking and my little tug boat, W.O. Decker, I've built a home, and collected family in my life as water collects in the bilge. My first experience at the Seaport, however, was a tad bit less than the "glamorous" life that is now mine. It was a cold day, possibNo. Cold is not the correct word. The day was ice, a frozen tundra from something out of a novel, the temperature was below zero and the snow that fell was only worsened by the gale force winds we were experiencing. My task. The task of my crew. Was to put up... A Christmas tree. Today I am grateful for that day because after that I knew how terrible the weather could be, and it made each other day seem that much warmer. That day, I was working with Mike “Fred” Weiss and Joe B., a veteran seaport volunteer and we were rigging a Christmas tree on the bowsprit of the Barque Peking. Who had the idea of doing it the coldest day of the year is beyond my comprehension. Many experiences later, I received an unofficial mate’s position on the Seaport’s small wooden tug boat W.O. Decker, due to my engineering prowess and the skills taught to me throughout the experiences I've had in the technical education programs in Harbor School. I find it quite amazing how easy it is to transfers the knowledge learned in one area of my studies to the other. Harbor

.edu. The best pieces will be issue!

W.O. Decker

School’s longstanding partnership with the Seaport Museum has given life to the careers of many students. All of those by my side are mentors, and without the support of the mentors, the friends, the teachers, the engineers and captains I wouldn’t be where I am today.

It is the policy of the Department of Education of the City of New York to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship status, age, marital status, partnership status, disability, sexual orientation, gender (sex), military status, unemployment status, prior record of arrest or conviction (except as permitted by law) predisposing genetic characteristics, or status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual offenses and stalking, and to maintain an environment free of harassment on any of the above-noted grounds, including sexual harassment or retaliation. It is the policy of the New York City Department of Education to provide equal educational opportunities without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship status, disability, sexual orientation, gender (sex) or weight and to maintain an environment free of harassment on the basis of any of these grounds, including sexual harassment or retaliation.

Vessel Ops Log April 23: The school’s boats don’t only work during class time: we operate them before and after school too. This morning Privateer had to be taken off of Governors Island to Pier 16, to assist with with the movement of the schooner Pioneer’s float. In all my time at South Street Seaport Museum, going on 3 years, I’ve never seen this float moved out of its place. Today was the day I helped in the process of moving it. What we thought would be a crane operation ended up being more of an assist and tow job. Privateer, our best maneuvering vessel, was the one for the job. Since the propeller can spin 360° we can make the boat move however we want. The Pioneer float is tied up on the south side of Pier 16 with mooring lines that lead back to the Pier. It’s held in place with chains. To be able to move it, the lines and chains holding it to the Pier have to be dropped. This is where Privateer comes in. Privateer was used to guide this float the opposite Pier, the North side of Pier 15. A large amount of line handling was used for this operation. The float has many bits on which to drop the eye of a line. Utilizing these bits, Captain Aaron would instruct the crew, Capt. Luis Melendez, myself, Malachi Harewood & the South Street Seaport Museum staff to move this float. There was a lot of dropping lines on bits, making it off after pulling it in tight, then some steering and maneuvering until we had to move to the another part of the float to adjust. Privateer helped with lining up the float and ensuring the float made it to the other side, but the ebb tide also helped with this operation. The ebb was pulling the float towards Pier 15. If it had been a flood, the float would be pushed up against Pier 16. Knowing the current of the water is a useful skill in times like this, we can use it to our advantage to make our jobs a tad bit easier. This operation was a great way to start off this spring season. It was a refresher to myself with line handling. As the season goes on, the Harbor School fleet will be doing more and more. --Syed Hoque April 24: Today, SUNY Maritime was the venue of a seminar called Safety at Sea. In this seminar, people would rotate through stations showing different aspects of practices that should be followed while offshore and safety in general. The stations were: Fire

What Vessel Ops Means to Me by Jessie Floyd The bell rings and I reach into arms of my coat. I walk through a stone archway. A stream of 15 back-packed students Approaches a floating orange dock. Our feet thud as they hit the creaking gangway. We pull up and over the side of a large gray bathtub, Wrist to wrist. The heavy snakes that link us to shore are thrown among triumphant yells: “Bow line off!” Our teacher sits in the back corner. He’s grinning: We’ve done this ourselves. Student hands bend over to clutch the wheel, Student eyes look out over a shining New York Harbor in search of an oncoming vessel, Student arms coil the lines and organize the deck. We are heading past the long blue warehouses in Red Hook. We bounce the waves and turn at Brooklyn Bridge Park. A boat hook is passed into my hand-Hands hold my PFD as I reach over the bow and pull up The buoy bobbing in the sparkling East River. My hands slime over as I make the line attached to the buoy fast onto our vessel. A small red boat speeds over to ferry my class to the Lettie, The beautiful old tall ship our program works to operate. We’re here. There are very few times in my life that I’ve felt truly Trusted and empowered... This moment right now, As I look around at my friends, Gives me a proud smile. I feel like I can Accomplish anything.

