Marina Port de Mallorca welcomed a new generation of students from Santa Magdalena Sofia School who came to the marina, as they do every year, to carry out an experiment in the marina’s waters. The experiment consists on the creation of their own traps that have been strategically placed in two points of the port in order to study the process of biofouling and analyze in their laboratory the different samples that they will extract monthly.
“The objective of this project is to involve the youngsters directly in the whole process and make them participate actively in the creation of the traps, in their placement, in the follow-up, the collection of samples, the analysis and finally study with the microscope. By doing this in person, they enrich their knowledge much more and generate greater interest than if we showed them images on slides" says their teacher Jaime Ripoll.
Using different recycled materials, they have developed the traps, and this initiative, which started a year ago, has allowed them to innovate in their development. "We have applied antifouling in some of the traps to appreciate the differences and compare them" - explained Professor Ripoll.
Once they carried out their practical work, Marina Port de Mallorca’s staff surprised them with an interesting visit of the Palma Aquarium Foundation to receive a talk about marine animals, emphasizing in turtles and their care and needs when rescuing them at sea or in the beach.
Once the talk was over, they participated in a rescue drill, thus being able to understand the importance of maximum respect towards the animals, and how important the actions are of the people at crucial moments on which they will depend if the animal survives or not.
To finish the day, the marina prepared a snack to regain their strength before returning to class, in addition to a bag with gifts from Marina Port de Mallorca.
We want to thank Santa Magdalena Sofia School for continuing with their trust and allowing us to open the doors of our house for projects as interesting as this one.