Fighting, Liferaft, MOB (Man Over Board) on water & damage control. We took Indy 7 up to SUNY to aid with this event. She was going to be used as a launch, which she is. This meant Indy 7 was going to be used to transport people from the dock to the boats they needed to be on for the MOB drills that occurred on the water on various sailboats, as well as offloading them when the drills and the session came to an end. Initially people were intimidated by Indy’s size compared to the small launches pulling up to the sailboats, but they soon realized with a captain like Mike Abegg at the wheel they didn’t have to worry much. His boat handling skills came to play while maneuvering Indy closer and closer, walking it over to the boats so people can safely step off. Once all were offloaded, Exavier and myself got to drive Indy to take pictures of the drills occurring. As Indy came to drop and pick people up, people realized the big scary launch was not that bad. In reality Indy was very efficient, being able to carry 3 boat loads of people comfortably in one return trip to the dock compared to the small launches one boat load. --Syed Hoque May 12: Today, several Harbor School freshman had the opportunity to operate one of our vessels, the Indy 7, under the supervision of Luis Melendez. It was no ordinary day, this is something freshman don’t normally get the opportunity to do. However thanks to the waterfront club they have some wheel experience. Prior to getting underway an engine check was demonstrated with Allen, a vessel ops sophomore taking the lead on that. He showed the younger students what is to be checked every time prior to an engine start-up, which includes the levels of various fluids such as oil and coolant. Once Indy was on Luis Melendez had a quick discussion on line handling and which lines would be taken off first etc. Allen waited patiently on the dock for Luis’s instruction of which lines to take off first which initially included singling up lines, the removal of extra lines that are just in use as backups. Once lines were singled up and a waterfront club student was standing by each line, Luis instructed Allen to start dropping lines: bow, stern spring, stern and then bow spring. Luis was initially behind the wheel for undocking purposes but as soon as Indy was out in the Buttermilk Channel and traffic was calm, he handed

5 the wheel over to the students so they could get the experience of operating Indy 7. As there were new students on the wheel one would expect lots of zig zag (tacking) motions, but no, there wasn’t too much of that. These students were practically naturals behind the wheel. However with all their handling proficiency, they weren’t prepared for docking and as a result had to be guided by Luis in those actions. With the same students who took the lines when they were dropped this time they were tossing lines and with the bow spring being the first line to get sent over, I may have made the students tossing that line nervous, as I said “Don’t mess up, that’s the most important line” , which left me with the response “Awww why’d you have to tell me that?” All in all the docking was successful and it was great to see these rising vessel operators behind the wheel and honing their skills. The day was concluded with a quick debrief by Luis and Indy was “put to bed”, lines were doubled up, trash was taken out and anything else that could be found on the deck was stored. One might call it a good day. --Joseph Roberto May 21: Today, the freshman were trained by the vessel operation seniors. Basically we were and still are handing off everything that we learned and and know to the freshman students and waterfront volunteers before we graduate. Students took turns experiencing and learning how to take the boat off the dock and drive it out into the harbor and then turn the boat around and dock it. While they were steering they also managed to direct their peers in line throwing. Knowing the order of lines we throw first to last is very important when docking because they each have a different but similar job. As the Captain of the boat you should know the order because you’re the one docking the vessel and need to know what’s going to help you dock faster and more safely. As the students drove off and back to the docks , they weren’t handed the wheel and left alone. Joseph Roberto , a Vessel Operations senior, would sit next to the wheel and assist the trainee in what to do and how to do it correctly. Eventually after they get the opportunity to perform the task and watch their colleagues as they establish the same task , they’ll be capable of demonstrating it on their own. However that’s not going to be while they’re freshmen. --Exavier Figueroa

NYHS Sailing Club & others competing at New York Harbor Regatta

For the Win: Sailing at NYHS by Peregrine Donaldson New York Harbor---The Sailing Club has been a running after school program at the New York Harbor School for several years. It takes place on Tuesdays after all classes have ended. Students get on J-24s and head up the Hudson River to HRCS (Hudson River Community Sailing). Normally they're on a mooring by 6:00 p.m. and on the dock ending their meetings by 6:30. We typically have around 3-4 boats filled with around 5 students or less each. Each boat's crew is carefully chosen to benefit the student and team. Less experienced sailors go on a boat together and practice basic procedures for controlling the boat's direction and rigging sheets. More experienced sailors divide between two boats and practice racing drills involving speed and sail adjustment. Recently we have made arrangements to take part in a regatta against Stuyvesant High School's sailing team and another group of students also taught by HRCS. The students are excited to take part in a race they've been training for. We're hoping for a win!

--cont’d from p. 1: Simulator students and how it will create better mariners for the future. However by the end of junior year I left school that June a bit disappointed because the simulator had not been put together. We had the components, but we were having trouble finding a time for TRANSAS personnel to come install them. So it sat in boxes for quite some time. When senior year started, we decided to do it ourselves. I along with many others was ready, willing and able to get the components out of boxes and into the vessel operations room. So we did exactly that, we brought the monitors and the various consoles up the stairs and into the vessel operations room. All the consoles but one were easily brought upstairs but there was one that just had to be a little too big, and so we used pulleys and tons of rope to get the console lifted up and over the railing in the MAST center. With the senior vessel operations class and that pulley, we were essentially operating like a crane when lifting up this huge console. At last everything had made its way upstairs. One might think that once everything we needed was in the vessel operations room that the job was done and maybe a few things needed to be connected, but no. There was a lot of time and effort put in by a bunch of students across all grades and varying CTEs that had a hand in putting it all together. There was the framework that had to be built to mount the monitors that would be displaying the visuals. There was a ton of wiring and so much more: there was

a whole divider that had to be built around the student stations to prevent cross-viewing across stations. Everything was pretty much built by the students, seniors especially, with the exception of the software installation. When I saw the simulator complete and operational for the first time I couldn’t believe my eyes. It went from an idea to a build process and finally completion in such a quick period of time that my sophomore self would have never thought it possible. The simulator has so much ability and potential that it has become an integral part of the vessel operations program and the school in general, and I’m a bit jealous that I won’t be able to operate it any more upon graduation. The bridge simulator is not just a “game” for students to get behind the wheel of a boat and operate it for “fun”. The bridge simulator is a piece of technology that is to be used by current students and students to come to simulate the operation of any vessel, in any condition imaginable, to teach them to be able to navigate safely. That is the purpose of the bridge simulator, to be able to have students make mistakes and learn from them in the effort to create master mariners. They say you learn best from your mistakes and with the bridge simulator, students can make the mistakes without damaging an actual boat. In the words of Captain Aaron Singh “If we were to run aground with our boats or hit another boat with one of our boats, the school wouldn’t exist”. That is true and that is why the bridge simulator is so useful now. It doesn’t just teach students the essence of driving a boat and being able to get from point A to point B. The bridge simulator has so many configurations that it can even be used to simulate emergencies. A student can be operating a boat and all of a sudden they can experience engine failure, right in the middle of the harbor. This is something that can happen in the real world, and what do you do? You’re on a boat, you have to get yourself out of the situation, maybe it requires you making a radio call to all vessels in the area warning them that you can’t operate your vessel due to engine failure, maybe it’s radioing the Coast Guard in order to get your boat towed to a safe location up until you can handle the issue at hand. Maybe it’s dropping anchor and preparing to “assess the engine issues.” Either way the bridge simulator is capable of so much more than just simulating what it’s like to operate a boat. The simulator will train current and future Harbor School students in things that they can apply in the present and future. It’s teaching them to plot courses prior to departure, so that they understand that cutting too close to a certain destination may be unsafe because the water is shallow and their vessel can run aground. It’s teaching students to then keep an eye on that chart and make sure they’re staying on course. It’s teaching students to keep an eye on their radar: maybe there is a vessel coming up on their starboard (right) side and they can’t visually see it-- well, that’s where the radar comes in handy.

Most importantly the bridge simulator teaches teamwork, because in real life on those massive container ships, cruise ships etc. it’s often not the captain behind the wheel. It’s the first mate, second mate, third mate or AB (Able Bodied) seaman behind the wheel. The captain is still calling the shots as far as when to turn port or starboard but he’s not physically touching the wheel: there are other things that need to be monitored, such as the radar and charts, to ensure that the crew is navigating safely, and that nothing comes up as a surprise, whether it be boat or buoy. Sometimes there are other people doing those tasks for the captain as well. It takes a team, and that principle of teamwork can be seen when students are operating in the main bridge simulator. Then there are 4 student stations which are usually operated by 1 or 2 students each, they have essentially the same functionality as the main bridge but more confined and simulate solo vessel operations and operating without a team. However just because everything is it bit more confined doesn’t mean the same harsh conditions that can be present in the main bridge simulator can’t be present in the smaller stations, because they can. Every year in the vessel operations program there is always some type of senior collective project and there is no grade for it, but by the end of it you know you accomplished something great. Last year it was the work that was put into getting a new training vessel operational, Privateer, this year it was the simulator. I’m curious as to what the seniors next year will accomplish.

Photograph: Aaron Singh Bridge Simulator Installation: Whatever it takes.

7 Marine Biology Research Program Update

4th Annual New York Harbor School Science Symposium: Selected Senior Finalists’ Abstracts Managing a Citizen Science Program: The Harbor SEALs

Harbor Monitoring Platform

New York Harbor Plankton

by Jelani Wiltshire

by Samuel Wilson

by Rachel Anderson

Mentors: Sam Janis, New York Harbor Foundation and Richard G. Copenhaver, YSI

Mentor: Mauricio González, New York Harbor School

Water is a very important substance in our lives and has been for a very long time. Oysters have historically been an important organism in the harbor and have become rarer in more recent years. This project is attempting to help restore the harbor to what it once was with the help of a harbor monitoring platform. A harbor monitoring platform is one single place where you can gather water quality data and view what is going on down below the water using the camera. The goal of this project is to support the restoration of our water to what it once was in order to generate oysters the harbor, with the placement of additional live oysters in the select locations in the harbor.

This research is new to the New York Harbor and has only been done by a couple other organizations, The Hudson River Project and the “Bio Bus” working with Columbia University. Our goals for this project are to see a correlation between species, variety, and density of plankton (Zooplankton and Phytoplankton) with climate/seasonal changes. Our belief is that there is in fact a correlation between climate changes and plankton. Plankton are bioindicators of how healthy a body of water is. In the long run this data could be used to help make the New York Harbor healthier along with the organisms that live in and around it. To reach an official conclusion on this type of research you’d have to conduct it for years and years. We only had about two years. However, our data can help contribute to further research that others may begin later on.

Mentors: Mauricio González, New York Harbor School and Sam Janis, New York Harbor Foundation To manage the New York Harbor Sea, Estuary, Air and Land (SEALs) program, a citizen science monitoring program hosted by the Marine Biology Department of the New York Harbor School, many steps are involved. Some of the daily tasks include helping to organize the sampling equipment (YSI Probe, dissolved oxygen test kits, test strips); checking in with interns to see if any assistance is required; making sure all work is being done correctly and efficiently; assisting in setting up dates to sample; and organizing celebratory events. Project management is so important: without it there would be inaccurate data and disorganized sampling.

Invertebrate Growth on Porcelain Tiles by Andrew Sommer Mentor: Peter Zdrojewski, The Island School Porcelain is a common building material and is often thrown away, forgotten, and sent to landfills. Instead of wasting the porcelain, it can be used as a valuable resource for marine invertebrates to settle on. The experiment tests if light penetration will affect the growth of sessile invertebrates in the Hudson River Estuary. Porcelain tiles are placed at 5 different depths and light measurements are monitored by a sensor. It is hypothesized that the tile receiving the most light will experience the most growth and biodiversity of species at the end of the study. After measuring percent cover and finding the calculating biodiversity using Hill’s index, it was determined that there is a correlation between light intensity and biodiversity. Tiles receiving more light have generally had more biodiversity than tiles experiencing less light penetration.

Science Symposium Spotlights Student Research by Rachel Anderson Governors Island-- On May 13th New York Harbor School and the Marine Biology Research Program hosted the 4th Annual Science Symposium. During this event, more than fifty research students presented their scientific research projects. The day went off without a hitch. We had over thirty family and Professional Advisory Committee volunteers, who together helped make the day a success, as well as a special guest visit from founding principal, Nathan Dudley! The students shined on this day, full of pride in the hard work that they put in over the course of their time spent in the Marine Biology Research Program. The day was closed with the awards ceremony where Dr. Michael Judge of Manhattan College gave a keynote speech about his path to science and his passion for studying snails. Dr. Judge was followed by the New York Science and Engineering Fair (NYSEF) 1st and 2nd place winners, Tahirah Abdo and Nicolle Martinez, who gave presentations of their projects. Next was the awards

New York Harbor School Symposium Finalists

For full information and links to papers and research, please visit harborseals.org. 10th Grade Aquatic Ecosystem Models: Mariah Gathers, Iraya Caceres, Kaila Scott Peer Reviewed Journal Articles: Katharine Conklin Projects: Melanie Smith, Jose Martinez, Luz Tehuitzil Independent Research Projects: Grace Carter, Jared Rosin, Erik Wiemer 11th Grade Projects: Cézanne Bies, Gabriel Bates, Evelyn Jordan Independent Research Projects: Zain Bin Khalid, Pierre Landet, Ryan Raimondi Geographic Information Systems: Julia Montilla 12th Grade Projects: Stefanos Kalogrias, Jelani Wiltshire, Rachel Anderson, Samuel Wilson Independent Research: Andrew Sommer, Kieron Achee New York City Science and Engineering Fair: Nicolle Martinez (1st Place/Environmental Science), Tahirah Abdo (2nd Place/Environmental Science)

ceremony itself, hosted by program director Mauricio González, who announced the first, second and third place winners for each category, as well as other awards. Then, Seniors ceremonially passed along the tools of MBRP’s citizen science project, Harbor SEALs, to

younger students. The evening ended with touching closing speeches with some wise words of advice from Nicolle and Tahirah, who were emotional over leaving high school and taking the leap into college and the wider world.

Marine Biology Research Program Community: Staff, Students, Mentors

Photo: MBRP

Harbor School Community Events Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

8 Friday

Saturday

June 28

July 1

4 Independence Day

River to River Festival LGH Tall Ships Challenge

LGH Tall Ships Chal.

Bowling G/SI Ferry Greenmarkets LGH Tall Ships Chal.

L’Hermione/Pier 15 1908: SOS adopted as int’l distress signal LGH Tall Ships Chal.

Bowling Green Greenmarket L’Hermione/Pier 15 LGH Tall Ships Chal.

Greenmarket @SI Ferry Terminal L’Hermione/Pier 15 LGH Tall Ships Chal.

El Galeón& L’Hermione/Pier 15 Fireworks/East River LGH Parade of Ships

El Galeón/Pier 15 LGH Tall Ships Chal.

BG/SIF GMs El Galeón/Pier 15 LGH Tall Ships Chal.

El Galeón/Pier 15 LGH Tall Ships Chal.

BG Greenmarket El Galeón/Pier 15 Hidden Harbor Tour

SIF Greenmarket El Galeón/Pier 15

NY Transit Museum Vintage Bus Bash/GI Don Byron Music/GI El Galeón/Pier 15

NY Transit Museum Vintage Bus Bash/GI El Galeón/Pier 15

InDock

BG/SIF GMs InDock

InDock

BG Greenmarket InDock

SIF Greenmarket InDock

City of Water Day Field Day/GI InDock

Camp RESTORE

BG/SIF GMs Camp RESTORE

Camp RESTORE

BG Greenmarket Camp RESTORE

It’s Your Tern Fest/GI

NYC Poetry Fest/GI

SUNY Maritime STEM Academy InDock

BG/SIF GMs SUNY Maritime STEM Academy InDock

SUNY Maritime STEM Academy InDock

InDock

BG/SIF GMs InDock

SIF Greenmarket Camp RESTORE

NYC Poetry Fest/GI

30 InDock

August 1

BG Greenmarket Behind the Scenes Hard Hat Tour/GI Maritime Academy

SIF Greenmarket SUNY Maritime STEM Academy InDock

InDock

BG Greenmarket InDock

SIF Greenmarket InDock

InDock

BG Greenmarket

SIF Greenmarket

Jazz Age Lawn Party/ GI; The Plantation/GI

BG Greenmarket

SIF Greenmarket

BG Greenmarket Behind the Scenes Hard Hat Tour/GI

SIF Greenmarket

Vintage Baseball/GI

BG/SIF GMs

Jazz Age Lawn Party/ GI

BG/SIF GMs

RECESS Bocce/GI Kayak circumnav. of Manhattan/MWA

September 1

S.A.I.L Retreat

BG/SIF GMs S.A.I.L Retreat 1985: Rob’t Ballard finds Titanic

S.A.I.L Retreat

BG Greenmarket

SIF Greenmarket

NYC Unicycle Fest/ GI

GI: Governors Island. MWA: Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance For a complete listing of events on GI: govisland.com / For Hidden Harbor Tour info: workingharbor.com BOP: Billion Oyster Project. For more info about BOP: www.billionoysterproject.org